This post is all about how to write faster without burning out and enjoying your writing sessions while still being a productive writer.
Writing faster doesn’t mean pushing yourself to the limit, sacrificing sleep, or exhausting yourself while chasing impossible word count goals. And yet, that’s exactly what so many writers are doing, then wondering why they’re so exhausted all the time.
Today, dear Happy Writer, I’m sharing with you five tips on how to write faster without burning out and without turning writing into another source of stress. These are fun strategies that help you write faster and write more while protecting your energy, your creativity, and your love for writing.
Let’s see how to write faster while keeping writing fun and enjoying the writing journey. If you prefer the video version, check out the YouTube video below to discover how to write faster without burning out.
Tip #1: Write faster using the Pomodoro Technique
One of the best ways I’ve found to write faster is by using the Pomodoro Technique. The Pomodoro Technique is all about writing in short, focused writing sprints, followed by short breaks in between.
For example, you can write for 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break. After every four writing sprints, you can reward yourself with a longer break, usually around 20-minutes. The best part is that you can adjust both the duration of the writing sprints and that of the breaks, depending on how long you can focus and how much time you need to recharge between sprints.
The reason this method helps you write faster is that it keeps you focused on one single task. During the writing sprint, you’re only focused on writing. You don’t slow down the process by editing, doing research, or getting distracted by random notifications. You’re fully focused on that one task, and you give all your energy to it.
And knowing that there’s a timer counting down, it creates a playful sense of urgency for the task. It motivates you even more to write, curious to see just how much you can actually write during that time.
REPATED POST: The Pomodoro Technique for Writers
Tip #2: How to write faster by turning writing into play
This tip goes hand in hand with the previous one. You can turn your Pomodoro writing sessions into a fun little game where you’re competing only with yourself.
For each writing sprint, write down your word count. Then, in the next sprint, see if you can beat your word count from the previous sprint. And to make the game even more fun and help you write faster, plan some small (or big!) rewards for reaching new writing milestones. This motivates you to write faster during each sprint to earn your reward.
Need help tracking your writing sprints? I created a fun and easy-to-use Google Sheet you can download for free to track your progress after each writing sprint. It automatically calculates your total words for the day, shows your overall progress in your book, and even tells you exactly how many words you have left until the finish line. Use it to turn your writing sessions into a fun little game so you can stay focused, write more, and enjoy the process. You can download the word count tracker using the form below:
To take this game even further, try doing writing sprints together with your writing friends. This challenge will motivate you to write even faster as you strive to be the one reaching the highest word count during that session.
Finding ways to add a bit of playfulness to your writing sessions will help you write faster. When you’re playing, you’re having fun. And when you’re having fun, you no longer dread your writing sessions. Instead, you enjoy your writing sessions and you’re having fun writing.
That joy brings you into a flow state. The longer you can maintain that state, the more productive and enjoyable your writing sessions will be.
Let me know in the comments what are some fun things you do to make writing feel more like play and less like work? And if you currently don’t, you really should try adding more playfulness to your writing sessions.
Tip #3: Create the ideal ambiance for a productive writing session
To write faster, you need to be able to stay laser-focused during your writing sessions. But all the clutter around you steals your focus.
In order to create the right environment for a focused, productive writing session, you should eliminate all distractions—both physical and digital. A cluttered desk filled with pens, books, notebooks, unopened mail, and half-empty coffee mugs can easily distract you from your story. And so can all the notifications constantly popping up on your phone and laptop.
Do you want a truly productive writing session? Clean your desk, close all unnecessary apps and programs, and silence all notifications. With all these distractions gone, your muse will return full of energy to inspire your next writing session.
That takes care of removing what hinders your focus. Once that’s done, it’s time to add in the things that actually support your focus.
Do you focus better with music playing, or do you prefer writing in complete silence? Do you prefer bright lighting, or does soft candlelight help you relax and focus better? Do you like a clean, minimal screen, or are you more motivated to write when the writing program has a beautifully designed theme, maybe one that matches your genre?
My personal preferences are the Ravenclaw Common Room sound atmosphere from Ambient Mixer, a dark room filled with lots of fairy lights, and a customized Scrivener theme that helps me immerse myself even deeper into the story.
When you’re surrounded by the right atmosphere for you, you focus better during your writing sessions, and you’re able to write much faster. And if you happen to work best in a crowded or messy space, that’s perfectly okay too.
This is all about creating an atmosphere that works for you, making your writing sessions as enjoyable and inspiring as possible so you can be as productive as possible.
Tip #4: Join a writing community to stay motivated and write faster
In tip number 2, we discovered how to write faster by turning writing sprints into a fun game with other writers from your writing community. But that’s not the only way the writing community can help you write faster.
When you’re working from home, alone at your desk, writing can start to feel a little lonely. And when that happens, you sometimes lose a bit the motivation as well. But when you’re part of a writing community, you feel much more motivated and energized to work, especially when you’re writing alongside others.
I sometimes meet up with other writers in a café, where we each work on our own projects. And every time, I notice the same thing: I write so much faster there than when I’m writing alone at home. Being around other focused writers energizes me, and seeing them deeply engaged in their work helps me stay focused on mine.
So if you want to write faster, try meeting up with other writers for writing sessions.
You don’t know any writers in your town? No problem! Join an online writing community. Several authors I follow on YouTube host virtual writing sprints. So you still get to work together with other writers, just from a distance.
You still encourage each other, stay accountable, and keep going, and that does wonders for both your motivation and your writing speed.
RELATED POST: How Writing in a Café Makes You a More Productive Writer
Tip #5: Actually learn how to type faster
Wow, this is mind-blowing! How did I even come up with such an ingenious tip?! But jokes aside, this is actually an important one.
Sometimes, our writing speed isn’t limited by how fast our ideas are flowing, but by how quickly we’re able to capture those ideas on the page. And that’s where learning to type faster can make a real difference.
Improving your writing speed can help you write your book faster. There are many programs available online that you can use to train yourself to type faster. A simple Google search will reveal lots of them, and many of them are completely free, like this one, for example. Give it a try and see if it helps you write faster. Why not take advantage of all these free resources to help you become a more productive writer?
The faster you type, the easier it becomes to keep up with your ideas—and the faster you can bring your stories to life.
This post was all about how to write faster without burnout. If you enjoyed it, you might also enjoy this post:
Writing More in Less Time with the Pomodoro Technique for Writers
Now it’s your turn. Let me know in the comments what methods you’re using to write faster and at the same time enjoy the writing session.
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