Once you have written your article on your word pad, you need to format it before submission to article directories.

There are many formatters out there, but I use one that is very practical and easy to use www.fwointl.com/FWOFormatter.html
Just copy your article from your word pad and past it on the formatting box and then click on "Format". This will give you the exact character count, line count and word count of your article.

Once your article is formatted you are ready to go to the publisher's site. Copy your article from the formatter's site and paste it on the Ezine directory submission area. (Some article directories don't require formatting, but do require a minimum word or character count, so you will still need to format your article to make sure.)

Once you've filled out all the information required, just submit your article.

It takes 2-7 days depending on article directories to let you know if your article is accepted or not. They usually will send you an email to let your know either way.