by Elizabeth A. Marion

Created on: April 24, 2010

The process of submitting an article on Helium is very simple. However, there are many things to consider if you want writing stars and want your articles to be well reviewed by your peers.

First you need to find a title to submit an article to. While in the beginning you may be eager to just write to as many titles as you can to earn writing stars doing so will probably make if more difficult to get writing stars. If you're articles are written in haste and not well thought through or organized your ratings will suffer. When your article ratings suffer your chances of getting that first writing star suffers. There are plenty of titles you can write to. Browse through them. Get familiar with the channels and subchannels that most interest you. Every article you write doesn't have to be about something that you feel passionately, but you should know something about the subject before you write the article. For some titles this may mean doing a little bit of research first.

If you already have an article written you can find an appropriate title through Title Finder. It will be on the left hand side of the screen when you log in and go to the My Helium page. If you still cannot find what you're looking for you can suggest a title and write to the title once it is approved.

Once you have found a title to write to and start working on your article you then have to focus on the quality of your writing. So many Helium writers write an article, repeating themselves and making poor points, just to reach the four hundred word minimum so they can submit their article. If your purpose for writing for Helium is just to get practice, expand on your writing, or see how well articles will fare in comparison to the writing of others that's fine. If you want to earn writing stars and high ratings you have to pay attention to quality. Stay on topic. If you're writing to a movie review focus on the movie instead of going off on tangents about the lives of the actors or the gossip spread on set during filming. Avoid run-ons and improper grammar. Remember to review your work before you click Publish to catch any errors.

Once you click Publish you will be directed to rating articles. If your article is not rated well or you would like to revise it you can do something called Leapfrogging. Click on Show Article Options and select Leapfrog. You will then be given the chance to rewrite your article or correct mistakes. When you submit it your new article will not automatically be displayed in place of the original. The articles will be rated by Helium users and the one that is rated higher will be the one displayed.

Helium is a great place to expand your writing skills. Pay attention to the articles that have low ratings. You may find you have been making mistakes without realizing or that your writing has not been as clear as you thought. Also remember that Helium has a very supportive group of writers. When you have questions you can post them in the Community discussion board.

Learn more about this author, Elizabeth A. Marion.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.