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Having been a professional technical writer, I know I have different standards for reviewing the written word. To be sure, technical writers are often more concerned with form than content, with conformity rather than creativity.

However, in my opinion, there are certain basic writing standards that should apply to all writers, and when I read and rate articles on Helium, these things always influence my impressions and decisions. These standards seem intuitively obvious to me, but every time I sit down for a rating session, I see one if not all of these guidelines ignored, many times, in too many articles.

If you want to do well writing for Helium, regardless of your desire for creative expression, whether or not English is your native language, or even if you aren't a professional writer, here are five tips that will help you find rating success on Helium. At least when I am rating.....

1) Address the Title
Too many articles are so far off topic that I can only assume the author wrote to several titles off-line, and inadvertently cut-and-pasted the wrong text to the wrong title. I can see how it happens, as this is how I write many of my articles.

Alternatively, there are many more articles that address some part of the title, but go off on odd tangents - talk about their "story" rather than providing the facts requested or pursue a "stream of consciousness" on the general subject.

Most titles allow for a great deal of creative expression, while still addressing the key points. If one title doesn't quite match what you want to say on a subject, another will - or you can start your own. Debates, contests and marketplace briefs make this trickier, but not addressing the title won't help you win debates or contests, or help you sell articles. And the challenge of writing within a narrowly defined subject is half the fun.

2) Organize the Material
A well organized article is easy to follow and easier to understand. Starting with an outline when you write will help - whether you leave the titles in the completed article is a matter of choice, but having sections with titles makes an article easier to follow too.

Another organizational tool is numbering paragraphs or sections, especially when a specific number of items is requested. If nothing else, it will help you to ensure you've provided the required information. I rated an article today that offered five suggestions to address the topic, then listed eight. Perhaps this is a proofreading error, or perhaps it's an organizational

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