Let’s just be crystal clear about it. Everyone has a message. Everyone has a story. The ability to communicate that message powerfully, purposely, and effectively for some is a gift. However for most it’s an ongoing skill set that has to be honed and nurtured.
[Related: How to Set up Your Freelance Business]
Patrice Tartt is the Dream Big Writing Coach and CEO of Patrice Tartt Publishing L.L.C. based in northern Virginia. She coaches motivated individuals to become bloggers and published authors by showing them how to dream big and strategically write, publish, and pitch their way to their goals of becoming authors, bloggers, and columnists. “I’m passionate about what I do and the individuals that I serve because I love to write and love showing others how they, too, can turn their big dreams into reality.â€
Known for her resiliency, passion, and communication excellence, Tartt is a proud graduate of both Fisk and Trevecca Nazarene Universities. After facing the unexpected death of her father in 2011, she was led to seek therapy through writing. Those therapeutic writing sessions resulted in the completion of her debut novel, Wounds of Deception, which chronicles a tangled story of hurt, anger, confusion, and healing. In 2014 her anthology, Mommy Divas on the Move: 16 Successful Secrets for Mompreneurs, was released.
Tartt has been featured in ESSENCE, Parents Magazine, The Houston Defender, on Examiner.com, SheKnows.com, Everything Girls Love, and in The Network Journal. She’s a contributing writer for The Huffington Post, Madame Noire/Mommy Noire, and she’s also written for Upscale magazine.
We connected with Tartt and she gave us 10 keys for helping bloggers write more effectively and powerfully:
- Write on topics that you are well versed in to showcase your expertise. When you know what you are talking about, you know. This is one of the most effective ways to show that you are an expert in a particular field.
- Always conduct research on your subject matter and topic. Fact checking is so important when writing quality articles.
- Interviews are king! Securing someone to interview for a particular topic is always a winner and grabs your audience’s attention.
- Be mindful of your word count. Do away with words that don’t add any value to your article.
- Hone in on your area of interest and make sure that your target audience can relate to what you are writing. There is nothing worse than writing a killer article on the wrong subject matter; one your target market simply cannot relate to.
- Be authentic and confident in your writing. If you are writing something that is uncomfortable to you, your readers will feel it. Always make sure you are writing from a place of confidence on your subject matter.
- Brainstorming takes time. Don’t rush perfection. Allow yourself time to fully brainstorm an idea before you start writing. You can always flesh it out once you start writing.
- Embrace the process. Getting to the point where you can write an article without thinking twice about it comes with practice and, as we know, practice makes perfect. Writing is an art, so the more you write the better you will become.
- Understand that everything doesn’t deserve your time and attention. Don’t waste your time on topics that aren’t worthy of gaining attention.
- Just start writing. Unless you put the time into writing, it won’t ever get done–so get started today! It’s your year to dream big and shine bright.
Tartt is launching a new program called Pitch Perfect. It’s an eight-week intensive designed for new bloggers and columnists, teaching them how to strategically write a quality article and pitch it to the correct editors. At the end of the program, every client will have the opportunity to have their finished article featured in The Huffington Post!
Direct your inquiries to  info@patricetartt.com and stay connected on Periscope (@PatriceTartt), Twitter (@PatriceTartt), Facebook (www.facebook.com/AuthorPatriceTartt), and via websites www.patricetartt.com and www.dreambigwriting.com.
Roz A. Gee (@RozAGee) is an event speaker, media contributor and consultant, and CEO of The Rated Gee Agency with core service sectors in media relations, brand readiness and speaking/training. She has masterfully mixed over 20 years of cumulative experience and has worked professionally for industry titans such as General Electric, AT&T, AOL, IBM, and Northrop Grumman. Schedule a complimentary analysis at www.MediaMatchMaven.com. You can find Roz on Twitter: @RozAGee and Facebook: TheRatedGeeAgency.