How to write faster?

Andreya · Sep 9, 2009

Professional writers do it.

I know many of you are really good at this. Care to share any tips?

Personally, I write quite slowly & there's been a lot of heart-wrenching lol.
Maybe it's due to choosing topics that I care about passionately, & quite complicated topics at that.
But who wants to write about boring things?

How to choose topics and article styles that are easy to write yet interesting?
Or at least combine some easy-to-write with occasional more difficult ones?

This is partly addressed by Kelly James Enger in her book 'Six-Figure Freelancing': she says to choose what you write carefully, with regard to how much time it takes you to write it, and calculate $ per hour, not just per project.

Truth is that after wrestling with the interview a short story with a similar topic just flew from my fingers. (It's not finished yet & no idea if it's any good, been thinking to combine fiction with non-fiction for 'difficult' stories.. As it helps clear my mind.)

Any thoughts, ideas, personal experiences & tips welcome!

SouthernFriedJulie · Sep 9, 2009

I don't know. I find that the things I am passionate about flow more easily than those I am not. I wouldn't call Autism uncomplicated-but I can write an article on that subject very quickly.

I do some of my researching while writing. I keep multiple pages open and just write...then refer to the research pages if I have to.

I guess you would say that to write quickly and to keep it high quality, you must not only write about things that you are passionate about, but write about what you know.

Andreya · Sep 9, 2009

Thanks!

Maybe the thing is to become more of an expert on these topics then.. Or to choose topics you know a lot about already for what you want to write 'quickly'...
Trouble is I'm more interested in what I do not know yet.. In pieces of the puzzle..
Is there anyone with the same problem and how did/do you go about it?

How long did it take you to be able to write an article about autism quickly? I expect there were years of research first?

What I wrote about was also more than slightly controversial, and with some ethical dilemmas and such. What to leave in, what to leave out.. So it was very emotionally charged for me. (Okay, so is autism.

)

How do you switch off unwanted 'emotions' (and any possible moral dilemmas or worries or such, especially if what you think or believe to be true is a bit different than 'official' 'truth' or version of truth) and just focus on the article/s and writing?

How do you decide, what is truth (when there are several versions) and what is the best way to present something to an audience?
I assume it gets easier once you've published a ton of articles and interviewed a ton of experts?

Nancy · Sep 9, 2009

Andreya:

It's a corny old idea, but to do anything well and proficiently, you need to practice. The more you do it, if you have any talent and passion, the better you get!

While your process is valid, I wonder if you are stuck in an over-analyzing stage? That Nike slogan, "Just Do It" comes to mind.

Write, submit, write some more.

JMHO,

Andreya · Sep 9, 2009

lol Nancy, I over-analyze EVERYTHING!!

That's part of the problem!!

Any tips how not to?

/'Just write' works sometimes, especially if I have a story and a deadline.. And a market I know & have submitted to before.. Maybe I'm not asking the right questions though../
Thing is, how to deal with criticism and negativity in my head, & such?
(Novel-writing tips included chardonnay but I don't dare to write non-fiction drunk!!)

Is this a 'stage'? - I hope so!!

ritinrider · Sep 9, 2009

I'm with Julie, the more passionate I am about a subject, the faster I can write it. Even if it's something I don't know well, if it's something I care about, I can find and write the information faster. I suspect one problem is you are holding yourself to too high a standard. I don't mean the rest of us stink, just we aren't writing Pulitzer pieces.

I've read Julie, Dawn, Jen, Jenn, and Amy's writing, just to name a few. They all write well, concise, easily read articles. Articles that make sense to the reader. Some of them are prolific writers, which means they also write fast.

Just write the darn article. Let it rest, and hour or so, edit it, let it rest again, edit, rest one more time, overnight if possible, edit, submit, start again. Actually start again on another article while the first one is going through it's first resting phase. You may not need that many edits, that's just how many one of my many mentors suggests.

Another thing you might try for faster writing is Dr. Wicked. I'm not sure about putting the link here, but you can google it. You set a time limit or word count and write until you reach it. It's sloppy and not pretty, but you have that first draft down and ready for it's initial edit.

Another suggestion to hush up that inner editor is to take a stuffed animal, small figurine, doll, something and name it your editor. When you begin writing your first draft stick the 'editor' in a drawer and tell it to hush, you don't want to hear from it. When it starts whispering in your ear remind it to hush up, it's not time to hear from it yet. When you begin your edits you can bring the 'editor' out of the drawer to sit on your desk while you edit. That's not original with me, but it sounds like it might work.

Just a couple of suggestions. Remember, faster writing means more mss out, more mss out mean more sales, more sales mean more money, more money means happier you. See how it all works?

jeffo · Sep 10, 2009

I'm with Nancy -- practice!

When I first started writing, I got this writing wheel thing. It would give you some kind of prompt and instructions, then I'd write. And if you really want to get practice writing, join up with national Novel writing month and see what happens! Write about something, write about nothing, just write!

Then, when it comes time to write, its a piece of cake.

CatMuse33 · Sep 10, 2009

First, I'm all giddy over being listed by Ritin in the company of such talented ladies.

Yes, I write fast, but not as fast as Julie. LOL

I've used Ritin's trick of visualizing my editor then telling her to shut up while I write. It works! Now I don't need to -- it's instinctive.

Placing a limit on your editing helps, too. I like Ken Rand's Ten % Solution book as an editing technique. (I recommend this one so much I should be an affiliate--alas, I'm not). LOL

Turning off your monitor for the first draft can help you resist the urge to edit, too.

Finally, stop being such a perfectionist . Writing skill, ability and talent are crucial but it's important to remember the other things that go into being a successful freelance writer:

Making deadlines
turning work around quickly
handling multiple projects
being easy to work with
marketing yourself
querying/pitching/finding work

You need to balance your time between these things, which means you can't spend 20 hours on a project that pays $200. (Okay, so that's approx. $10/hour, which is okay but not if you also count the time spent doing those other things... now you're in less-than-minimum wage, might-as-well-flip-burgers, territory.)

There are some fantastic ideas in this thread. It all comes down to getting out of your own way and writing. It's not so much the subject you choose as your approach to it. Unless its pregnancy, parenting, paintball, or writing, rarely do I write "what I know" but I'm still fast, regardless of the topic.

Andreya · Sep 10, 2009

WOW!! Great ideas, everyone! Thanks!!

I LOVE the 'editor' idea!! (There's a yellow duckie in the house that might just do!

)
Maybe I don't even really need to use it, just visualizing is enough!

I actually googled 'How not to over analyze' yesterday!

It took me to a bunch of fab sites where I learnt that:
a) over-analyzing might actually be a helpful skill

/thing is I just need to occupy my mind with something else to analyze and busy itself, I guess? a silly online test did say my 'ideal job' would be analytical-creative?

)
b) indeed one goes into analyzing when you want to be really good (perfectionism) and/or lack structure and constant practice (combined with theory) and are mostly new to it all..

I mean, today I was doing some minor gardening - where I'm pretty much a complete newbie too, & was totally over-analyzing it!

Maybe bringing an ipod or such would help with that too!
/Mum said after 30+ years she finally realized it's not necessary to overcomplicate it!

So you see I come from a long line of worriers, over-analyzers and whatnots!/

I must admit that I LIKE analyzing different stuff and combining it all into a new 'whole'.. It may be better and faster to make 3 articles out of that though, thanks for reminding me!

Another thought: what are the articles/types of writing that you find to be written FASTEST?

I can write blog posts pretty quickly, especially if they are for my friends only, at times have been known to write a greeting card for an hour though!

Except for eHow or such, what types and lengths of articles do you write fastest? (There was a thread on how 600 words is not a good length to write already... And in Six-Figure Freelancing it's said that investigative journalism takes longer to write and may not be as lucrative/profitable as doing other stuff..)

SouthernFriedJulie · Sep 10, 2009

Again, depends on the person. One of what someone once told me they thought was some of my best work- 1,000 words in 30 min. Was something I know well.

It's hard to say what's easiest. I've been stuck on an eHow article, but blew through an urgent magazine article before. You can't rely on what works best for us...you have to find what works for you.

CatMuse33 · Sep 10, 2009

Exactly what Julie said... you have to find what's fastest for you.

Some formats to try... How tos, (on topics you know well), Lists (with short descriptions).

Ironically, some of the shorter articles (under 500 words) are the hardest for me to write. Every word needs to have more weight, do more, and say more. Per word, they take longer, but I'd rarely spend more than 2 hours on one.

Then when you get into the much longer articles (2000 + words) with lots of interviews, those go slowly too. Those are rarer today though... I'm not finding a lot of publications want them.

Andreya, if it makes you feel any better, (in the misery loves company sort of way) I've decided to write about the anniversary of 9-11 for three separate blogs of completely different subject matter.

No one told me to. I just thought it would be good to do.

ETA: Actually, taking an hour to write a greeting card is exactly the short type of writing I'm talking about. But if a greeting card company pays $25 for one card--that's not bad! I don't know greeting card rates, but that sounds reasonable to me.

SouthernFriedJulie · Sep 10, 2009

CatMuse33 said:
! I don't know greeting card rates, but that sounds reasonable to me.

Blue Mountain Arts pays about $200-$300 for the first accepted poem and it just goes up from there with each accepted.

CatMuse33 · Sep 10, 2009

<--thinks about writing greeting cards AND deleting the post where I say I'd be willing to do so for 25 bucks. LOL

Kidding aside, thanks for the info!

Andreya · Sep 13, 2009

lol, Thanks!

I was writing a greeting card to a friend, no money exchanged!

People often delighted in getting my cards, so I thought I might try to get paid for that too - the rates in the Greeting Cards biz do seem somewhat encouraging! (The pay rates are different, some are 50$ or less too..)

According to the greeting cards sub-forum (which is totally FAB!) the industry seems to have been in a bit of crisis recently, and I found one must be in a certain 'spirit' for getting fab ideas for the cards too.. Thanks for reminding me about the greeting cards again, though!

I didn't know it was a sliding scale upwards after the 1st sale to BM!

Any tips on how to discover what one can do quickly, faster?
Just write one-of-everything and see which goes fastest (by timing yourself regularly) or..?

JNLister · Sep 14, 2009

Right now my main tip for writing faster would be to avoid slicing the tip of your index finger with a potato peeler.

plaidearthworm · Sep 15, 2009

My no-fail technique for writing faster? Get a part-time job at a newspaper. The deadline pressure is much more intense when you literally have an editor in your doorway waiting for you to finish, LOL. It taught me to write fast and get the facts right; if we had to run corrections, we didn't have space for school lunch menus. All those kids wouldn't know what day corn dogs would be served on if I made a mistake.

SouthernFriedJulie · Sep 15, 2009

Andreya said:
Any tips on how to discover what one can do quickly, faster?
Just write one-of-everything and see which goes fastest (by timing yourself regularly) or..?

You just write.

Really. Talking about it and asking doesn't do anything for your speed. We're kind of beating a dead horse here. You do it until you find your groove. That's all there is to it.

CatMuse33 · Sep 16, 2009

Julie, you took the words right out of my mouth (fingers?)

Andreya, there comes a point when all the books, blogs and other resources won't help you unless you just apply B-I-C. (Butt-in-chair.) there IS no magic formula. It doesn't *matter* what you write. Just. Write. You'll get faster, better and more sure of yourself.

Andreya · Sep 16, 2009

Okay, point gotten.

Actually, I think I'm getting answers to this in the Time Management thread

Plaidearthworm, thanks! Yes, deadlines DO make it easier!!

JNLister, lol! I'm safely avoiding it - we just eat new potatoes with peels! Now cucumber slicers, that's a different thing..

Nancy · Sep 16, 2009

Immediately after saying, "point gotten," you go on to refer to reading yet another forum thread. That's exactly what Julie and Dawn suggested you move on from.

So I hate to say this, but that sounds like more of the same.

JMHO,

Andreya · Sep 17, 2009

Well, Nancy and everyone else - you are pro writers, you already know how to do this and juggle this and other responsibilities!

Maybe I need to explain myself better.

I often found myself not writing or not writing faster, because I was worrying about EVERYTHING ELSE that I want to do or have to do or might want to do... Or about the article content and possible reactions from people, etc. Would I present the material in a way that I wish to or not, etc. Choosing 'difficult' subjects (for me) to write about did not help.

I am not just a writer nor do I want to be just a writer.
So that makes 'just write' a little bit more difficult.

Partly this thread *did* answer my initial question, and I'm happy to see one gets faster with practice. So thank you all for that.

That's what 'Point taken' meant. I see people here do not wish to elaborate further on this thread. Maybe you really do not have other answers. Maybe I asked the wrong questions. I learn through questions and answers, and this thread did help me narrow it down on why I was writing so slow. - I did not mean just 'physically' write faster, but about the psychological aspects too, how to get that other stuff under control, the fear and anxiety, not just over what an editor might say, but over other things too. The book Skyraven posted in the other thread addresses some of these things. They may sound mighty simple and you all may be doing them naturally, without even knowing.

Can this be another form of 'creative procrastination'? Yes, quite possibly. At least partly. But I found that other things were 'falling through the cracks', things I had wanted to do a while ago, and 'just write' doesn't help when I want to do those other things. A system for effective time management hopefully will.
I was not 'born organized' and come from three generations of worriers and disorganized/chaotic people, so I DO need more structure.

I'm not happy to talk about specifics publicly, if anyone absolutely must know, you can PM me.

I mean, sorry to sound ungrateful, but would you tell a newbie/wannabe brain surgeon 'just cut in' and 'keep cutting'? (I know writing is not brain surgery, sometimes it seems almost as complicated though.)

I know that people who are 'natural' (or well-practised) at things like dating or keeping a clean house or whatever say 'Just do it' and 'Be yourself', well, it doesn't always work this way.
If you want to run a marathon, and someone says, 'Just run' you can get in trouble too, especially if you're not fit enough or don't do the proper warm-up techniques etc. Or don't know where to run. /sigh/

Or if you want to quit smoking, and someone says, 'Just do it.'
Well, some people stopped smoking this way, they just stopped. Others needed more structure and support and tricks and whatnots.

SouthernFriedJulie · Sep 17, 2009

Andreya said:
Well, Nancy and everyone else - you are pro writers, you already know how to do this and juggle this and other responsibilities!

Maybe I need to explain myself better.

I often found myself not writing or not writing faster, because I was worrying about EVERYTHING ELSE that I want to do or have to do or might want to do... Or about the article content and possible reactions from people, etc. Would I present the material in a way that I wish to or not, etc. Choosing 'difficult' subjects (for me) to write about did not help.

I am not just a writer nor do I want to be just a writer.
So that makes 'just write' a little bit more difficult.

Partly this thread *did* answer my initial question, and I'm happy to see one gets faster with practice. So thank you all for that.

That's what 'Point taken' meant. I see people here do not wish to elaborate further on this thread. Maybe you really do not have other answers. Maybe I asked the wrong questions. I learn through questions and answers, and this thread did help me narrow it down on why I was writing so slow. - I did not mean just 'physically' write faster, but about the psychological aspects too, how to get that other stuff under control, the fear and anxiety, not just over what an editor might say, but over other things too. The book Skyraven posted in the other thread addresses some of these things. They may sound mighty simple and you all may be doing them naturally, without even knowing.

Can this be another form of 'creative procrastination'? Yes, quite possibly. At least partly. But I found that other things were 'falling through the cracks', things I had wanted to do a while ago, and 'just write' doesn't help when I want to do those other things. A system for effective time management hopefully will.
I was not 'born organized' and come from three generations of worriers and disorganized/chaotic people, so I DO need more structure.

I'm not happy to talk about specifics publicly, if anyone absolutely must know, you can PM me.

I mean, sorry to sound ungrateful, but would you tell a newbie/wannabe brain surgeon 'just cut in' and 'keep cutting'? (I know writing is not brain surgery, sometimes it seems almost as complicated though.)

I know that people who are 'natural' (or well-practised) at things like dating or keeping a clean house or whatever say 'Just do it' and 'Be yourself', well, it doesn't always work this way.
If you want to run a marathon, and someone says, 'Just run' you can get in trouble too, especially if you're not fit enough or don't do the proper warm-up techniques etc. Or don't know where to run. /sigh/

Or if you want to quit smoking, and someone says, 'Just do it.'
Well, some people stopped smoking this way, they just stopped. Others needed more structure and support and tricks and whatnots.

Unless the writing job is about brain surgery, it's NOT brain surgery nor should it be compared to any of those things. Really, Andreya, you're making this more difficult than it is.

If you have a talent for writing, then that's what you DO. You just sit down and write. You write until you get faster at it.

If you wanted all of those other questions answered...then why just ask..."How do I write faster?"

You tick people off when you say they didn't answer your question when, in fact, you never /asked/ those questions.

And what is wrong with 'just' writing? Maybe you didn't mean it this way...but it's like you're saying that 'just' writing isn't worth your time. Or 'just' being a writer isn't good enough. That can be taken as an insult for those of us who are proud of what we've accomplished.

You have to understand WHY we're getting annoyed. You asked a question and we answered it, several times. If you want answers to those other questions, there are stickies at the top of the forum with links to some conversations that address your questions. Or...just ask them.

Getting all bent out of shape and acting like we're supposed to be mind readers is not going to help you move your career...or create a good reputation in the world of writers. Like it or not, we're all co-workers here on a global scale. You just might find yourself working with one of us or under us- even half a world away. Would you want to feel uncomfortable with your editor?

Of course not. While this is a forum and disagreements happen- this is truly like the water cooler or breakroom at a regular job. Sit back, mull over the advice and pointedly ask what you need to know. It's like virtual training for the real world of writing.

CatMuse33 · Sep 17, 2009

Andreya-

I don't think anyone on this forum "just" writes or, to be more accurate, "only" writes. I have an infant daughter and am in the process of buying a house. (Which will hopefully end soon and then I'll be moving/setting up a household LOL).

Julie has five kids to take care of and a household to run. Nancy is a full-time therapist. All three of us are married. Those are just *examples* of all the things everyone has going on in their lives all the time.

I was not "born organized" either. I work hard at it and I'm not as organized as I'd like to be, but I'm willing to forsake a lot of other things that need to get done -- or that I'd like to do -- in order to be a successful writer.

And, in fact, re: your brain surgeon comment. If someone had graduated medical school, done his internship, and was *trained* to be a brain surgeon and then said he had all these "fears" and "worries" about performing surgery, was worried about getting it right or what the other doctors would think..

YES, I'd tell him he's a qualified brain surgeon, he's got the credentials, he's "practiced" on the dead people in med school, my advice would be the same: Just do it, cut into the patient. It REALLY IS THAT EASY.

And you know what? Us trained writers (you really are there, you just don't believe it...you're NOT a wannabe) have advantages over well-trained brain surgeons, because if we screw up, no one dies.

Dawn

SouthernFriedJulie · Sep 17, 2009

CatMuse33 said:
Andreya-

because if we screw up, no one dies.

Dawn

That depends on how bad they screw up doing a critique on my fiction. :-D

wyntermoon · Sep 17, 2009

Andreya, you've received a lot of hand holding from members of this forum. Please take the time to work on your skills, you deserve to find out for yourself what works best for you. Questions on the forum are always welcome but are you posing them as a way to learn the craft of writing or avoiding the hard work and BIC that Cat suggested?

No amount of books, forums or mentors can help you if you don't put in the time to find your own voice.

You can do it!

How to write faster?

in denial

Hidin' the bodies

in denial

Masquerading as normal...

in denial

Just hitting send

in denial

Hidin' the bodies

Just hitting send

Hidin' the bodies

Just hitting send

in denial

Rock and Squiggle

Hidin' the bodies

Just hitting send

in denial

Masquerading as normal...

in denial

Hidin' the bodies

Just hitting send

Hidin' the bodies