Writing Advice

How to Write Fast When You're a Slow Writer

…and other mental tricks of a productive writer.

Back in 2013, bestselling author Dean Wesley Smith wrote about finishing a 70,000-word novel in 10 days. He explained his daily routine and highlighted a few key factors to consider that remained with me to this day and which I have implemented in my own writing routine — a routine that has heaved and bobbed with life’s stormy waves.

Prior to starting the “ghost” novel project, Dean wrote a post in which he debunked the myth of fast writing. You can read about it here. The following parts resonated with me:

“I am the world’s worst typist. I use four fingers, up from two, and if I can manage 250 words in fifteen minutes I’m pretty happy. I tend to average around 750–1,000 words per hour of work. Then I take a break. I am not a “fast” typist, but I am considered a “fast” writer because I spend more time writing than the myth allows.

That’s the second thing that makes this myth so damaging to writers. It doesn’t allow writers to just spend more time practicing their art. In fact, the myth tells writers that if they do spend more time working to get better, they are worse because they produce more fiction.

Writing is the only art where spending less time practicing is considered a good thing.

In music we admire musicians who practice ten or more hours a day. Painters and other forms of art are the same. Only in writing does the myth of not practicing to get better come roaring in. We teach new writers to slow down, to not work to get better, to spend fewer and fewer hours at writing, to not practice, and then wonder why so many writers don’t make it to a professional level.”

Dean has written more than a hundred novels and probably well over two-hundred short stories. The man’s résumé is impressive, and he’s writing speed is legendary. He has written a lot of stories under many pen names and his advice comes from years of experience. But that is not why he decided to share his experience in writing a “ghost” novel.

The idea was to present a revealing insight into his writing process and to show how achievable the seemingly unachievable can be. This isn’t for everyone. It’s all about what works for you today. Tomorrow might be a different story.

I have previously lamented on how slow I write. I write epically slow, which is something I loath. I have a perfectionist’s tendency for wanting every word to fit perfectly in the arrangement of words I put out for public consumption. I have tried a few different approaches over the years and read a shit-ton of advice on writing from famous and successful writers.

In the end, I followed Stephen King’s advice and gave myself permission to write a really bad first draft. I tell myself that the most important thing is to get the information out and onto paper or the computer screen. Just write. Don't write with your editor’s brain. Write with your storytelling brain and give it free rein. Go crazy.

Once out, you can hone that story and rearrange the words until your subjective sense of perfection tells you it’s ready. This way, the body of writing gets done quickly. You also have a sense of accomplishment of having successively excised a great chunk of writing from your fevered mind.

The first draft is not unlike a stonemason wrestling a block of stone from the quarry. Subsequent drafts allow you to shape and hone the story, and again, not unlike our stonemason who now has to chip away at the block of stone to turn it into a recognisable something that is beautiful to behold.

This is but part of the process of being a productive writer. And again, not everyone is suited to doing it this way and that is okay. Part of the writing journey is finding systems that work for you and your particular personality.

For instance, once I started churning out words faster because of the permission I had given myself to just write and not worry about the quality of my words, I discovered that I also had a self-discipline problem. See, it is one thing to have time to write. It’s entirely something else to keep it up consistently.

The truth is, if you put butt-to-seat and stay there and work, it is quite possible to churn out something lengthy and wonderful without rushing it. You don’t have to do it in 10 days, of course, but then, the ten days isn’t the real story here. It’s about how discipline and consistency in your daily routine can produce desired results. This is true of both fiction and non-fiction, whether you’re writing a short story or a novel or whether you’re writing articles for Medium.

When I began writing full-time, I used to write between the hours my kids attended school. When I worked away from home I would get up at 4 am and write until 7 am, at which time I would wake up the kids and make breakfast and get them ready for school while I get dressed for work.

Guess which routine delivered the most productivity?

Yep, the one where I got up really early in the mornings and only had three hours available to me. When you have little time available you make the most of it and your willpower finds enough strength to keep you from procrastinating. So, dedicating a section of your day for only writing and sticking to it is key here.

Not all of us are morning people and not all of us have much time to spare, not with Life throwing hurdles at us at odd angles. Some of us have to write in stolen slivers of time. And then you have psychological issues which are some of the biggest hurdles a writer will face, but that is a discussion for another time.

When you have small kids you’ll find that when one gets sick, they all eventually get sick. And if it’s not sickness it’s something else or a dozen other things life throws at you. I have lost count how many times my writing time had been taken hostage by powers far above my station, leaving me with only stolen moments. Just enough to get the gears moving but not enough to get to that level of concentration where I can immerse myself completely. I’m like a train when it comes to writing, slow to start, but once I’m on the move, momentum keeps me going. Supernatural obstructions aside, I am yet to find an effective weapon to counterbalance Fate’s twisted humour.

Having said that, there is no changing the fact that no one else will do your writing for you. If you don’t write, it won’t get written, irrespective of the things that happen in your life. There will be days when you won’t feel like writing at all. When your mood is so bleak, your creative gears lockup at zero and writing feels like a waste of time or worse, unimportant.

Write anyway.

The act of sitting down to write is powerful because of what happens in your subconscious. The mind is funny that way. You can literally reprogram yourself through repetition. Of course, it won’t happen overnight but like with setting a writing routine, it takes consistency and commitment. Everyday practice of a consciously-made repetitive action. Your subconscious mind is not only responsible for keeping your body’s machinery functioning, it’s also a haven of all the things you take comfort in. It is, therefore, your subconscious mind’s role to keep you in mental comfort where possible.

When you're down, unmotivated and uninspired, when writing feels unimportant because of life’s problems, your subconscious mind makes you curl-up into a foetus position, safe from the world so that you can lick your emotional wounds. But you can change that default setting by sitting down and writing instead of feeling sorry for yourself. Write even when you feel there are more important things to do. If you do it often enough you can change your default setting.

The goal here is to achieve automaticity for your writing habits. You want to make writing a keystone habit. Something that happens automatically over time and generates far more productivity than spending time alone with your jumbling thoughts. And remember, if you keep putting writing low on your list of priorities, the writing gods will treat you with the same disdain. If you don't consider your writing as a necessary activity in your life, how do you hope to establish a career, never mind improve your skill?

You can even use emotional blackmail on yourself to help with motivation. Write on sticky notes why you write and what is at stake, whether it’s to feed your family, pay medical bills, or save your soul. Remind yourself why you write.

Whether you write in the mornings or at nights or only have sporadic pockets of time, set a routine and stick to that routine, and spit out those words. If you don’t, a month will have gone by and you’ll discover you’ve only written a handful of words. Inconsistency is the arch-nemesis of productivity.

See, the magic here is consistency. Consistency interlaced with commitment.

If you are consistent with your routine, unburdening yourself of words each day will add up pretty quickly. You’ll be surprised how much you've written in, say, a month.

Fast writing is consistent writing.

When it is time to shape your story and make it readable, the same rule of consistency applies. Not only is it a productive regime, but it keeps what you have written fresh in your mind. Writing consistently is about always being on the move, bearing forward. You won’t get anywhere if you stand still.

At the end of the day, you write because you love doing it. You’ll do it no matter what. But passion needs order to bloom into reality. If you put ass-to-seat and write and follow a consistent regime, you stand a fighting chance at establishing a solid writing career.

I am writing this as much as for me as I am for you. We all can afford a gentle reminder now and then that we write because we love writing and love seeing our brand of thoughts become real and tangible. Because we want to share our stories and entertain people. And because life is short and we have so many words looking for release.