A guest post from freelance writer Sandra D. Knight
As a writer, you should constantly strive to create unique, effective content for your readers.
If you wish to be a “wealthy” writer, you should look for ways to write faster without losing quality.
Why do you want to write quicker?
To improve focus, increase time management skills, and publish content on a consistent basis.
So how do you learn to write faster?
Look at successful writers and learn their secrets.
I have done the research for you and come up with 7 ways to write faster.
1. Outline.
Elna Cain says, “I found once I wrote a plan, I was able to sit down and type, making my writing much more fluid and easier to do”, while Corey Pemberton states, “I credit outlining alone to increasing my writing speed by about 50%.”
Read Elna Cain’s 7 Guaranteed Ways to Write Faster and Get More Clients.
Check out Corey Pemberton’s 7 Ways How to Write Faster (and Why You Should).
2. Plan Content.
Everyone needs to organize their ideas.
Robin Camarote reveals her “go slow to go fast” approach while Annie Sisk and Henneke Duistermaat show how they use templates.
Read Robin Camarote’s How to Write Anything Faster and Better and Annie Sisk’s How to Write Killer Content Faster Without Losing Your Mind.
Check out Henneke Duistermaat’s No Time to Write? These 4 Routines Cut My Writing Time By 50%.
3. Eliminate Distractions.
Get rid of any temptations (email, social media sites, TV, phone, etc.) so you can focus on your writing.
An article on the Freelance Writing Jobs website says to work offline and even turn your router off.
Neil Patel says while you can’t get rid of all distractions, try to eliminate as many as you can.
FWJ’s Paid by the Word? 10 Tips for Becoming a Faster Writer Without Sacrificing Quality.
Neil Patel’s How to Double Your Writing Speed Without Lowering Its Quality.
4. Edit Separately.
Most writers, especially high earners, agree that editing should be a separate task from writing.
Stephen Aedy tells us to get the words down quickly and edit later and Carol Tice agrees and goes on to say you shouldn’t stop to look up quotes, names or other information.
You can make a note and look it up later.
Read Stephen Aedy’s Speed Writing – 8 Tips On How To Write Faster.
And check out Carol Tice’s Freelance Writing Improvement Lab: 7 Productivity Hacks to Write Faster.
5. Research.
Performing all your research ahead of time will allow you to do the actual writing faster.
Koralee Phillips says, “This step is the most important because this is what you’ll use to fill in your outline” and she shows you two types of research.
Susanta Sahoo suggests you use Google’s Related Search Feature and Console (to do fast keyword research) as well as other keyword research tools.
Read Koralee Phillips’ How to Write High Quality Articles Fast When You’re a Freelancer Part II.
Check out Susanta Sahoo’s How to Write SEO-Friendly Blog Posts Quickly.
6. Block Your Time.
This is a great tool I learned in a course Suzanne Lieurance taught that has helped me write faster.
Yuwanda Black shows how important it is to time block your days and even shows what her typical time-blocked day entails.
Read Yuwanda Black’s How I Consistently Write 5,000 to 10,000 Words Per Day – And You Can Too.
Check out Suzanne Lieurance’s Fearless Freelance Writing Course.
7. Practice.
FWJ’s article referenced in #3 above talks about the need to type faster.
If you just peck at the keyboard, take a course and make sure you can type at least 60 words per minute.
In addition, Michael Pollock explains that writing has to be learned like any other skill. “Yes, it may be difficult in the beginning because your writing muscles are weak. But you need to keep writing to strengthen those muscles.”
Read Michael Pollock’s 12 Tips on How to Become a Faster Writer.
Some of these articles offer additional ways to write faster so be sure to check them out and find what works for you.
About Sandra D. Knight
Sandra D. Knight is a freelance writer who lives with her husband in Texas.
Visit her blog to learn more about living and eating from deep in the heart of Texas at www.sandradknight.com.
