How to Write Faster: 13 Tips for Becoming a Faster Writer

1. 1. Write every single day. Writing is like a muscle—the more you exercise your craft, the stronger, leaner, and more efficient it will be. Setting aside daily writing time is important even if you aren’t on a deadline. Work a writing session into your routine—make it a habit—and consider building ritual around it, like relocating to a special location or making a cup of tea.
2. 2. Give yourself a topic. You may already have an assignment or personal writing goal that you’re working towards (like the rough draft of that novel), but if you don’t, zero in on a single area of interest that will kick off the writing process. It’s commonly assumed that writer’s block comes when you’re out of ideas, but it can also hit when you’ve got too many to sift through.
3. 3. Create an outline. It may seem counter-intuitive, but spending time getting set up before you start writing can save time in the end. Make a plan, plotting out the main points of your writing project and getting a sense for word count. You’ll not only always know what comes next, but also exactly where the finish line is and how hard you need to push to get there.
4. 4. Gather information. Writing fast is all about removing impediments to the writing flow. Do any necessary research in advance and drop relevant facts, quotes, anecdotes, or ideas into your outline for quick reference later. This will decrease the amount of time you spend staring at a blank page trying to recall what it was you meant to say and how you meant to say it.
5. 5. Get rid of distractions. Close browser windows, email programs, and chat apps. Unplug your computer or even your router. Turn your phone to silent and place it out of view. Even if only for an hour or two at a time, do whatever it takes to nurture a healthy writing habit.
6. 6. Set a challenge. Can you write 1,000 words in an hour? How about 500? First-time writers or people with busy schedules might start out with an easily achievable goal like 50 words per day, while professional writers will benefit from hourly or minute-based objectives. Either way, incrementally increasing your target words per minute (WPM) can improve your writing speed.
7. 7. Start a timer. Whether you’ve got the kind that you twist, a digital device with buttons, or an app that you load, starting a timer at the beginning of a writing session can help a great deal. Not only can you track your progress as you meet new writing challenges, but you’ll be less likely to procrastinate—it’s hard to waste time when you’re aware of each passing second.
8. 8. Revise later. Great writing rarely arrives fully formed as a first draft. Give yourself a break. Let typos slide, ignore the spell-checker, steer away from perfectionism. If you get stuck on a particular phrasing, write it plainly and come back to it later. You can lose a lot of time editing as you go, so rather than re-reading every step of the way, save the revisions for the end.
9. 9. Use placeholders. Even if you’ve filled your outline with well-researched points, the act of writing will take you places you hadn’t planned. If you stop your flow to look up a fact or idea, you risk wasting time going down research rabbit holes. Instead, use a placeholder like “TK” (which means “to come”) and replace it when you’re done writing.
10. 10. Stop while you’re ahead. If your timer goes off and you’re mid-sentence, that’s actually great news. Rather than rush to finish the thought, leave it for the next day. This means that when you return to the page, instead of staring at a period and a flashing cursor you can jump back into the flow. Sometimes becoming a better writer is just a matter of forming new habits.
11. 11. Find your best time. For all of the practical tips and writing skills you can learn, improving your speed can also come down to your own biology or psychology. You may be an early riser who writes better and faster in the morning. Or you may be a night owl whose mind feels most fluid in the wee hours. Experiment to find out what time of day is most productive for you.
12. 12. Seek good posture. Similarly, the way your body is positioned can affect your work. Sit with a straight back and your elbows at right angles to the keyboard. Slouching or having your arms in the wrong position can lead to fatigue and cramping—enemies of fast writing. Some writers prefer standing desks, which have been shown to increase blood flow and energy.
13. 13. Play typing games. Even if you’ve internalized all of these writing tips, it’s possible that your fingers simply won’t be able to keep up with your mind. There are various free online typing tests and games designed to help you improve your typing speed. In the process, you can work on getting your fingers in the right position to maintain a flow free of interruption.

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