Musings about Article Writing: You've Got a Topic. Now What?

Sometimes as a freelance writer I’m lucky. Clients employ me to write articles about topics I know something about. Other times I’m employed for my writing skills alone, rather than my knowledge. In both cases I need to do some research. Of course how much or how little depends on what I know already. 

Anyone who knows me well knows I’m a hoarder. I love collecting information. I love researching. My biggest problem is knowing when to stop. But when it’s a new topic, the problem is often knowing where to start.

In case this is a challenge you face too, I thought I’d share a couple of musings with you.

1.  Ask your client for a short list of key words or concepts, some of the jargon that’s used by people who know about the topic
2. Use these words/concepts for targeted internet search using your favourite search engine – I say use your favourite because you’re comfortable with it and know how it works, which means you will be able to find information more quickly
3. Scan through the sites. If any of them are for journals or specialist magazines, take a quick look and see if you think they will throw any light on the topic
4. Take a look at Wikipedia – it’s not always reliable, it’s not always comprehensive, but it does often provide a ‘quick and dirty’ view of the topic to get you started

Robert W. Bly has a great list in his book Secrets of a Freelance Writer and my next post on this blog will have a few more ideas.

Do you have any tips for researching new topics?