Writing the How-To Article

The how-to article is one of the best and most popular types of article today. People are always looking for ways to do things, whether it be self-improvement or building bookshelves. In these articles, you walk them through the process, step by step.

So, how do you write a how-to article?

It's easy.

First, brainstorm your steps. Write down every step you can think of in the process. Don't worry about order, just get them down.

Second, organize the completed list from first step to last. If simple steps can be combined, that's great. If not, that's okay, too.

Readers want instruction. And it if takes ten steps to get the job done, no one will complain.

Third, spend time explaining each step. Keep your explanations simple and clear.

No need to complicate the process. Two to five sentences will do the trick in most how-to articles.

Fourth, describe the expected result of following the instructions. If it was for a bookshelf, then you could conclude with:

"Your bookshelf is now ready to house your personal library. You will get many years and uses out of this simple piece of furniture."

Fifth, get a beta reader. This is someone who can take your article, follow the steps and see if they get the desired result.

If not, figure out what steps are missing or unclear. Once you've done that, have them try again. And again...until it comes out right.

Sixth, and finally, edit the article. Get rid of spelling or grammar errors. Shorten over-long sentences. Eliminate extra material that isn't relevant to the article.

If you've followed these steps, you will have a how-to article not unlike this one. If not, contact me and let me know where you ran into problems.

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