In spite of what you may have heard there is no secret formula to the concept of article writing, other than it requires a lot of work, because the results of any article marketing strategy is dependent on massive article writing action.
So then, a better question would be - what is the secret to getting the work and massive action done then? First, start with a few basic ideas to remember:

• Start out writing about things you already know, or are passionate about
• The more articles you write and submit, the more opportunity you will have to be published, visited, read, and generate visits to your website.
  
• The more articles you write, the faster you will be able to
• The more articles you write, the less research work time you need
• Write shorter articles, usually around 325 or so words will meet most article directory requirements - make sure you check each directories specifics

Second, set yourself a structured routine, and plan to follow it regularly:

• First of all, you must schedule yourself to sit down to write
• Decide how many ideas (5-10) you are going to write about
• List all the topics you are going to write about.
  
• Next, write a title for each of the articles.
  
• Then, begin to write, until you finish all 5 - 10 articles in one sitting

Third, submit each of these articles to your top 5-6 article directories daily or at least weekly.
Finally, submit selected articles to a list of 100 - 150 directories regularly, weekly, or at least monthly.
The only secret of article writing is discipline, schedule, and massive action - sometimes called work! Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new e-book, a guide to creating profits online successfully - "How to Breathe Life into Your On-Line Business"