How to Write Quickly

Photo credit: Solo on Flickr
Since it’s November and something like 90% of my readers and Twitter followers are doing NaNoWriMo, I thought it appropriate to talk about how to write quickly. But first, a caveat.

Writing quickly doesn’t often equate to writing well—and depending on what your goal is, that’s ok. Your first draft is nearly always less than gorgeous, and when you’re writing it in a month, that “nearly always” becomes…err…something like 99.953485897347% of the time (which is a totally scientifically proven number).

But the point of the first draft, especially when written during NaNoWriMo, isn’t to write something beautiful—it’s to get the essence of the story down on paper. And when you’re trying to get 50,000 words in a month, doing so quickly is useful, to say the least.

That being said, here are some methods to get those words down on the page:

  • #wordmongeringI can’t stress enough how useful I’ve found the #wordmongering hashtag on Twitter to be. If you’d like a full explanation of what #wordmongering is and why you should be doing it, I’ve posted about it before, which is where that pretty blue link will take you. For the rest of you, #wordmongering is a thread where writers get together and start writing at the top of the hour until the :30 minute mark, then share their word counts for that thirty minute session. Something about writing in spurts keeps me from burning out faster and the people who participate in the thread are amazing, supportive people.

  • Some have asked me if #wordmongering actually works. I tell them the truth: I wrote an entire WIP in just #wordmongering sessions. So yes, I’d say it works (for me, at least).

  • Word Wars—similar to #wordmongering, but it’s basically when you get together with another writer (or two, or three, or however many), set up a time limit (15 minutes, 30, an hour, etc.) and race to write more than your peers. It works especially well for those of you who are competitive out there and it’s a fun way to boost your word count.

  • Write or Die—I’ve personally never tried this, but I know some writers who swear by Write or Die. It’s an application where you set the punishment for distractions (which can be anything from “gentle” to “kamikaze,” which I hear starts erasing words if you stop writing) and write like the wind. It’s meant to eliminate all other distractions and get you writing, then slap you on the wrist if you start daydreaming to long. Think of it as a personal writing coach.

  • The only caveat is I recently heard on Twitter about someone who encountered a glitch and hit a button and lost some words…permanently. So I’d say just be careful.

  • Don’t Look Back—this is key. If you’re trying to write quickly, you can’t afford to take the time to look back at what you’ve written so far. Writing quickly means you can’t edit yourself—what you put down you put down and you keep trekking forward without so much as glancing back. Pretend that your previous writing is the end of Sodom and Gomorrah—if you look back you’ll turn to salt (and it’s very hard to finish a novel if you’re a pillar of salt). Remember that your first draft probably isn’t going to be pretty, but it’s not supposed to be. The first time around you need a finished draft, not a polished one.

It’s not a comprehensive list, but it’s November and chances are you need to get back to working on your WIP, anyway. J

What methods do you use to slap some words down quickly?

16 comments:

Susan Sipal said...

When I don't have real external deadlines, I like to set my own artificial ones.  Like entering a contest or getting off another submission by a certain date or finishing a chapter for a critique group.  Anything that makes me work to finish by a certain date, especially if I deem it important, will make me buckle down and write.

Ava Jae said...

I live by deadlines, so I know exactly what you mean. Even if there isn't an official deadline, I'll set one for myself because it keeps me productive. Otherwise I could procrastinate indefinitely and...well, can't have that, now can I?

Jennifer Bennett said...

Great post! I've tried all of these, and I still like #wordmongering the best :) BTW, I had a dream that I was trying to find you last night and all the information I had was that you owned the golf course behind my house. Weird, huh?

Ava Jae said...

Firstly, #wordmongering is definitely my favorite (although I haven't tried Write or Die...but still). 

Second...that is very strange. Rest assured, I do not own the golf course behind your house (to my knowledge, anyway). :D

Katrina Moody said...

Have to admit to not trying the #wordmongering ... but will definitely have to try it out as it sounds like fun! I adore the Write or Die, and actually shelled out a few dollars for the desktop version a couple years back. Love it! 

Ava Jae said...

I absolutely love #wordmongering, but I've been hearing a lot of good things about Write or Die. Maybe I'll try to combine the two next time I sit down to write. :)

South paw said...

Good advice here. The whole not worrying about not being pretty is a tough one and I think that is was slows me down or even stagnates me. I need to get past that!

Marie Loughin said...

Good tips! Being slow is my #1 writing problem. I'll have to try #wordmongering when I finish #amediting the WIP. If that doesn't work, then Write or Die might be my only hope.

Ava Jae said...

It's a hard thing to get over, but especially when you're trying to get the first draft down in a month or so, worrying about your draft being ugly will only slow you down. First drafts are allowed to be ugly. It's ok--even to be expected.

Sabrina said...

I used (and LOVED!) Write or Die during the first 5 days and experienced no issues with losing words. But with NaNoWordSprints, blog posts and all the other random stuff sneaking into my story I found it really hard to get organized using a text format.  I switched to Scrivener's free download for NaNo and it's been smooth(er) sailing every since. For the added motivation; however, I agree with you, there's nothing like a timer, Write or Die, WordSprints or a challenge to get those words on paper.  It doesn't even seem like work when there are no rules.  Good luck everyone!  

Ava Jae said...

Definitely try out #wordmongering--I know it's helped me tremendously, there are some great people who participate and it's a lot of fun. :)

Ava Jae said...

I agree--it doesn't feel like work at all when you're in the middle of a word sprint (unless of course you get stuck...then it becomes a little more difficult). Nonetheless, having a timer (or a writing buddy racing along with you) is a fantastic motivator for sure.  

Robin Red said...

Does "#pagemongering" exist for editing?

Ava Jae said...

No, but #editmongering does. :)

Robin Red said...

Thank you so much.

Ava Jae said...

Sure thing! I've never really done #editmongering, so I'm not sure how many people hang out there, but worth checking out for sure. :)

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