How To Write Fast
Do you read about authors writing 1000, 2000 or even 5000 words a day and think to yourself, ‘I could never do that!. We struggle to get our daily word count into the hundreds, let alone 1000s!’
Getting a first draft down as quickly as possible can help you achieve your writing goals, but it can seem pretty impossible.
Do you want to write faster, more efficiently and with fewer errors?
If so, the answer is simple: add the tool of writing in sprints to your writer’s toolbox. Let’s dive into this topic and tell you more about how you can add the tool of writing sprints to your writer’s toolbox.
In this post you will find:
1 - What Is A Writing Sprint?
2 - Why Use Writing Sprints?
3 - How To Plan A Writing Sprint.
You can also listen to this blog post if you’d prefer.
What Is A Writing Sprint?
The writing in sprints approach is a method for improving your writing speed and quality through a series of short-term, high-intensity writing sessions. Sprinting is the art of writing as fast as possible for a set amount of time without editing, refining, or re-reading the words. The tool of writing sprints gets the thoughts, stories and ideas down on paper or a screen as quickly as possible.
A writing sprint helps you to get more words for the first draft written in a short time. All writers know editing polishes the final version, but sprints allow the words to flow quickly, to get the words down, ready to refine later.
A writing sprint is a skilful way of working towards a writing goal. For example, you start by breaking a book, blog or article down into short-term objectives. Then setting specific writing sprints to achieve the daily or weekly word targets.
A writing sprint can give you direction. If you have a word goal in mind when you write, you’ll be much more effective than if you just write with no direction. The idea of the writing sprint tool is you can use it to improve both your writing process and your writing output.
Why Use Writing Sprints?
Why would you want to write faster?
The creative process of writing is a skill as much as it is an art. It starts with an idea in your head being transferred to drafts on pages, then refined by editing to a finished piece. All writing is the same process, be it an article, blog, or book.
Idea - draft - edit - edit - publish.
The problem many writers find is when you don’t write fast, you end up spending way more time than necessary in the drafting phase. Re-reading and editing on the go slows down the process. Writing sprints force you to write the first draft quickly.
Let’s be honest - it's easy to get distracted when writing! The ping of a text, a quick check of any new emails or social media feeds, and soon we end up down the rabbit hole of distraction. Then you look at the clock, and time has gone, and you have three sentences on the page. The tool of writing sprints helps us avoid distractions and increases our writing output.
How To Plan A Writing Sprint
1. Prepare the place.
Remove all the distractions from your view - post-it notes, telephone (switch to aeroplane mode) - washing that needs doing, shopping lists to make, whatever could distract you.
• Get a drink so you won’t be wanting one later.
• Is the room warm/cold enough?
• Is your seat set at the right height?
• Do you need ambient music in the background or silence?
2. Prepare the session
Do you have an outline or simple goal for the writing sprint? Is it a chapter, scene, character profile, or blog article? Taking a few minutes to make sure the framework for the session is in place will maximise the output of the writing sprint.
Next, set your goal for the time and number of words you want to write.
3. Prepare your mind
So you are on the starting line, almost ready to go. STOP. If this was an Olympic race, you’d be doing those last stretches, focusing the muscles, stretching out into the starting position. A sprinter uses every muscle in the human body to run at maximum capacity. Their mind and body function in an integrated and coordinated manner. As a writer, do the same. STOP. Take a few deep breaths. Let all the worries and concerns of your life sit aside. You can come back to them after the sprint. For now, all that matters is the next X minutes where you will write at speed.
On your marks - get set - GO!
Write with passion. This is the most important part of the writing sprint. Passion is a driving force that keeps the words flowing. If you are not passionate about the story, blog or article, your writing will suffer. The trick is to find your passion point.
A common mistake in developing the skill of writing sprints is trying to get too much done in the session. Start slow, build the skills, and develop the practice slowly from the beginning. As your skill grows, so can the speed and the number of words you write.
It Takes Practice and Persistence To Run Fast!
It takes weeks to get from the couch to being able to run a 5KM race - but by adding a structured, consistent plan of training to your week, slowly, you get fitter, move quicker and run for longer. The aches are not as bad and the whole exercise becomes much more fun. It’s the same with the tool of writing sprints.
Writing in sprints is a useful tool for writers of all skill levels. By practising the process of using the tool of writing sprints, you will develop the ability to write faster and create more drafts.
The tool for writing sprints is a successful way to speed up your writing progress. Sprints allow you to write more words than you think you can. Then maybe when you’re ready to take on a bigger challenge, try a writing sprint with a friend or mentor.
The important part of the tool of writing sprints is to take the most advantage of the time you have available to write. Don’t waste that time by trying to edit your work while you’re still writing. Don’t get frustrated by the lack of words each day. Instead, limber up and start sprinting. Writing sprints will allow you to write faster than you normally would.
Writing sprints helps you develop the skill of writing.
Writing sprints helps you finish your work faster and more accurately.
Writing sprints helps you get your work out of your head and onto the page.
So now, add the tool of writing sprints to your writer’s toolbox!
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Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash
