How You Can Write Faster and Better

This little trick is a game-changer

When I first started writing, I thought if I took my time to write, the better my writing would be. I stopped at every sentence and paragraph to double-check and analyze their structure and flow. The inner critic in me cast doubt on every sentence I wrote, which impeded my writing.

Correcting every word and sentence as I wrote would, in the end, result in less editing since I corrected everything on the go. However, the caveat of this practice was that my writing flow suffered.

Writing slowly can break your imagination and can affect the quality of your writing. Every time you stop and feel the urge to go back and double-check a sentence or a word you wrote, you are pushing on the breaks. You aren’t letting your creativity shine.

Get in the flow state

To be successful in writing, you have to switch things around. The best writing happens when you are in the flow state. Flow state in psychology terms is a “state of complete immersion in an activity.” Like in a sports activity such as running, tennis, soccer, you become engaged in the process.

Think about running, for example. For a runner to win the race, he must continuously keep running without stopping to catch a breath. Same thing with writing — once you start and gain momentum, you must keep going.

When you write in the flow state, it results in improved performance in artistic creativity, according to research. Your imagination is the most active and your creativity soars when you are in the flow state. Your job as a writer is to catch this magical moment and keep writing.

For example, if you’re a writer writing a novel, you may produce your best work during the flow state. If you’re writing an article, your content will have substance, and you will capture the points you wanted to convey in greater detail.

You have to write along with your thought process. Let your thoughts flow naturally and write as you think. If you pause and stop and go back, you run a risk of cutting the thread of your imagination and not capture the essence of your ideas.

To sustain the flow state, every time you finish a paragraph, keep going. Don’t be hung up on awkward sentences you wrote and that little spelling mistake you made. Learn how to shut off your inner critic.

Bottom line: You have to catch your ideas while they are in your consciousness. Keep writing and resist the urge to stop.

My writing method

Since I started capturing my flow state, not only was I able to write faster, I could also capture all my ideas at once without losing any of them. Writing became like a breeze.

Here is how I do it: Make my first draft, set it aside, and come back to it later. Then I’d skim through my text to see if there is anything else I’d want to add to my story to make it better.

For example, I could throw in a sentence in one or more paragraphs, or even a new section at the end. I could also delete an entire paragraph with a jumble of words that doesn’t make sense. The key is to set your work aside and come back to it the next day or a few hours later.

This is the time to start editing your draft. Editing is when you can take your time and be slow and meticulous. After you finish your piece, focus on grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and flow. Move around your sentences and words to add flow and cohesion to your paragraphs.

To recap: Get into your flow state and write as you think. Write your piece in one breath. Don’t start editing and revising it until the end. Also, make sure to give an adequate space of time between your first draft and the final draft. Set it aside and come back to it later and work on it with a fresh pair of eyes.