Review: How to Write an Article in 7 Minutes

I admit, in direct conflict with my previous post about not procrastinating, I put off reading Jason Fladlien’s How to Write an Article in 7 Minutes because I thought I didn’t have the time to sit down and read the materials. With three major deadlines and blogging commitments, I didn’t think I could take time away from my normal duties to read this information package. If it worked as advertised, it would save me a lot of time in the long-term, but I didn’t want to make that initial investment.

How many times have you done that in your life? Do you put off learning new skills because you don’t want to take the time to learn, even if, in the long run, it would make your life better?

Well, Kat Frass, THANK YOU for calling me on my procrastination, and for your comments prompting me to share my thoughts on the program.

Turns out, I had nothing to fear. The materials were a quick read. It took me less than a half hour to skim the program and learn the Fladlien’s technique for writing articles in 7 minutes. I’ve downloaded the videos to my iPod and can watch them in bed tonight.

Philosophical Differences With “Article Writing”

My views on writing differ, philosophically, from the author’s, which, I’m afraid, means I’m just not interested in using his program to maximum effectiveness. He claims that writing “slightly better than average articles” is good enough for article marketing purposes. He’s probably right. And while I do some article marketing, I’m not an “article writer” in today’s Web terms. I am a “writer.”

For instance, Fladlien doesn’t encourage knock-their-socks-off, keep ‘em reading, super-creative leads, which every freelance writer knows are the cornerstone to success.

Fladlien’s leads are more like the kind they teach writers in elementary school: "If you want to write an article in seven minutes, this article will show you how." I gave up those kind of leads in fourth grade and never looked back.

Fladlien's articles rank well in the search engines, but a strong lead keeps human beings reading. And you need both for Internet success. There is no space on the Web for leads that turn people off. When I read a humdrum lead, I think two things:1). This person didn’t care enough about their topic to take the time to entice me to read. 2). If they slacked on the lead, where else did they cut corners? Is their information even accurate?

Another key tenet of Fladlien’s program is to do your research quickly and then write without stopping to think. See objections 1 & 2 above.

Useful Advice for Re-slanting Articles

My favorite part of the program was actually “8 Ways to Slant an Article.” Great advice for beginning writers. Nothing I didn’t already know, but it helps to have a handy checklist of the different article formats that can be created from the same content.

Did I Like the Program?

I don’t want it to sound as if I’m slamming the program. It has its benefits and I’ll apply his techniques for certain article writing to create keyword-rich content quickly. I’m apt to use the techniques to try to expand my own business because, let’s face it, this blog *needs* more traffic!

I’m also likely to use his format, but spend the extra time to make my articles for clients more compelling and fun to read… to create the best content I’m capable of, even if it takes 15 minutes, and a bit of thought, instead of 7 and a formula. The hints on how to research quickly were quite useful, and I will be applying those right away.

Is This Program For You?

If you’re an Internet marketer, business owner or even a freelance writer looking to make money crafting articles designed to drive traffic to Web sites, this program could definitely help you. Will it turn you into a Hemingway of the Web? Not at all. But I believe you can create effective content in seven minutes by following Fladlien’s techniques.

I also recommend this program for people who have never written an article for the Web before. It gives you an easy outline to get started and makes the process a lot less scary.

I have no doubts that anyone who is dedicated enough to study the program (which doesn’t take a lot of time) and apply it to their work can easily make back the $37 cost of the program, so it is a good investment for an Internet business.

Incidentally, I tried to use the techniques outlined in “How to Write an Article in 7 Minutes” to write this post. It took me exactly 30 minutes to write this article, but it’s twice the length of the articles that Fladlien says can be done in 7 minutes. (So, 15 minutes per article…) Not bad for a first attempt. Using Fladlien’s techniques has already made me a faster writer.

Then again, it usually takes me only about 30 minutes to put together a blog post. Sigh… maybe I’m just too much of an old dog to learn any new writing tricks.

2009: The Year When Procrastination Can Wait

I didn't make any New Year's Resolutions, but I did post a few goals here. I also changed my mindset going into 2009. This is the year I am going to stop procrastinating.

Part of this philosophy began when I first had Ashley. With a baby, you never know when you'll have a chance to do something, so you better do it when you have the chance. I don't know whether the saying originated with Robert Heinlein or the Marines, but I follow the credo of: "Eat when you can, sleep when you can. Never stand when you can sit and never sit when you can lie down."

This urgency to accomplish "life" tasks has translated into everything. No longer do I let projects, from small to large, sit. If I have an opportunity to do something, I do it right that minute. Of course, I still follow my to-do lists for business-related tasks.

Here's a small example. I have a bad habit of making purchases and then leaving the bag in my car overnight, or for weeks. I'm not hiding purchases from my spouse ala "Shop-aholic." I'm just too lazy to carry them inside, because that would mean finding a place for them. (Yes, that's a whole different issue of buying things when I don't have room for anything else in my house or in my life!)

Now, if I see something that needs doing, I just do it. This means no more dirty coffee mugs on my desk. If I see a smudge on the bathroom mirror, I wipe it off immediately. I don't wait until I have time to clean the entire bathroom. Nothing has to be perfect. It just has to be *done.*

After only a week of living this philosophy, my house is a bit more organized and I feel like I'm accomplishing more.

The same philosophy works in business. I don't wait for one-hour chunks of time to complete a task any more. 15 free minutes? I will knock out a blog post. An extra half-hour? I'll try to transcribe a 15-minute interview.

I just purchased an eBook and educational program titled "How to Write an Article in 7 Minutes" and hope this will boost my productivity even more. I will return with a complete review after I use the program and, if I find it effective, I'll add an affiliate link to this blog.

In the book, Jason Fladlien talks about "article-writing frenzies," where you take a grain of an idea from one article and create an offshoot article (or 10.) You can sit down and write these continuously, in a frenzy. If you don't have time for a frenzy, though, you can always jot down the ideas and write another article when you have another seven minutes. Keep in mind, I haven't read the book yet, so I'm paraphrasing based on my understanding from the promotional materials.

I'm going to try that right now, however, as this post has sparked an idea for a post about the concept of writing ANYTHING in seven minutes. (Teaser: I used to think it was impossible!)

Stay tuned... and while you're waiting, why not use a few free minutes to tell me:

What tools and techniques do you use to combat that ugly, lazy monster called procrastination?