°° Every Writer Doesn't Have To Be Fast and Slow °°

What's up guys! Hanna is here and welcome back. Today we are talking about how to become a faster writer, more specifically the exact method I used to write a 76,000 word novel in 27 days.

Let's go. Okay, so I want to start by saying that I've never been a very fast writer. Okay, so I know, I know some writers who just write fast and crazy. And they write like 20,000 words in a day, or 10,000 words, even in a day. And I'm here, like, the most words I think I've ever written in one day is 6000.

Time and time again I tried to write faster, I tried to get the words out like anyone else could and never could. Really ended well. And I always feel hopeless and disappointed.

I'm not a fast writer, and I can't be a fast writer. Not necessarily, it's possible to be a faster writer. And it's amazing that just a few small changes to yourself, your lifestyle, or your writing habits can actually improve your creative output.

Extraordinary. Now, don't get me wrong, there's absolutely nothing wrong with being a slower writer, or, you know, just moving at your own pace. There is no right or wrong way of writing. Okay, there's no right or wrong speed for writing. This is why I write because I can't speak, it really helps to know how to pronounce words very quickly.

So I still want to consider myself a fast writer, but I am much faster than I was the first time. I wrote a 50,000 word book. And I just finished it on the deadline. In 2017, I wrote a 76,000 word novel in 27 days. So I actually hit the 50,000 word deadline. And that's very interesting to me, because I never wrote that past. And I hate to say this, because I don't want to feel bad, but it came very, very well for me. And I always look forward to writing every day. And I think the story itself, obviously I was very excited to write it.

But also the habits I adopt in my writing process definitely help me achieve that goal. Very fast. So let's talk about what a habit is.

Write sprints. I know, I know, you've probably heard of this before, you've probably done it before. Maybe you hate it, maybe you like it, maybe you don't have strong feelings for it. One word that runs fast hate. When I first tried it, I did it like fighting anyone else. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that I'm not at all a competitive person.

So it never really pushed me to write faster to think like, oh, someone else was writing at the same time. And I have to like their war ward type. That's not my personality, which might work for someone else.

So if it works for you, keep at it. But it didn't work for me. So what I found worked for me was to set a timer, I would do 25 minute sprints with a five minute break. So I'll set a timer for 25 minutes and just write write, write, write, write, and then the timer will take five minutes, I'll wake up and not see.

Am I not going to go back and read it, I'm just going to get up and stretch or something. Breathe for a few minutes, then come back and do it. Again!

The logic behind this is when you have a ticking timer next to you, it's hard to distract. Okay, you don't want to look out the window, you don't want to go to Pinterest and find a cake recipe and print it out and go to your kitchen. Start baking. You won't be too bothered because you have these timers here and you're like, OK, I set goals, I set timers.

I will write in you determination and determination will drive you far my friend. That's why writing sprints helps me so much, but how can you focus?

Next, remove all distractions. You saw it coming? You will tell me to turn off my phone. Yes, hang up your phone. Turn off Wi-Fi. You don't need to search for words. Do some research later. Just write and write. Open the sun and rainbow. It's not easy. It takes determination. Discipline is required. So die!

Also another bonus is that when you open the window the internet will be like there is no connection. And you'll be like, Oh yeah, that's right. I'm not bothered. I can bake the cake later.

Also, research is not allowed. This is just a tip. This is not a real tip. They are like rules. They look very aggressive. I can't even begin to describe the number of times I stopped writing in the middle of a scene and was like, Oh wait, some information is missing here. I have to go to Google that fast. Never really fast. It's like three hours later, you read about something that has nothing to do with your story or maybe you print that cookie recipe again, this has happened to me time and time again. And because research is difficult research, painstaking research is very time consuming. Never really fast.

OK, one Google Search leads to another and you won't find the information you need. So what I suggest you do is while you're writing a scene, if you find a part of, if you have an area where any information is missing, just write a note to yourself, write it in brackets, highlight, red, bold, font , anything to make you look at later, you can go back and fix it just write the missing information. What does this mean? Or where was this person born? Or where did this culture start? You don't have to look for it now. Okay, write down the notes. continue your writing, continue your life.

Couldn't find the right words. Have you ever struggled to find the right words to describe what you are trying to say?

Yes, me too. It doesn't just slow you down. It makes you really stop, like stopping in your tracks, staring at the ceiling, staring out the window, thinking. Then go to a quiet source and try to find the right words. And then you are bombarded with all these articles.

It's like 1920's slang we have to go back to or love all those super cool old words no one else says, or how your vocabulary will tell you how old you are. All of a sudden, we're taking all of this like a word quiz and looking at a slideshow. And where should we write? That is a very important deadline. And I have to write now.

But all I want to do is take a look at these fun articles when your word-counting goal is flushed down the cosmic toilet of decline. So how can we avoid this bad luck? By not finding the right words? You hear me, stop looking for the right words. Just write what you think. OK, write down a description of what you want to say, or just a weaker word. And then like that spotlight, tell yourself I'd like to find a better word for this later. Don't let that slow you down.

All writers under an insane amount of interruptions, right? Whether it's by your family members, your friends, your roommates, your pets, whatever other form of life you live in, they'll nag you and ask you to do something for them, or ask questions that can really wait until later. . It's annoying, but oftentimes, they don't even realize you're writing, they don't even realize how important writing is to you.

So that's why you should make your schedule known. If you are going to set aside time to write and you don't want to be disturbed. Tell the people who told them I'm writing right now.

I will write this month, or I will write for the number of weeks or days. And let people know that and be like, this is very important to me.

See, if you're constantly being bullied, you won't be able to write fast, you won't even be able to write in general because you're constantly thinking about other people's problems. This is your job.

Okay, this is your talent and passion, so you just need to focus on this. Don't let them bother you. Ask them politely to leave you alone. Or you can ask them rudely or you can threaten them at knifepoint.

Don't stop reading or editing
anything. This one is really hard, because I like to read my own writing. Literally nothing entertains me as much as my own writing. So you can imagine how hard it was for me to avoid the temptation to stop writing. Just take a break, scroll up the page, see what I just wrote.

Look, look how much work I've done. Not. Do not do this. Because you will start editing, you will see something is wrong with it, you will start editing, you will start rewriting sentences. And you don't have to do that because this is the first draft process. It's a bit messy, you can go back and edit it later. In fact, you'll get better at editing them later. Because that way you will move further away because you are away from him for a few minutes. And you don't like just writing and then reading it. Makes sense, right?

Counterintuitive, but don't think about writing faster, you'll think that the more aggressively your writer's brain screams write faster, the faster you write, but that's not really how it works. You actually put more stress on your brain. When you do that. You get anxious, you get to work, you think about Oh, what if I don't hit my word count target.

What if I can't write that fast? We are not fast writers. And then you kind of freaked out and now your brain goes into panic mode. And when your brain is not in panic mode, it looks for the nearest short-term pleasure so as to reduce the pain and stress of being in panic and anxiety mode. And what ice cream and Netflix are like. Good? It won't help you reach your word count goal, it won't help you become a faster writer. Instead of saying write faster, tell yourself, write the next sentence and the next sentence.

Establishing a routine is not a reward system. I have a big problem with reward systems, especially when it comes to writing because it's just that they've never worked for me and I've always felt like it makes writing more of a chore, and something I have to go through so I can get a reward at the end of the assignment. If you like the reward system for writing, I'm not telling you what to do, I am. This whole video is just me telling you what to do.

If that worked for you. Good, keep doing it. But for me, I like to make my writing time part of the reward. So even if you're a professional full-time writer, and you have a deadline, like every time, you can still make writing an enjoyable experience. Instead of telling myself I should write tell myself that I can't wait to write. So instead of treating writing, like work, treat it like scary Netflix, treat it like it's your comfort, treat it like it's something you love, because I know it's something you love. If you enjoy the writing process, you are more likely to write better words in less time.

Do not push yourself. I know this sounds counterintuitive again. But the problem is that when you push yourself to the limit and drain your creativity, you need to rest like you train your muscles. creative work is hard work. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a high achiever type of person, I like to do everything, love everything. And that's not always a good idea. In fact, sometimes it can harm your creativity.

So just like your physical body, don't push yourself so hard that you really want to crack and you can't do it anymore. Here's the advice I stole from my wonderful sister, Kate, stop writing before you get tired of writing. This is a good tip.

Guys, if you stop writing, just before you get bored, or you just seem to lose your creativity, then you get back to your writing, wanting to write the next scene, you'll be excited to continue where you left off, because you weren't drained when you left. Make sense. It's like faking your own brain.

Every writer is a different story. Also means, every writer has his own limitations. So don't look at other writers and be like, Oh, I'm a very slow writer compared to them. No, you are not a slow writer, you are a different writer, they have strengths and weaknesses. And for you, the solution is self-acceptance.

So, this article of mine has addressed some of the things that might be holding you back from reaching your full potential as a fast-paced writer. But once you reach that potential, once you've removed all the stumbling blocks that might be blocking you from it, you have to accept it as it is.

I became a faster writer because of this habit. But I'm not the fastest writer I know. And I don't think I'll ever be able to. I don't know of a very encouraging way to end this post. But I think it's encouraging because it's going to be an inspiration when you get this and you accept it. Do your best focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses, and except where you are when you feel that you really do your best. So there you have it buddy, if I want to write a book fast, these are the things I do every time I sit down to write, and I hope they can help you write faster, but remember, never hate yourself. Never judge yourself for not writing as fast as you would like.

Everyone is different. And if you're starting to dislike your writing and like the writing process, maybe you need to slow down. I like to set goals and I like to get things done within a certain time frame that I think I will achieve. But you have to be kind to yourself.

So comment below and let me know what you think of this article. Are you a fast writer? Are you a slow writer? Do you like word sprint? Do you like competitive word sprints? Or do you just like to run the words with yourself? If you like this post, please press the left button, it really helped me. Write something because you might be putting off writing by reading this post. Wake up!