How to Write Faster and Have Fun Doing It

Writer’s block, writer’s shmock: you just need a few strategies.

I’ve dealt with the kind of monstrous writer’s block that has made me give up writing for months at a time, and question myself and the meaning of my life almost to depression.

But life always works in your favour. Somehow, the right books and the right people crossed my path and I now write more than ever.

And the thing with writing is, the more you do it, the better you become.

If you’re not writing right now — or you’re not writing enough, at least by your own standards — chances are you’ll find the solution to your problem in this article.

It’s all super simple advice. I promise you, you won’t have to get up at 5 am or change your diet, or get a Masters of Fine Arts.

You just have to read this.

If you’re not writing, it’s not you, it’s your project.

First of all, forget the assumption that you not writing is your fault. You know you love writing. You’ve done it even when you’ve had absolutely no incentive, and you’ve been doing it for years. Stop questioning whether you’re really a writer. Okay? Just stop it! You’re a writer, I tell you, or you wouldn’t be reading this right now.

If you’re not writing, the problem is your book/story/article. It’s your project, not you. Now that we know that, let’s see what can be done.

Do you know what you’re writing?

When I started my first book, I had such a vague idea of what was happening with it that I constantly wrote myself into dead ends and procrastinated for months, trying to figure out what’s supposed to happen in the next chapter.

I know better now. I make outlines and detailed ones. I do give me some room for experimentation, but I know the whole point of writing what I’m writing.

Example of Scene One outline: the narrator is on a boring date when he gets a call that his ex is pregnant.

The surprise twist, even for me, was that he slept with the girl he found boring, even though he was excited about the news. Don’t you think it makes the character more interesting?

Does it excite you?

Every part of the story should have something exciting about it: presenting a cool character; a character reacting in a new way; a surprising plot twist or even just inviting the reader deeper into your world.

There must be something you find exciting to write. Coincidentally, it tends to be the same thing people find exciting to read.

Like Marie Forleo says, if it ain’t fun, it won’t get done. If you’re not having fun writing whatever you’re writing, stop and ask yourself what would make it fun.

Maybe one character really needs to pee? I don’t know, you’re the writer.

Who are you trying to be?

I used to have the worst writer’s block until I figured out that I had it because I was trying to write like someone else.

Hopefully, like J.K. or Margaret Atwood. Or at least like a smarter future me.

But I can only write like the person I am right now. Sure, I can polish things up, and think them through, and give it my best — which I am — but I can only do my best with what I already have.

I can’t give the world what I don’t have. You can’t either.

And you don’t have to. You are good enough. Give us you. That’s why we’d read your writing anyway.

Are you trying to force it?

Inspiration arrives every morning at 5 am sharp. Didn’t you know?

I hate the premise that the only way to deal with lack of inspiration is to force it. “Sit at your keyboard,” they say. Well, I won’t! In fact, what always works for me is to stand up and go live life. Maybe I’ll try to think about that point of the story that’s tripping me, but it’s more “Mind, you’re a genius, what do you say we do with this one?”

It is not “Okay, I’m in front of my computer. Now write, damn you!”

It’s similar to what psychologist say about good night sleep. If you don’t feel like sleeping, get up and do something else for a while. When you’re not hungry, you don’t sit at the table, waiting to get hungry.

Same thing with writing.