How Long do you take to write an Article?

Hi cmolinar, Spending 20-30 minutes for an article 400-500 words seems reasonable. I think I would take about the same time as you. I'm not a prolific writer as well, but I try my best to write well. I think with lots of practice, you can be a good writer.

I agree with Sydney. It typically takes me the same amount of time for short articles, and with Demand Studios that comes to about $30 an hour.

Thank you for responding to my post. It is also said that on the Internet, articles need to be shorter than with the written word, because on the Internet there is so much to read, that we like to have short, and easy-to-read articles in smaller paragraphs. Indeed, I have found that if I am looking a lot of text on the screen in long paragraphs, I tend to skim through it too. _Derek

Your articles are long at 1000 words! I used to write long articles but it just takes too long and I began to be less motivated to write more. So I have cut down my articles shorter. Sometimes, when I target 400-500 words, I tend to go over due to the elaborations. It does take some time to check for grammatical and spelling errors. When it is a subject familiar to me and passionate about, the words tend to flow and you write faster. It also depends on your mood too. If you are in the right mood for writing, you will also tend to write faster than usual.

Hi Derek, I know that we tend to skim when we see so much text on the screen, it is a strain on the eyes. When I have so much to write about a topic, I usually break it into two. This is how I go about doing it. When I brainstorm for points for an article, I usually take down about 8-10 points. If I can gather 10 points, I may break them into 5 points for each article. Then find two different angles to the topic. In this way, you brainstorm once, but you get two articles! I also help my readers by having sub-headings. So if they want to skim, they would still get the gist of my writing with one look.

I mostly write on mylot. I had started two different books.

I know, sometimes we think too much. I have learnt not to think to much and just write. You have quit writing articles? But do you still write other things?

I have just about enough about plagiarism. Even if I can catch all the people who plagiarise my articles/blog posts, I just don't have the time to pursue each case. Initially I was very apprehensive when someone told me that my articles have been plagiarised, but now I take it as a "norm" when you write online. I hate it! Anyway, back to the issue, taking half an hour to write an article looks like the average here. I'm glad. I think I take about the same time as well to write a quality article.

Hi med889, Wow! You can write an article in ten minutes. That is very impressive. I don't think I can type that fast. While it is true that our brains can churn out words faster than we can type them, but it is difficult to catch up. I usually take 20 minutes or more even when I have all the information I need. Do you mind sharing which websites you write for? I write for Triond mostly, but venturing into other profitable sites as well. Tell me if you are earning good money from your writing sites.

Touch typist, evidently! I got RSI in my neck and hands from typing, which has cut my rate right down. I write quite quickly, but I'm definitely a "2 fingers/eyes down" kinda girl. Too old to learn new tricks. I think "speakware" might be best for me!

Hi Amelly, It's great to hear that you have been writing quite regularly. Keep up the great work! For me, if I have ideas flowing, it would take faster to complete the article. If I need more time to think, I will take longer to complete. Picking the right words would come in later for me when I'm editing.

ya that is true..sometimes when i do get lots of ideas.i need some time to pick up the right words and make the article look good...by the way..thanks sydney!

Hi nishdan, How are you doing? You are right about this one. I tend to be able to write a quick article if it is just about daily happenings or narrate what happened during the day. If the article is about a topic which needs researching a little, then I would have to spend more time. It may take an hour or more, including research time. An hour for a 500-word article is reasonable, to me. Some people may think that it takes too long. Some people feel that we should churn 4 articles in an hour. Whee! I can't do that, maybe if I have done a little bit of brainstorming and also researching and if I'm into the writing zone.

I think we would have given sufficient thought in an article which takes half an hour to complete. The topic is important, you are right. If the topic is very informative and require ample research, half an hour would not be sufficient for me. Do you write for any writing sites?

Currently, almost all of my article writing is posted on Associated Content. But I'll also write restaurant reviews on Yelp and dvd reviews on Amazon. i have one novella out, which is available at Amazon and other bookstores.

That's pretty okay. I think taking an hour for a 300-word article would include editing and proofreading, I presume. I usually take about 15-20 minutes if I were to write a review. Movie reviews take longer for me because I like to do a little research on the characters and plot. Where do you publish your writing?

Unfortunately, there is no more page view earnings from AC anymore, thus I'm done with that site. I have never heard of Yelp, do they accept international writers? I used to write for ReviewStream but have been rather discouraged by them, since I'm not getting $2.50 reviews any longer. I'm just getting bulk rate of 50 cents. Are you paid at Yelp? I'm impressed that you have one novella already. I really want to write a book, but not motivated for such a long period. That's why I just concentrate on articles. It's faster and easier to complete.

I have read a number of articles on article writing and SEO that say that in order for your article's presence to be "felt" by major search engines, the length of your article has to be at least 400 words. I don't really know if this is a rule of thumb among those who write articles for SEO purposes. Have you read anything like this?

hi blindmoongoddess, I am no SEO expert, thus not able to answer your question about the length of the article. But I did hear that the main keywords should appear at least once or twice in the first paragraph. But really, I have no idea. I really must read more about this. Will get back to you if I find something.

Hello kykidd, For a complete article with pictures and all, I will also probably take about that time. Editing and grammar/spell check also takes some time, what more adding pictures. By the way, where do you get your pictures? I'm afraid to get pictures from the net, might be violating some copyright laws. Your article is not very long I feel. I usually write about 300 words for a simple review. You are right when you say that it depends on the topic. Some topics lend itself to more things to be discussed, while others are dry and uninteresting.

I notice that too. Their articles are short, just trying to get backlinks to their sites. Writing 20 articles in 2 hours would definitely only produce substandard articles, not quality ones. I agree that the writing may not take as much time. It's the research time and brainstorming time that takes more time. And if you do keywords research, that can take hours! If I can learn how to write quality articles in 5 minutes, that would be great. But as it is, I definitely can't.

Gosh! If I am not embarrassed to publish all my love letters to my husband before we got married, I think I'll be rich. We write to each other almost every day for nine years! Well, not really for nine years, but I have a couple of shoe boxes full of letters and postcards. Phew! Writing itself may take 20 minutes. Yes, research usually takes longer and when you surf the net for information, you can take hours without realizing time has passed. I know that having a good reputation is important. And this goes with writing quality articles. There is one writer on Triond. She often writes on health issues and they were good, because she had a medical background. She has thousands of articles. I have not read her articles for some time and decided to take a look at one. I was quite disappointed about its quality. It was short and not as informative as I thought it would be. But I guess, it depends on the topic as well. Maybe the topic did not lend itself to much information. Sometimes when you have carved yourself as a prolific writer, your audience maybe disappointed if you write something of less quality. Yes, I have this need to churn as many articles as possible. But have not put in the effort to write them. Shish! I still believe that I can generate passive income from my writing. It may take time, but I know I will eventually get there. I think you will get there first, UmiNOor!

It was a whirlwind romance, but things have changed. Thank you for reading my article. I read yours about how to get your first star at Helium. I think I will follow some of your strategy there. You know. I have to force myself to take up writing projects, because if I don't, I'll be sitting on my a$$ doing nothing. Haiz! I took up one this year and it gave me some income. I hate deadlines too, but I just got to do it. Okay, we'll see who gets rich first, okie? If I don't see you writing anymore or no longer in mylot, then I know you have probably made it big and don't go for the small fries anymore. Thank you for your encouragement!

Wow SydneyHazelton shoeboxes? That must be some kind of whirlwind romance! I don't keep my love letters anymore. It's here and there but not in one place. I guess I'm not as romantic as I would think I am. Just keep writing SydneyHazelton. I like your article about stealing time to write. You're very right. Mums like us need to steal time here and there to write. I think that is the reason I don't take writing projects from specific clients. I doubt I will be able to meet deadlines. I hate deadlines and I hate to have to force myself to write to specific targets. I prefer to write when I feel like writing so Sydney, I will never be a rich writer either.

I do write for Triond . Although quantity matters here, I do maintain a certain level of quality when I write. For beginning writers, Triond serves a wonderful place to start. When it comes to writing, I never time myself either. I take whatever time I need for that particular article. One may need less time while others longer. It all depends.

I didn't mean to say writing for Triond is bad and that all the articles there are low quality. I sometimes think of writing for these kinds of places myself. But it really does seem that there are some writers in these kinds of places that are just out to put up as many articles as they can, and they don't care about the quality. So there's no sense in comparing your speed with theirs, if when you write you care about the quality-which you should :)

Lol, same with my writing. I try and time myself, but usually get carried away. =D I want people to recognize me for being a good writer, not someone who won the award for writing the most crap under 5minutes.

English is not my native language either, but in my country English is taught as a first language. I think that being non-native speakers, we do need to practice the language a lot. Writing is a great way to practise it. Just run grammar and spelling checks, but they are not foolproof though. So we still have to fall back on our understanding of the rules of the language.

Hi ronslove, It's true that it all depends. Sometimes I get carried away with doing research and spend longer than expected. But I found a site that can help you to reduce your research time. It's Ultimate Research Assistant. Once you type in the topic, it will data mine for you relevant information. It helps me cut down time to do research.

yes, it all depends on the topic. If we are familiar with the topics, we tend to write it faster. Those that require a bit more research will take slightly longer. You pointed out an important aspect of writing - the length of the articles! Some of my articles are longer than others and thus would require more time to complete. Good point!

That's about average. I take about 30 minutes including editing for grammar, spelling and sentence structure. I normally write short articles anyway.

I can't imagine writing an article in 5 minutes. It's just not possible for me. A lot of thought goes into writing and it takes some time. Like you said, minimum for me is 20 minutes, more after editing for grammar, spelling, vocabulary and sentence structure. Thank you for sharing!

welcome to myLot! You pointed out a good point. If you are inspired, you will take a shorter time to write your articles.