Blogging Guide to Quick Content Creation

Consistent blogging needs an efficient content creation strategy. Here are some tips to improve your content creation process.

Put Content Ideas Down on Paper

The first step in creating quick content is to have the writing habit mentioned in our previous blog. You will have material to work with and a stronger sense of confidence that you can actually put things down on paper. It doesn't matter what you put down at the start. You can just journal your feelings or write about something that you read or watched. These ideas will stimulate other ideas. The key is quantity, not quality at this stage.

Few Tools, Know Them Well

You only need the tools that you have actually used on a consistent basis. Getting a tool for its own sake is a waste of money. (Many online tools can be purchased cheaply or for lifetime deals if you know where to look. So I sometimes break this rule if I can buy a lifetime deal for a product. I'm not a fan of the subscription model, even though I understand why it's necessary to some extent. At this stage I have to watch my spending so can't have too many subscriptions).

1. I have a writing tool that I can use on desktop, laptop, mobile device, online or offline. I can type all my information down without worrying whether it's good or not. It will be the raw material to be edited later.
2. Then I edit with an SEO editor called Textmetrics to make sure I will get the attention of Google to help potential readers discover me by putting me higher on the search list results.
3. Then I use WordPress to post.
4. I use a stock image service which I have a lifetime deal for as a way to make the blog post stand out.
5. I do final checks for spelling, grammar and ask friends to have a look to make sure that there isn't anything out of place on their devices.

I use these tools because they are uncomplicated and powerful.

• They don't get in the way of my blogging experience by being too "smart".
• I still have control and am allowed to use my brain. This gives me the choice of going even more low-tech if I'm travelling and don't have access to tech or the internet consistently.
• I can also tweak the workflow of how I use these tools more easily because there are fewer steps to worry about.
• I can see my processes clearly.
• Finally, these tools let me output with ease. There are few obstacles to publish my posts other than checking for spelling, grammar or coherency. There are no excuses not to publish.

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Quick Content Creation Needs a Map

Once the idea is down on paper or in digital form, you can expand it. One way to do this is to use a Mind Map.

1. You have a central idea and then draw a circle around it.
2. Then surround that main circle with 5 to 10 circles.
3. Connect the main circle to the smaller circles and in each circle think of a word that relates to the main idea or word.
4. For example, if your main idea is "truck", your smaller circles could contain words such as: construction, size (big/small), transportation, speed (fast/slow), countries (trucks from different countries), rules (as in driving rules for different trucks).
5. You can even keep expanding these ideas if you like a particular subtopic.

By expanding in this way you can see an overview of your whole idea and also focus on particular details you like or want to expand on even further.

Trim and Edit to Find Blogging Gold

Once you feel you have expanded enough, focus on making coherent paragraphs. Connect the paragraphs by working on sentences and keywords. You start from the overall structure, then go down towards the actual words that will give readers key points to focus on. The last part of the process is to focus on the SEO keywords that will get the attention of the search engine to make your blog post easier to find. Don't work on the details until you have worked on the big picture parts first, and feel the structure is what you want it to be.

Make habits. Tweak workflows.

In the beginning of any habit, it will be difficult to figure out all your steps clearly. This is why you pick simple tools to create a large quantity of work. This allows your brain to expect to create on a regular basis. Pick a day and time that you will do this to make the habit stronger. Enjoy your favorite healthy snack as a reward every time you take even a small step towards your goal.

Soon the part of the brain that has to think about doing all of this will relax, because it has become a routine. The part of the brain that worries about blogging "the right way" will shut up, and will let you to put things down more easily. In anything you do, this is the goal. Allowing yourself to do. Do it again and again. Then make what you do better. Keeping this in mind will help you create content with ease and consistency.

Stay tuned for Part VI of this topic: 6 Reasons Why Blogging Can Be So Difficult to Start. Keep an eye out on www.memorypie.com.