“Whether You Think You Can or Can’t, You’re Right” – Henry Ford
So the first thing to be able to write fast is to believe that you can write faster than you write at present and still maintain the same quality.
How fast you can write a post will typically depend on what are you trying to achieve with the post, how much you have to research, do you know what you going to write on and various other factors.
Let’s take it from the top. These are all the hacks I use to speed up the time it takes for me to write a post.
Keep a list of topics
When it is time to write, often it takes time to think of a topic to write on! And topics come to mind when you are not in a position to write on them. Build a list of topics as and when they come to mind, I actually take it a step further and write pointers on it straight away (most of the time on my phone). When it’s time to write I use those pointers and expand on them. Questions that people ask you are great way to look for new content ideas as well. At this time, I have a list of 40+ plus articles that I have pointers on and will convert them to articles.
Stick to a template / style of writing
There are many standard structures to write articles, choose a template that suits your message. Once you have the template, it acts as a framework to build your article around. If you are not following a template, you are often reinventing the wheel. A proper framework will help guide your flow of thoughts.
Stick to what you know
You generally have a good idea of what you want to write about, so just write it and forget the research part. You can only do this for things you already have knowledge about and don’t need resources to quote. If you miss something, that will be an encouragement for one of your readers to write it in the comments section.
Disconnect from all distractions
Cut out all distractions; TV, phone, email, replying to comments, most things can wait. Anything that takes you away from writing at that point; isolate yourself from it.
Don’t write and edit at the same time
What slows down writers is the time it takes to edit the flow, grammar and spellings. Of course you don’t want to author an article which has language errors, but every time you break the flow of writing, you have to start by rolling back your thoughts. Type in one flow and correct the errors at the time of reviewing. You will anyways proofread your article and find errors (you will right?).
Write as if you are talking to a friend
It is often easy to talk to a friend than write an article, do you know why?
Because you are yourself with friends, when you write an article continue with the same frame of mind, and you will be able to write faster.
Don’t write with a word count in mind
Often bloggers have a target word count in mind. They are trying to get a post in a particular word count range. Don’t do it. Write what is necessary to convey the message, not to meet word counts.
Set a time limit
If you have infinite time to do something, you will procrastinate and not finish it. Set a timeline by which you have to complete the article. If you cannot do this artificially, set a schedule or make an announcement that you are going to publish the article at a particular time.
If you are not using any of these tricks, try them and see the impact on your writing speed.
Do you have any other tips to share that can help us increase the speed at which people write articles? Let me know in the comments.