Writing is a personal experience with each creative having a process that works ideally for them in producing a specific result. Some people initially need paper and a pen to create an outline before heading to the laptop.
Others will start free-flowing after reading about the subject from varied resources. And more will follow a template, software programs for varied shortcuts, and other modern digital innovations for an expeditious result.
None of these methods are right or wrong. It’s merely a matter of making writing the simplest and most straightforward plus fun because, after all, it’s your passion, and you need to, least of all, enjoy what you do.
But can you do that when the suggestion is that writers should write fast? Let’s look at the idea of writers performing at a fast speed and doing better with their work on their keyboard and how that should be determined.
Tips to improve your typing speed and accuracy fast
It’s curious who determines whether a writer is writing too fast or too slow. There are indeed deadlines that need to be met for clients for whom we write.
Of course, we set our times adequately to write quality in however long it might take within the deadline, so it’s met well ahead of time. Not many of us wait until that last hour to write 1000 words and hope for quality.
But yet, there are many priding themselves on being able to accomplish 1000 words in an hour. Is that relevant?
Every writer faces the challenge of writing slowly periodically. It can be exceptionally frustrating if you are on an unexpectedly tight deadline. Plus, it’s exhausting attempting to overcome the factors leading to the delayed pace.
That can include a block in your thought process, over-researching, editing while writing, or any number of practices that consume your time.
There are things you can do to attempt to speed things up if you’re finding yourself constantly in a state of flux with your writing process. Check out a few suggestions meant to help as you go through your day.
Try to limit the number of distractions around you
When writing, you must be centrally focused on the topic at hand. That will require you to have a designated space where you can work without distractions.
If you work in the home, there should be an area separated from the rest of the house, either closed off by a door or at least petitions. Sometimes, you might find the home environment unsuitable, creating the need to go to the library or even a cafe.
One specific distraction that needs to be avoided entirely is the internet, a major draw for many writers who find reasons to surf at the beginning or end of a day. Fortunately, there are apps like “Cold Turkey” that will block certain websites during the hours most writers should be hard at work.
Some writers need to write in complete silence. Others need some sort of sound in the background like music. Whatever your vice, you can use noise-canceling headsets or choose a favored program and find your zone to begin the writing day distraction-free in your unique location.
Writing exercises can be completed with virtual friends
You might not have a writer who’s a close friend or someone nearby, but a virtual writer friend can enjoy writing exercises with you to keep you on track with writing, maybe not faster but more productively, consistently in our set working hours.
That could, in turn, result in working faster since, essentially, the two of you will become somewhat competitive; that’s bound to happen.
The idea is to set up sprints between you with designated time spans where you’ll write passages or even do some actual work. When the alarm alerts time’s up, you can see how much you were each able to accomplish.
Over time, this will become more of a habit to the point you’ll be able to go for longer times with more work finished in the same timeframe.
A goal and reward process
Many writers mistakenly only allow rewards for their accomplishments in the form of compensation at the project’s end. Unfortunately, that can often be disheartening, especially if you finish the project and your reward is not received until a week or two later.
It can sometimes cause you to lose focus on why you’re writing each day, decreasing your motivation.
As a writer, it’s your responsibility to create smaller, achievable goals to determine specific goals for yourself. This way, each time there is success for a milestone, regardless of the size, the brain will motivate with dopamine creation. So you want to continue with your project.
That means if you created perhaps 500 words that day, you could get an ice cream; however, if you do that for five days without fail, you can buy a unique treasure.
And once you receive your payment after completing an entire pay period, you can enjoy a dinner out. You can choose to do this with a partner to keep each other accountable or do it on your own as a personal reward project.
Placeholders are often underused
Often a writer slows down their progress when they come to a word, sentence, or even a paragraph that’s not working for them, throwing off their entire thought process.
Instead of moving forward, the individual sits in anguish, attempting to think of how this needs to play out. I have lost time trying to remember words that were right on the tip of my tongue. It is sometimes infuriating because you know what you want to say, but the term has escaped you.
Perhaps a part of the topic requires a bit more research before you can venture further into the piece. Struggles like these sections, and those where you need to look through a thesaurus for as long as 25 minutes for an appropriate word because you believe it should take a matter of seconds, are severely time intrusive.
The suggestion from seasoned pros is to use a “placeholder” in the areas where you’ve come to a halt so you can temporarily move beyond the point and revisit it when you have more time.
A standard placeholder for writers is to incorporate a “TK” into the body, which stands for “to come.” The letter combination is rarely seen in English, making it simple to see when reviewing the piece for editing so it doesn’t become part of the final copy. You can go back and finish this thought.
Try to avoid looking at the screen when working
All too often, when writing, the biggest distraction can be reading your words as you write them on the screen. Massive disruption to production is stopping to review what you’ve written while in the process.
Editing must be completed when the rough draft is finished, not while the writing occurs.
It would be best if you tried to avoid looking at the screen when writing. A good rule is to have research material handy that you’re referring to while writing.
This way, you’re reading something while typing. Some other suggestions include turning the brightness on the screen down so you can’t read the writing or using a wireless keyboard that you can use from a distance away.
Some people will use speech-to-text with no need to type at all. You can certainly do this from a distance and without reading the screen until you’re through. The process will also be much faster than typing your work.
Final thought
The priority with all writing performed for clients or in a professional capacity is that quality is intact. The deadline will always be a consideration, with most writers understanding when they need to start their project to have it completed timely or ahead of schedule.
Writing faster and better on your keyboard takes considerable time and practice. It’s not something you need to stress yourself with, particularly if writing is new for you.
You can undoubtedly do writing exercises, incorporating these into a routine with a fellow writer to establish speed and skill.
You can also use one or more many digital downloads meant to make the writing process expeditious. There are many tools for the modern writer. It’s all in what you’re comfortable with and your method for your creativity.
I know some writers still use pen and paper because that’s their level of comfortability with their craft. There’s no level of speed, but their work is undoubtedly superior once finished.
I’m pen and paper plus the laptop, free-flowing after reading about a subject thoroughly to gain knowledge but editing as I go. I do incorporate one or two digital tools because my mechanics are rough.
Also, I want to exceed deadlines continually, but I don’t need to race someone through 1000 words. I care about what I write very much. That’s first and foremost for me – maybe too much if that’s possible. Write for you and your personal enjoyment.
