There is an old saying, “Don’t put the cart before the horse.” This is very true, especially with article writing. Well, most of the time anyway. Yes, there are times when writing articles when you want to put the cart before the horse. If you’re confused, don’t worry… I’m going to confuse you even more by the time you’re done reading this.

Okay, just what would be an example of putting the cart before the horse when writing an article? Well, an obvious and exaggerated example would be starting your article with something like this…

“And that is how you go about writing a good article.”

You’ll have everybody reading scratching their head wondering what happened to the beginning of the article. Now I admit, that’s a very exaggerated example. However, it’s not far off from the truth when you read some of the really bad articles that are out there. There seems to be no beginning, middle and end. Now don’t get me wrong, articles don’t have to be so rigid that there is no room for creativity.

For example, let’s say you’re writing an article about Internet marketing and how to reach more prospects. There is nothing wrong with starting the article with a little joke or maybe a story about something related. As long as it can eventually tie in to what you want to get across, go for it. You don’t have to read like a dry history book. No offense to history book writers.

Now, I did say that there were times when it was okay to put the cart before the horse. Paul Harvey was a master at doing this with his “rest of the story.” He’d start one of his radio shows with a very well known event in somebody’s life. He was actually telling you the main point OF that event right up top. BUT…what he didn’t tell you was that there was more to it that most people don’t know. And THAT is the rest of the story. I used to love listening to Paul Harvey, God rest his soul.

How does this apply to article writing? Let’s say you’re writing an article on a current event. Let’s say a very well known celebrity has just died. You would start the article with that very fact right up top. Then, in the paragraphs to follow, you’d fill in the details of the person’s life. Most obituaries are written like this. The main item is disclosed first and then the supporting details come next.

So when you go about writing your article, think about what it is you want to say. If you can make your main point first without killing it for the rest of the article, and maybe even get your reader more curious about what’s to come, do it. Otherwise, don’t put the cart before the horse.

You’ll never get to where you want to go.

To YOUR Success,

Steven Wagenheim

Want to write articles that get people’s attention and can earn you up to $200 per article written? Then check out my Complete Article Writing And Marketing Guide that you can find at http://www.honestincomeprogram.com/tcawamg.html – This is my own book that I wrote from over 30 years of writing experience.