How to write faster
After years of aiming for 500 to 1,000 words each day, I recently doubled my output—without spending endless hours at my desk or writing drivel. In fact, I’m enjoying writing more than ever. Whether you’re participating in National Novel Writing Month (a.k.a. NaNoWriMo) this November, as I am, or simply want to up your game in 2022, here’s how to create faster:
Stop winging it. If you’re a person who can draft quickly without an outline, more power to you. But as a coach, I've noticed that writers who “pants it” (writing by the seat of their pants, rather than using a plot) tend to write slower, and their drafts often require more thorough edits. Using an outline doesn’t kill the creative process; just the opposite. Framing your story with even a basic plot structure means you can focus on decorating—that is, creating beautiful scenes and sentences—with confidence.
Don't extend your writing sessions. Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to fill the time that’s available to complete it. Instead of letting writing take over the rest of your life, why not decide that you’re going to write more in less time? Even if you don’t hit your mark, you’ll inevitably produce more by trying (and you might just amaze yourself in the process).
Remove distractions. Out of sight, out of mind. Research shows that just sticking your cell phone in a drawer or placing it in another room dramatically increases productivity. If browsing the internet’s the issue, try an app like Freedom.
Share your goal. Accountability is a powerful motivator, which is why I get coached and participate in several writing groups. If you don’t have a coach, writer friend, or partner to support you, create a word count chart or checklist for yourself and post it somewhere visible. In addition to tracking your progress, you’ll get a motivating dopamine hit when you check off days where you met your target.
Tell yourself you can. For me, the biggest game changer was changing the way I was thinking. After hearing that author friends of mine often wrote 2,000 to 3,000 words (or more!) a day—and wrote really good books that way—I realized that it might be possible for me to do the same.
And of course, it was.