"A Bicycle in Winter Snow in Arlington, Virginia" image by *Sally M* (Sally Mahoney)
What does bicycling in Toronto during the winter have in common with Robbie Burns Day? Are they actually opposed?
Free Bike Rental for One Winter Event in Toronto
It all becomes clear in "Bike in Toronto a Week after Robbie Burns Day 2013", my latest article about winter Toronto events in DeHaan Services.
The common point is that Cycle Toronto, which organizes the annual "Coldest Day" bike ride for Jan. 30th, had also arranged for people to reserve free bike rentals from Bixi.
However, punters have to book their free bicycle rental by Robbie Burns Day, January 25 (2013).
My article links to the official cycling site, and also to one Toronto civic museum that offers a taste of haggis to celebrate the Scottish poet's birthday. (It also answers "What is haggis"?, a question is rarely asked twice).
My article avoided linking free bike rentals with the stereotype of Scottish frugality.
Toronto of course also has bike shops for those seeking cheap bicycles for winter cycling. Perhaps I could have played up that point as well.
The common point is that Cycle Toronto, which organizes the annual "Coldest Day" bike ride for Jan. 30th, had also arranged for people to reserve free bike rentals from Bixi.
However, punters have to book their free bicycle rental by Robbie Burns Day, January 25 (2013).
My article links to the official cycling site, and also to one Toronto civic museum that offers a taste of haggis to celebrate the Scottish poet's birthday. (It also answers "What is haggis"?, a question is rarely asked twice).
My article avoided linking free bike rentals with the stereotype of Scottish frugality.
Toronto of course also has bike shops for those seeking cheap bicycles for winter cycling. Perhaps I could have played up that point as well.
Publicity for Robbie Burns and Bicycling in Winter
My article is also publicized in my Xanga blog ("Haggis and Bicycling in Winter").
Two Cold-Hearted Writing Tips
While I did spend time looking for keywords to lead readers to my article, I must confess that there are few links between bicycles and Burns.
The reason for combining both in one article is simply that both topics hit their deadline today. It is Robbie Burns' birthday; and the bike rental offer must be taken up today.
My excuse for the bike story is that I didn't know about this annual winter event in Toronto until this morning, when I also learned about the rental deadline.
I have no excuse for Robbie Burns day; it's been sitting in my "DeHaan Lens of Annual Toronto Events" for ages.
The first writing tip is to make a to-do list for your writing, and then check it regularly. I use that Squidoo Lens to publicize my articles, and also to track of topics for future projects.
If I had read that Lens a week ago and noticed Burns Day, I could have done the research and publicized the event with some time to spare. Perhaps it would have garnered some more page views, too.
Now the article dilutes its effectiveness by touching on two topics.
The second writing tip is to make a virtue of necessity if you've become needy. I did manage to stitch together the two topics, with a bit of a segue from Robbie Burns to the bicycle event.
Both the winter cycling event and the Burns Dinner deserved more lead time than I gave them. However, readers would easily be able to find the information that I had available; and they might even enjoy the excursion to the other topic on a winter day.
The reason for combining both in one article is simply that both topics hit their deadline today. It is Robbie Burns' birthday; and the bike rental offer must be taken up today.
My excuse for the bike story is that I didn't know about this annual winter event in Toronto until this morning, when I also learned about the rental deadline.
I have no excuse for Robbie Burns day; it's been sitting in my "DeHaan Lens of Annual Toronto Events" for ages.
The first writing tip is to make a to-do list for your writing, and then check it regularly. I use that Squidoo Lens to publicize my articles, and also to track of topics for future projects.
If I had read that Lens a week ago and noticed Burns Day, I could have done the research and publicized the event with some time to spare. Perhaps it would have garnered some more page views, too.
Now the article dilutes its effectiveness by touching on two topics.
The second writing tip is to make a virtue of necessity if you've become needy. I did manage to stitch together the two topics, with a bit of a segue from Robbie Burns to the bicycle event.
Both the winter cycling event and the Burns Dinner deserved more lead time than I gave them. However, readers would easily be able to find the information that I had available; and they might even enjoy the excursion to the other topic on a winter day.
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