by David Dewitt

Created on: June 15, 2009

Each day new people are joining Helium to pursue the desire and dream of writing and being published. One question that everyone who is starting out at Helium is simple: where to begin or how to get started?

Having the desire to write and starting the process of writing are two different things. Those who have joined Helium have taken an important step toward accomplishing the goal of writing and being published online.

Helium offers a number of excellent venues to write and the question of a starting place is a valid one. There are some amazingly simple things that new writers can do to get themselves started on Helium.

1. Begin with existing material

Every person dreaming of becoming a writer has material already in existence. As a minister, I had extensive material in the form of Bible studies and sermons that were easy to transfer onto Helium. Take the material that is already completed and place it on the Helium site. New members can easily increase their sheer number of articles just by weeding through existing material.

2. Search for Ideas

Writing always begins with an idea. One of the advantages of writing for Helium is that titles have already been created. Browse through the various channels and sub-channels for ideas for articles. Searching through the titles for article ideas can be both quick and painless. Write for those titles that stimulate interest or create personal excitement.

In some ways, this can be limiting if there are no titles in a writer's area of expertise. The solution is simple because Helium accepts suggestions for new titles from members. Take a few moments to search for something to write about or suggest something new through the suggest a title button on the my Helium page.

3. Keep a Writing Notebook

Once a series of article titles are found, keep them in an electronic file or notebook. Creating a writing notebook is crucial to ongoing writing. Buy a cheap notebook. Stay away from anything that is fancy or formal. Those kind of writing journals seldom find use in everyday writing. Keep the notebook simple and easy to use.

Write the title of each article that interests you and dedicate that page to writing notes for a future article. These notes should form a basic outline or a series of thoughts on the article subject. Begin taking notes on a daily basis, even if only for a few minutes, on one or more article titles. Use the notes to compose a formal article for posting on Helium. The process is simple and fast to produce online articles.

Helium is an amazing place for writers to join an online community that stretches around the globe. Taking the time to learn a few basic steps will greatly increase the likelihood of success on Helium. Remember start where you are, start with what you have and be ready to learn and grow as a person and as a writer.

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