How long would it take you to write a novel? How about a non-fiction book? Would it take you six months? A year? Maybe even longer?
While you can’t rush the great American novel, there is something to be said about the speed you write. It could be better.
Publishers have deadlines. Readers have expectations. You may lose a few fans if they’re eagerly awaiting the next installment in a series that doesn’t get done.
But the real cost of slow writing is to you more than to your readers. Sometimes when your story writing loses its traction, it can stall right there for a couple of weeks. Wasted weeks.
Your head is full of great ideas and story-lines. You need to write quickly so all your scenes, characters, and plots can make their way onto paper. You don’t want your books to miss out on the plot twists you’ve thought of, and you certainly don’t want your best work to die inside you without ever being seen at all.
Fortunately, the right techniques can help you be the most productive writer that you can possibly be. So, let’s look at how to write faster.
1. Pantser/Planner – Create a Detailed Outline
I know what his secret weapon to writing is. No, I didn’t discover it or invent it. Even as slow as I am I finally learned what it is.
A great outline.
Spending plenty of time on your outline is one of the best ways to write more productively and avoid writer’s block. The better you plot your ideas, the easier it will be for you to actually get them down on paper.
Think about your major ideas or plot points, and jot those down as well. The goal is to give yourself a roadmap you can follow all the way to the finish line — to avoid hitting a wall and getting lost.
You should plan each of your chapters and scenes with detail. What do you want your readers to learn, to think, and to feel? Try putting all of this in your outline. Then, when you start to write the scene, you’ll already have in mind the picture you are wishing to paint.
Basically, the point of the story is: Be Prepared. Be ready. If you always know what you need to write, you’ll have an easier time of writing.
2. Find Your Happy Place
That sounds really new-age.
Maybe it should read “Find Your Comfortable Place.” Let’s face it, whether it is your living room, your friend’s living room, your classroom, or even your church. You have a comfortable place. A place where you fit well. When you are in that room you gravitate to that seat, that place.
It’s the same way with writing. Some areas are fertile for having ideas, some areas are barren. An extra bedroom, a den or a dining room, wherever it feels right is where you will probably get the most and best quality work done.
3. Find Your Best Writing Hours
Are you a morning person? Or a night person? Or something between the two?
This is actually a very important question when it comes to writing.
It’s hard to get serious writing done when you’re sleepy and fuzzy. When you write at a good time for your body and mind, you can get more work done faster and more accurately.
Maybe the best time for you to write is between the hours of 4:00 AM to 7:00 AM. You have peace and quiet in the morning before the day really begins, but that’s not true for everybody.
I have friends who don’t even start their writing process until midnight! Try writing at a few different times of day to see what works best for you. Discovering the time of day when your mind is sharpest and the words come easiest can make every writing session more productive.
4. Set a Word Count Goal
When you first start working on a new book or writing project, you’re at peak motivation. Your mind is excited about this big undertaking. The word count you’re pumping out each day might seem huge.
For a couple of weeks..
Sustaining motivation can be tough for writers. A well-written book takes time, and burnout is common. Those five thousand word days can quickly slide into weeks where nothing much is written at all.
The best way around this is to set an exact word count minimum for each writing day and stick to it. Setting daily goals and achieving them can be just the right amount of structure to keep you going.
Many professional authors, including set their daily goal at right around 2,000 words. But for those of us whose full time job isn’t writing, the number will probably need to be smaller. That’s OK. In fact, it isn’t really about the number of words at all. If you’re a blogger, you might set a daily post/article goal instead of a word count.
The point is to make sure you’re always moving forward. 500 words a day is, of course, 15,000 or more words per month. It all adds up.
Write Faster by Experimenting and Practicing
By following simple techniques, you can learn how to write faster and your writing will improve. That doesn’t mean these are the only things you can do. There are other ways that can help you write your next book faster.
There’s always room to improve. Just examine your processes carefully and find out where your weak spots are. Then look for what it would take for you to fix them. You’ll be glad you did. I try to keep up with my writing practice in journals like these.
Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash
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