Writing a book is daunting. Just thinking about it causes many aspiring authors to freeze, never finishing that book they’ve dreamt of writing their entire lives.
But the truth is, writing a book doesn’t have to be so scary and time-consuming. If you follow the tips I’m going to share with you today, you’ll find that your manuscript will write itself in no time at all.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| – Discover the author’s personal strategies for increasing writing speed. |
| – Gain insights into how to balance speed with the quality of your writing. |
| – Learn tips for overcoming common challenges in the writing process. |
| – Explore techniques for improving your chances of getting published. |
| – Understand the importance of finding your unique writing workflow. |
1. Write Every Day
Write every day – it doesn’t have to be for long, and it certainly doesn’t have to be perfect. If you’re pressed for time, try writing in small chunks and focusing on quantity over quality. For instance, you could write 10 minutes a day or 45 minutes every other day.
If you have more free time on your hands, then go ahead and squeeze in an hour here or there at some point during the week (or even two hours if you want!). I’ve written entire novels in a single sitting!
But don’t feel like this is something that only people with lots of free time can do even if all you get done each night is one page before bedtime that’s still progress!
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2. Start With A Rough Outline
Start with a rough outline. Don’t worry about the details, or the writing, or grammar, or spelling, and so on.
This is the bare bones of your story: who are you writing about? What do they want? Who stands in their way? How can their goals be achieved? How will it end?
For example, I want to write a book about my favorite superhero team (who may not exist). They need to save their comic book universe from an evil villain who wants to take over all comics everywhere.
They must use their powers and skills to defeat this evil villain before he can destroy everything they hold dear!
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3. Worry About Structure Later
I’m going to tell you something that might seem crazy, but trust me: writing faster is impossible if you’re spending your time focusing on structure.
The truth is that when we focus on structure too early, it slows us down. When we try to get all of our ideas down before they’re even fully formed, we’re essentially stopping ourselves from having any in the first place.
This can make us feel like what we write isn’t good enough and then we’ll start doubting ourselves and start second-guessing our decisions (which only makes things worse).
So what do I recommend? Don’t worry about structure until you have a first draft. Then don’t worry about it until you have a second draft. Then don’t worry about it until you have a third draft… and so on!
4. Set A Modest Daily Word Count Goal
I’m not talking about how many words you need to write each day, but rather how many words you want to write each day. Don’t worry about whether or not you can hit that target, just come up with a number and set your sights on it every single time.
The most important thing is to get into the habit of writing at least a few sentences every day so that when you do sit down for an extended period (like say, a week-long residency).
Shen, it becomes easier and easier because your brain will already know what it needs to do to be productive!
5. Don’t Agonize Over Sentences In The First Draft
Don’t worry about getting the perfect sentence. Don’t worry about getting the perfect word. Don’t worry about getting the perfect paragraph. Don’t worry about getting the perfect page. Don’t even think about getting a great chapter.
If you do, you’ll never get anything written at all! Just write as fast as possible and see where that gets you before going back to “fixing” things later in your revision process.
Especially if it’s been years since this book was published and people are reading it now instead of then (like I mentioned earlier).
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6. Don’t Feel You Have To Write In Order
While it is good to have a rough idea of how your story is going to go, don’t worry about the order of events, scenes, or chapters. Don’t worry about which character gets introduced first. Don’t even worry about writing in order at all!
For example, I am currently finishing up my fourth book (The Redeemer’s Son) and while it was started after the third book in the series (The Prophet’s Daughter), I have had several characters from my second book (The Exile’s Son) appear before their introduction in that book.
That may seem confusing but I wouldn’t have gotten any further without taking this approach as otherwise I would have spent ages trying to write scenes that didn’t exist yet!
7. When You Finish The First Draft, Put It Away For At Least A Week
When you finish the first draft, put it away for at least a week. I know this can be hard. You’re excited! This is your baby! But there are two reasons to separate yourself from your manuscript:
- You’ll have time to think about it without the pressure of having to write something every day (and sometimes multiple times per day)
- You’ll be able to read what you wrote with fresh eyes because you’re not used to seeing it anymore
When you come back after a week or so, take some time just reading through your book and make sure that these things hold:
- The story makes sense as a whole that each scene leads logically into the next one; that there isn’t any extraneous information; etc.
- Your characters are consistent throughout their actions and dialogue they don’t do things out of character just because they need those actions for certain events in the plotline to happen
- The overall structure is sound the beginning hooks readers, and then it builds up tension slowly until they reach an exciting climax near the end before resolving all conflicts
8. After That Week, Read Through What You Have Written In One Sitting, If Possible. Read Aloud If You Can
After that week, read through what you have written in one sitting, if possible. Read aloud if you can. If not, read it in your head.
If you need to go back and re-read something because it doesn’t make sense or sound right out loud, then do so immediately (or as soon as convenient).
If there are errors in grammar or punctuation that could be corrected by respelling words (for example, “their” instead of “there”), go ahead and fix them now rather than later you don’t want to send out a manuscript with errors that could be easily fixed by respelling words!
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9. Digitize Your Notes And Research Using Something Like Evernote Or Microsoft Onenote
You might be a bit wary of digital tools to organize your novel, but they can be a huge help, especially if you’re writing on multiple devices. I use Evernote and OneNote religiously to keep track of my notes, research, and ideas. If you don’t have either tool yet, check them out.
They are both free (with optional premium subscriptions) and easy-to-use apps that allow you to create unlimited notebooks for any purpose characters, plot points, or even chapters!
You may also want to consider using Trello for organizing characters and scenes (as well as other parts of your story).
Trello is an online project management system that allows users to add cards containing information related to their projects into any column on the board they want.
Similar boards can then be grouped into projects which makes it much easier than trying to remember everything yourself!
10. Remember The 80/20 Principle
This principle is important to understand because it means that 80% of your work will come in the first 20% of your time, and 80% of your results will come from 20% of your efforts. This can be applied to almost anything, including writing:
- 80% of your success in writing will come from 20% of your activities; if you want to get published, then write a lot and publish often!
- 80% of your income as a writer will come from 20% of what you do; this means that if you want to make money as a freelance writer (or any other form), then focus on being productive with what matters most.
11. Edit With Ruthless Precision
Editing is going to be a huge part of your life as a writer, and it’s also the hardest part of writing. I’m not just talking about editing for grammar or spelling either; I’m talking about editing for story flow and character development.
In The Writers’ Guide To Writing Love Scenes (which is an excellent book), author Elizabeth Benedict says:
- “The best way to get the feel of dialogue is by listening.”
- “There are two ways you can tell whether something sounds right: 1) Does it make sense? 2) Does it ring true?”
I think these two sentences sum up how important editing is! If what you’ve written doesn’t make sense or doesn’t ring true then chances are good that your readers will stop reading because they’ll get bored or confused.
So how do we go about making sure our writing makes sense and rings true? We edit!
12. Research Agents Who Are Looking For Books Just Like Yours
Agents and publishers are always looking for good books. You should look at the agents who represent books like yours and approach them with your book proposal.
If you are unsure of what agents are looking for, you can do some research on their websites or request that they send you a list of their clients’ books (understandably, most of them won’t do this).
However, don’t be discouraged by this lack of information you can still find out which agents are currently seeking manuscripts in your genre.
Go to Amazon’s Kindle store and type in keywords that describe your book, such as “romance,” “fantasy,” or “time travel.” Then click on the “Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought” section under each title listed on Amazon’s website.
These customer recommendations will give you an idea about what other readers like to read; if there seems to be enough overlap between certain authors’ titles and yours then it could mean that those authors’ genres overlap with yours too!
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13. Give Every Agent A Try Be Persistent
You will have to be persistent. You will need to keep going, even when things get tough. Persistence is the foundation of success in this business, and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.
I’ve been rejected by agents over 40 times. That’s not even counting all of the rejections I received before joining the Alliance!
It’s no secret that it can be discouraging to hear “no” so often, but don’t give up on your dream of publishing a book! The right agent will find you eventually if you stick with it long enough.
I’m here today because someone told me that patience was key when getting published and they were right!
I couldn’t have gotten where I am today without being patient and giving every agent a fair chance at reading my work within our submission timeframe (which is usually one month).
The bottom line: If an agent turns down your manuscript, ask him or her why so that you can improve upon your writing skills before sending out another query letter next time around!
Conclusion
This method has helped me to write almost five times more than usual. Since I first tried this approach, my productivity has increased by at least 30%. It’s a great feeling when you finally start making progress in such a way that seems impossible before.
And the best part is, it doesn’t require any special tools or apps (although if you want them there are some available). Just make sure you have an idea of what kind of article you want to publish and how long it should take for each step along the way.
With these tips and tools on hand, anyone can start writing faster today! Try them out yourself – they might just change your life forever!
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources to help you improve your writing speed and efficiency:
Writing Faster: Tips and Techniques: Discover practical methods to increase your writing speed without compromising on quality.
How to Boost Your Writing Speed: Learn techniques and strategies to write more efficiently and effectively, saving you valuable time.
Write a Book Faster with These Tips: Explore actionable steps to streamline your book writing process and achieve your writing goals sooner.
FAQs
How can I enhance my writing speed while maintaining quality?
Improving your writing speed while preserving quality involves practices such as outlining, minimizing distractions, and setting clear goals. Focus on refining your writing process to strike a balance between speed and excellence.
Are there specific tools that can help me write faster?
Yes, various tools are available to aid in speeding up your writing. Text expanders, distraction-blocking apps, and writing sprints timers can all contribute to a more efficient writing workflow.
What techniques can I use to overcome writer’s block and write faster?
To overcome writer’s block and increase your writing pace, consider techniques such as freewriting, setting short time limits for focused writing bursts, and changing your writing environment.
How can I stay motivated and consistent in my writing to write faster?
Maintaining motivation and consistency involves setting achievable writing goals, rewarding yourself for meeting milestones, and finding a writing routine that suits your preferences and schedule.
Is it possible to write a book faster without sacrificing its quality?
Yes, it’s possible to write a book faster while upholding its quality. This can be achieved through effective planning, adhering to a writing schedule, and revising and editing your work thoroughly once the draft is complete.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.