The Difference between Fluff and Interesting Content
Posted July 23, 2010 in How-To, Writing 22 Comments »
Freelance writing sounds like a great way to improve your writing and make some money on the side. Many people who are truly interested in writing choose freelancing, because it allows them to write on a variety of subjects and get paid for it. Unfortunately, the reality is that freelancing rarely gives you the opportunity to write interesting content, or let you choose your own subjects.
Because of this, most freelancers end up developing a boring writing style. They can pump out tons of content in a short amount of time, but it all sounds the same, and nothing is gained from reading these articles. These writers excel at writing “fluff,” but have problems writing actual quality content. This trend towards fluff is unfortunate, because many high paying freelance jobs require an engaging writing style, so when the time comes for you to apply for these types of jobs, your writing style will be inadequate.
In this post, I’ll explain how to develop an engaging writing style and keep yourself from writing fluff.
What Is Fluff?
I’m sure you’ve read fluff before. Fluff articles can be read all the way through, and then once you finish reading them, you realize you don’t remember what the article was originally about.
Interesting content, on the other hand, draws you in, and makes you want more. Interesting articles are in high demand. The only people who want fluff are people who are only using the articles for SEO purposes, which can only get you so far.
The Key to Good Content
So how do you start writing quality, interesting content when you’ve been writing fluff for a while?
The key is passion, and interest. When writing about something that you’re passionate about, or something that interests you, it’s easy to write an amazing article. The writing process goes very quickly, and in the end, you’ve written an amazing article.
However, if you want to write about relationships, and your freelance employer wants you to write about credit card debt, your lack of interest will usually show up on paper. If you can find a way to become interested and passionate about any subject, your writing will greatly improve, and you’ll be able to get freelance jobs that require an interesting and upbeat writing style.
How to Develop Passion for Many Topics
Developing passion might sound like a great idea, but how do you become passionate about any topic?
The secret is to learn more about that topic, and to have an open mind. For me, if I have to write an article on credit card debt, I expect to enjoy it. Then, once I’m in the right mindset, I start my research. I try to find the most interesting information available on the topic, and then become interested in it myself.
How you get interested can change depending on your personality. Using the credit card debt example, I find myself getting interested by learning tricks to lessen your debt by a small amount, and over time, it adds up. I like how you can change little things and get big results, so I choose to write from that viewpoint. Because of my extra efforts, my articles sound interesting and engaging, even though I originally had no interest in the topic.
Getting interested in a topic is easier to do than you might believe. It really is all about your mindset. If you still don’t think you could get interested in a “boring” topic, think of it this way. Someone is interested in that topic enough to write quality articles on it. So what’s the difference between those people and you? The mindset. They have the mindset where they enjoy writing articles on a so-called boring topic, therefore, they do.
This, like anything else, requires practice to perfect. Once you get into the habit of enjoying every topic, though, you will soon be able to write large amounts of quality articles, much like before, except this time, your articles are interesting.
Unlike writing fluff, writing with passion can help you improve as a writer. Fluff will help you make your grammar and spelling perfect, but writing passionately will help you become a better writer. On top of this, you’ll be able to get higher paying jobs.
Starting Your Own Projects (and More)
Once you’ve perfected this type of writing, you can move on from freelancing if you want to. Writing amazing articles for someone else is all well and good, but once you get to the point where you can write about any subject with passion, you should start your own project. Whether this project is a blog or some other type of website, you have a better chance of making a lot more money working on your own.
Once you’ve developed your writing style, starting your own projects is just one of the many options available to you.
To Sum Things Up
If you’ve wanted to become a professional writer, freelancing can greatly improve your ability to write–if you do it right. If you write with passion on any topic, you can move on to other jobs in the writing field with ease.
If you’re just freelance writing for some extra cash on the side, learning to write with passion will allow you to increase your rates, and apply for higher paying writing jobs.
What About You?
Take a look at your own freelancing blog. Do you write with passion, or do you write fluff? The choice is up to you.
In the comments, share your thoughts on how to write more interesting and engaging posts.
Image by littledebbie11
About the author: Michael Collins is a freelance prepaid calling cards writer for Pingo that provides virtual "international calling cards" online.
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22 Comments
Alexa Steele
July 23rd, 2010 at 8:48 amI would suggest quickly moving away from websites like Associated Content and Helium as they are a breeding ground for fluff. After all, when you’re only getting paid $1-$3 per article it’s hard to get interested enough to write quality content.
Friedhelm Golz
July 23rd, 2010 at 10:08 amThis is a great article. I believe this is true for everything that we do. I am a photographer and I need to be passionate about my images. If I loose my passion I create mediocre images at best.
Freelance FactFile
July 23rd, 2010 at 10:11 amAnd it’s more than just writing with passion. My writing tips are: write as you would speak; use short words not long, complicated ones, write short sentences; get to the point – no waffle; never use a single word more than you need to; put your writing to one side and look at it with fresh eyes in the morning, then edit, edit and edit again.
Johnny
July 23rd, 2010 at 10:18 amYour points hold very much true for writing in blogs also. It isn’t a surprise that the posts that get read the most for me are the ones where I’m in a great mood to write and having fun in the writing itself. Your personality (and passion) at that time trully does show through.
The hard can is keeping in that zone each time you write though!
Laura Spencer
July 23rd, 2010 at 3:50 pmThere are some good points here.
Passion is definitely important, as Michael points out. Readers always tell if you’re bored with something. If you’re bored writing it, your readers will also be bored reading it.
I also agree with Freelance FactFile that writing style is important. Content for the web, in particular, should use a conversation style and be scannable.
Mike
July 23rd, 2010 at 3:57 pmHey guys, thanks for the comments.
I agree with FactFile as well, and I feel that passion and writing style need to co-mingle to create interesting articles. You could have a huge amount of passion about a topic, but if you ramble in your articles, it’s not going to matter. On the other hand, even if you have an efficient, crisp writing style, it’s going to be boring unless you write with passion.
TODHD
July 23rd, 2010 at 9:45 pmFluff is something that people like to add to fill up the page or a book
Stephanie
July 25th, 2010 at 11:21 amThis is an interesting article and I’d definitely recommend it to a lot of my freelance writing buddies. :)
I agree that to write great articles, you need to have that “love” for the topic. But I also believe it is possible to find interest in topics you’re originally not interested in and produce quality articles from that newborn interest. Personally, I like writing about all kinds of topics because I myself gain a lot of knowledge whenever I do my research.
Alexa Steele
July 25th, 2010 at 2:31 pmAnother key to good writing is to know your subject. Unless you specialize in a particular subject matter, this often requires research. It can be hard to research a subject you’re not interested in, but if you don’t your audience will probably see your article for what it is: fluff.
Why Freelancing is a Great Way to Make Money Online
August 7th, 2010 at 1:05 amI started off as a paid forum poster in freelancing. I was not a good writer back then but was forced to write in order to earn a decent amount of income. I did a lot of writing since that time.I attempted to rewrote articles and did just fine. Until one time, with some inspiration from a marketing guru, I was able to composed a whole article quite easily and rather quickly.
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