Many aspiring authors face the problem of being stuck with their writing. If you can relate, you might be wondering about how to write faster. Many writers hit the phenomenon known as writer’s block, or they get distracted.
Whatever the reason – a lot of authors struggle with getting their words on the page. And the simple formula is that the faster you can write, the more books you can create, and the more you can boost your author platform and focus on your marketing efforts.
Without further ado, let us jump into the list of essential tips that will help you improve the way you write. Following the tips, your writing will be more effective and efficient.
Keep reading!
Table of Contents
Get Rid of Distractions
What comes to your mind when you think about eliminating your distractions? You don’t have to resort to a cave or tie up your children. Instead, all you need to do is to focus on digital distractions that stop many authors from getting done what they need to focus on.
For instance, they might interact with people on social media, respond to emails they can do later, etc.
So, if you really want to focus and get more writing done on a daily basis, you will want to focus on turning off your social media while you are writing. You will also want to close your emails or anything else, such as Slack or Skype – any platform where somebody can message you or where a notification can pop up; and distract you from your writing.
For some, this might as well include turning off their phones while they are writing.
Music can be distracting as well. If you have to listen to music – listen to something without lyrics. You can find music without lyrics online that has been effectively designed to improve your effectiveness and efficiency.
You get the point – whatever it is that you are doing – make sure to remove those distractions to have a clean writing zone.
Set Writing Goals
Writing is a big task. So, you will want to break it into smaller milestones by setting daily, weekly, monthly, and even hourly goals. Setting goals and breaking your bog writing project into smaller milestones is a great way to designate your time for writing.
Nonetheless, we recommend sticking to a daily routine and working on daily goals. You will want to give yourself a daily target to hit as an effective way to accomplish what you need and to know what you build upon the next day.
By hitting your daily writing goals, you will also know that you are getting closer to writing more and completing your book. By writing daily, you will also make better books, as your writing will improve daily.
However, before you hit publication, you will still want to hire one of the best professional editors and even run your manuscript through proofreading software to make sure that your manuscript is free of errors and that your readers will truly enjoy reading your book.
While working on your daily writing goals, you can also benefit from using word count tools to track the number of words you have written for the day. But you could also use one of the best writing tools to set daily goals so it will let you know when you hit your milestone.
Try Out Writing Sprints
Sometimes when you hit writer’s block, or you feel like you are getting stuck in your writing, setting a writing sprint can help you break through it.
In case you haven’t heard about writing sprints before – you should know that this is where you take some time for a specific period and you focus on writing as fast as you can without stopping. This aspect might as well be referred to as free writing.
During your writing sprint, you won’t stop editing or proofreading what you have written, as you can do this later. You will want to focus on writing without judging yourself. Writing sprints are an amazing idea if you have limited time during the day or a specific amount of time during a day where you can write.
Writing sprints are also great when you are experiencing something like writer’s block, and you just don’t know whether you can jot another word down on the page or not – in which case, you will want to force yourself into a writing sprint.
Also, if you find yourself struggling to get into the writing zone, you will want to stay focused. You will want to try setting a 20-minute timer and work your way up one hour a day. Your brain is more likely to stay focused for shorter periods of time at first.
During your writing sprints, you might as well want to write without looking at your screen. This is important if you find yourself going back and editing or jumping around in your writing; you will want to take a keyboard and turn yourself away from your monitor to not look at the screen.
Maintain a Good Posture
If you want to write more efficiently every day, you will want to consciously adopt and maintain a good posture.
Having a good posture not only ensures better and faster writing – but – also has plenty of health benefits. For instance, a good posture will prevent your body from cramping up. You won’t feel uncomfortable.
When it comes to the ideal writing position that you will want to follow while typing – it comes down to having your back straight against the chair. You will want to keep your elbows bent and your feet flat on the floor.
While writing, you will want to ensure to check your posture and double-check that you are in the right form. This way, you can spend dedicated hours and feel good about yourself and your health. If writing is your passion and you want to become a professional author, you will want to maintain a good posture to keep writing and enjoying the process without paying the price for your health.