Alisa Bowman from projecthappilyeverafter.com shares some tips on writing fast.
So you haven’t quite monetized your blog. That means you’re still working 8 or so hours in the non-virtual world for that paycheck. You may also have many other time commitments. They are called marriage, parenthood, friendships and Twitter.
With all of these variables vying for the same 24 hours, how do you follow Darren’s advice and blog at least every day?
You have a few choices.
- You could stop sleeping.
- You could give up the family and friends.
- You could learn how to write really fast.
If you’re tempted by option #2, I can’t help you, but I wish you the best of luck with that. If you want to know more about option #3, keep reading.
I first learned how to write fast when I was on deadline as a newspaper reporter. I, at times, had just ten or so minutes to crank out at least 800 words. These days I blog 4 to 5 times a week at projecthappilyeverafter.com, twice a week at Capessa.com and two more times a week at savorthesuccess.com. I also write guest blogs and magazine articles, and I ghost and co-author books.
All told, I’m typing somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 words a week. Yet, I spend only 6 to 7 daily hours in my desk chair. Over the years I’ve developed this 6-step system for writing fast.
Step 1: Know what you want to say before you sit down. As soon as you finish any blog, start thinking about your next one. Think it over as you walk the dog, while washing dishes, or even while staring at the ceiling at 3 a.m. What will it be about? What do you have to say? Go over lines in your head. For instance, at 3 a.m. last night, I heard the line, “Throw up on the screen.” You’ll hear it again, too. Real soon. Promise.
Step 2: Pick the basic format you will use to organize your blog. Most blogs fall into one of the following organizational templates:
- Q & A – Someone poses a question and then you answer it.
- Tips: You start with a couple paragraphs of explanation followed by a list of tips. This “how to write fast” blog follows this format, only the “tips” are “steps.”
- Story: Once upon a time something happened to me, I learned someone from it, and now we’re at the end.
- List: This might be a list of great websites, great books, or great people to follow on Twitter.
- Quiz or Test: You pose a series of questions or offer a check off list that allows the reader to figure something out.
There are other formats, too, but the key to writing fast is knowing and perfecting a few. That way you can create them quickly and easily.
Step 3: Throw up on the screen. (Told you.) Start writing and don’t stop until there are no words left in your head. Don’t stop for typos. Don’t stop for grammar. Don’t stop because you lose your train of thought. Insert quick notes as you write, such as CHECK NAME SPELLING, FIND URL, or WHAT IS THE WORD I WANT HERE? I use that last one quite frequently.
Step 4: Read your blog from beginning to end. Fill in holes. Tinker. Replace your all caps notes with real text.
Step 5: Read out loud once or twice. This will help you catch typos, pinpoint really awkward writing, and help you tighten things up.
Step 6: You’re done. Post it.
I just followed these steps for this article. So far I’ve been writing for 10 minutes.
What’s your best advice for speeding up the writing process? Leave a comment.
Alisa Bowman writes about the ups and downs of marriage at projecthappilyeverafter.com. She’s also the relationships editor at Capessa.com. Follow her on Twitter @alisabow.
I too write a lot of stuff daily at http://www.amitbhawani.com/ which gets xxxxx visitors every day, but the only reason the posts get slow down is the IM’s, email’s, Twitter Tweets and Phone Calls. May be i should switch off everything and setup a goal something like yours at xxxxxwords/week which is originally achievable if dedication is given!
BTW Good article :)
Tip nr 3 does it for me, just start writing, don’t ever stop even if you find you’re writing about something completely else 5 minutes in, you can take that out later and build an individual blog post around it.
After an hour, stop and clean things up. Works every time.
Alisa –
Thanks for this article! One of the challenges I’ve been having is taking too long to write, which means I spend more time than I should on blogging.
This will be most helpful!
thanks for the great information…
Excellent. Some of the basic tenets of good writing for sure. You can be speedy and accurate and focused if you get your head in the right place.
I tend to stop and fix errors as I go. BIG no-no. I’m working on it though…
Cheers!
George
It’s so simple when you put it like that :P
Just what the doctor ordered for this week and the year ahead. I find that sometimes posts take far too long by the time I add a graphic and links. Good tips, which I’ll be implementing pronto!
Hi that are really good Tips,
write everything down before correcting is a very usefull tip.
To read the post loud before tiping helps to order your thoughts and is usefull for correct writing.
Step 3, throwing up on screen, is great for any form of writing that’s causing you trouble. I think a lot of people, myself included, sometimes feel that they should only type/write the good stuff, the stuff that’s going to actually end up in the finished piece. Instead, it just causes writer’s block.
When you throw up on screen, it inspires you, and a lot of times will make you think of something you wouldn’t have otherwise.
The rest is all good advice, too, and inspiring in and of itself. Thanks for posting.
Great article with some nice ideas I will try, thanks.
My tip is to close down your mail client and browser before starting.
:)
Nice process! Not sure if I like the “throw up on the screen” imagery, haha. Like you said, I’ll usually map out the entire post in my mind (even images) during idle time, sit down, write it, and move on. Learning how to type fast doesn’t hurt either ;)
I think the most important part is to get the crux of the information down and then go back and tweak.
Hehe, giving up your family as last resort on making money? It is possible but you will end up with no friends but money and in a social dead space.
If it’s worth the money.. go ahead.
Other than that, great tip on writing fast :)
I tend to start with bullet points which cover the main topics and provide initial structure. This speeds my process. I do get bogged down in repeated re-reading of drafts and find it difficult to just write everything in one pass. I must give that another try!
I know I lose time waiting for just the right first sentence. Your advice is very good and helpful. Thanks
That’s a really simplified look at things. Wish I had thought of half the things mentioned in this article last night.
Great stuff, Alisa. Thanks.
One bit I’d add is that knowing how to type really helps. I mean actually type. It can seem like a simple thing, but when you’re not having to search for the letters on the keys, and instead can actually type at the speed of thought, things go both more smoothly and a heck of a lot faster.
Just my two cents.
Nice summary Alisa.
Here’s my own blog post of the very same title, written in March 2008, about how to write anything faster, blog posts or reported pieces.
http://michellerafter.wordpress.com/2008/03/17/how-to-write-fast/
Michelle Rafter
WordCount – Freelancing in the Digital Age
Ya I like thinking elsewhere before I sit on the computer because I can be more creative. Once you’re in front of the screen, words can go blank at times. Also, switch all distractions off like, don’t read twitter, don’t answer phone calls, turn off your instant messengers etc. will help you save time.
electronic pencil is another good one: write anytime anywhere and upload
Great “how-to” article. I often get stuck with the WHAT IS THE WORD I WANT HERE? type blockers. By the time I figure out the right word, I have totally lost my train of thought. This article is great because I do often find myself asking, “how in the world do these other people write so much, so often.” I guess I need to just let loose and do some major screen throwing-up.
The second issue for me is distractions in my surroundings, which always seem to appear when I am in the middle of a really fantastic thought…I think I will be soon investing in some of those noise cancelling head phones that Darren has recommended in the past.
Thanks again.
Sheila
http://livewell360.com
Choosing subjects that you are interested in, really helps with how much you can write about them, my main interests are making money online and find that if I sway a long way away from this genre my natural flow isn’t there, I think your brain becomes intuned with your main topics.
There’s only one problem with writing too fast. . . you tend to make mistakes like writing “someone” where you mean “something.” (Point three, Story, under “Step Two”)
Unfortunately, I don’t know how to fix mistakes like that one:I find them often in my own writing, and I don’t know what to do, except stick everything you can in a drawer for a day or two before re-reading.
And don’t forget practice! Just like anything, you will get faster with practice. Great stuff, as always, Darren!
I’ve always been able to write fairly fast my problem is waiting for that mythical perfect moment (house quiet and clean, nothing on the horizon for hours) to begin writing instead of taking advantage of little chunks of imperfect time throughout the day.
Hmm, perhaps I should write on how to write a post with two fighting toddlers at your feet, one whining preschooler at your ear in the fifteen minutes between lunchtime and having to leave to pick up kid #4 (editing is done while in the pick up line).
One thing I’ve noticed is that the more I write, the more efficient I am at it. Over Christmas I took about a week off and am finding it’s terribly hard to get started again!
The only thing I would say in response to these thoughts are this: Once you’re done “throwing it up” and editing it, walk away. Go get a coffee, go have a cookie, go read a few pages of a book. watch a TV show to the first commercial — something else. Remove your mind from the posting.
Then come back to it. I amaze myself how many times something new strikes me or I notice something awry with my post if I allow my mind a break.
Great tips!
Great post, Alisa!
The one of my many pitfalls is failing to consider something other than the typical paragraph format. Lists, tips, QA, anything other than lengthy paragraphs is essential to web writing.
If you don’t mind, I’m going to pin this post up on my wall. Oh, and link to it from my blog.
Thanks!
Alan
The thing I do is just stop sleeping. It seems to work well for me. :)
I actually work in much the same fashion.
Before I ever sit down to write though, I’ve already got the topic, the main points, and each sub-point I want to discuss quickly scribbled out on paper that I’ve been carrying with me throughout the day.
So by the time I start writing, I just step through the list one point at a time and write a little paragraph or two about it.
If find this the be the easiest and best method for me thus far.
lol… takes apart what I’ve been doing for years without much thought about it. Instead of caps I’ll use *** where I know I need work, and I don’t know why I never thought of reading blog posts out loud before I post… I tell all my writing coaching clients to do that with their books!
Anne Wayman, now blogging at http://www.aboutfreelancewriting.com – who doesn’t always have a firm grasp of the obvious.
One of my constant goals is to write faster — but without sacrificing my equally important and often conflicting goal of becoming a better writer (improving word choice, sentence structure, and the whole shebang). One method that works for me is to have several series going on at the same time with the introductions and conclusions to each one basically the same within each series, so all I have to do is fill in the “meaty” middle of specific posts in each series. I find that the intros and conclusions are often the trickiest to keep fresh yet still tight, interesting, and meaningful — and this takes care of that problem nicely. Great post, Alisa! 10 minutes? Wow! : )
The best advice? I think you need to write what you know. (Usually you always know your own opinion, at least.) Then if you still don’t know enough, write what you WANT to know (I sometimes even guestimate), then research it. This will give you a clear direction of what to research, rather than doing a broad read from the start – and it is a lot quicker to correct than to make perfect from the beginning). Then, I just fill in the blanks (stats, facts, names etc). Very quick.
Thanks for the great productivity suggestions. I chuckled about the list when you mentioned shutting out friends and family. I briefly went toward shutting out friends and family. I’m fortunate enough to have a wife who pointed this out to me.
One technique that I have been using more often is to babble a voice memo into my blackberry. That way if I’m stuck in traffic for an hour I can get a good thought out in pieces without losing the details or causing a 6-car pileup.
Very helpful tips! Thanks.
I am currently developing A MAUI BLOG and these tips will come in handy :)
Very useful. Thanks for sharing. =)
I gravitated toward this process naturally, out of necessity. Additionally, here is something I tend to do, which may seem to be very wrong to any proud writer: I post the article immediately and before any checking. I convinced myself that the necessity to correct the errors before someone reads them will mean that I do the correction ultra-fast also. It works pretty well as a motivator for me.
Oh, the need to send our opinions spiraling through web space, balanced against the precious little time available for such luxury!
One more thing. Don’t forget to save! How many times have you hammered out a great post only to have it get eaten by Word or your site? Save, save, save.
@Stiennon
Well, I have definitely stopped sleeping so that is what I have done. I know it is probably one of the things that shouldn’t be doing but that is the way it goes. I think the more you write the faster you will begin to write. Some people just think a lot when they are writing. Instead, write everything down as it comes to your mind. Then go back to fix things later.
This is a great post Alisa!
Speaking for myself, I know that my perfectionist streak gets in the way of fast writing sometimes. A couple of the tips you mention also work for me. And like you, I’m “writing” even when I’m not writing—meaning I’m always planning the next post or story.
But when I really need to force myself to write fast, I use an alarm for 15 minutes at a time. My recent post, “Want To Jumpstart Your Muse? Get A Rooster,” talks a little bit about this technique: http://tinyurl.com/5oub98
In fact, I need to pull out that rooster alarm today. :-)
-Jenny
I find that number three is one of the best tips when you want to crank out a blog post fast!
I usually just keep writing and writing until there are no more words left in my mind. I usually end up cutting 70% of what I write because either its incoherent ramblings, or because Iv covered the point earlier. It normally just takes a few minutes to correct grammar and spelling.
Phew, it took me 2 minutes to write that, had I sat there an laboured over ever word and pondered the significance of each sentence, it would have taken me a lot longer.
Excellent tip, thanks to you Alisa Bowman!
-Alice
Thanks for the tips… I’ll definitely try that “throw up on the screen.” :P
Thanks Darren. I really need this information as keeping 6 blogs going is taking too much time.
Step 3 is a good one. I am constantly stopping to check references, spelling, wording etc & so stopping the flow of ideas and I think my article structure is worse for it.
I’m already constantly practising Step 1 – I think I should actually get myself a dictaphone, sentances, concepts and wording come to me at the most inconveniant of times – recording would be far easier than jotting!
Probably the best thing, is that you have a plan, and thanks for sharing it.
When I sit down to blog without a plan, and then try to come up with a topic, how I should get it up, that takes way too much time.
Know the general structure/s for posts.
Then fill it up.
Finally, polish it off.
Nice article, however whats your opinion on the length of an article. It has being said that people read 40% slower on computer screen than they do on paper, how long should you make your articles?
Haha. Great advice. That was a nice 10 minute post.
I guess I follow some of those tips. In my day-to-day life things do inspire me. Maybe I read a post at a favorite blog, perhaps I head about some interesting news… Whatever it is, I write it down. And I usually have a long list of at least 20 topics to write on.
So for ‘writing fast’, I suggest always having a topic that you WANT to write on. This way, the words really flow.
When you ‘force’ an article, it may take hours to churn out something worth reading.
These are all good tips — especially reading copy out loud when editing.
I’ll add that it helps to decide where you want to take the reader before starting to write. For me, that means knowing what action I want the reader to take after reading my article or blog post.
As for tools, my productivity increased when I started using Microsoft OneNote on a Tablet PC. I can drag clippings into OneNote, scribble some preliminary thoughts, and sketch a diagram before I write or type my post in OneNote.
I was lucky to take typing classes in college which helped out a lot. I can type extremely fast.
Love the pointer to dump everything then go back and make grammer and spelling corrections. I generally make corrections as I go.
Nicely put, and essentially how I blog now, although there still aren’t enough hours in the day! Only thing I would add, and which I do, is to make a list of the key points I want to get in before I actually “throw up on the screen”, It prevents getting so in depth on one point, that you can’t remember that scintillating idea you had for the next!
My workflow:
First I draw a picture or take a photograph that relates to the topic
Then I cluster and/or word associate the topic.
Then I throw up on paper for 5 – 10 minutes.
Then I read it into my PC using Dragon Nuance.
Then I edit it down to an even 300, 500 or 700 words (this part is really important).
I’ve done this over 600 times over the past 3 months and it allows me to do what needs to get done and still have a life with my wife and 4 kids and 2 grandkids and my full time job.