How to Write Faster

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In order to be able to support yourself writing articles full time, you will have to get to the point where you can write roughly 2 articles per hour. You will always be able to find $5 articles to write, so if you can consistently create 2 per hour, that equates to a $10/hr job at the very least. When you start bringing in higher paying work, you can increase that hourly rate even higher. It is not uncommon for someone to earn $15, $20 or more per hour working as a freelance writer with only a few months of experience. The key is speed, but you have to keep the quality of your writing high or else you will not be able to advance on to higher paying jobs.

Create an Outline

The best way to write at a fast pace is to break the article into sections. Create a quick outline for yourself so that you can quickly reference it as you write. This eliminates the need to stop and research after every paragraph. Below is an example outline:

Intro

Main Idea 1

Introduction/transition into main idea 1

What is it?

How does it work?

Why is it important?

Conclude main idea 1

Main Idea 2

..

..

Main Idea 3

..

..

Conclusion

~fin~

That’s it. Keep it simple.

Research

Do all of the research in the beginning  When you are creating your outline, jot down notes for each heading. Aim for 3-4 notes each. This gives you an introduction sentience,  3-5 body sentences and a conclusion sentience within each paragraph. As you write each sentience based off your notes, put the idea into your own words. This allows you to write faster and it sounds more natural than just rewording it. Spend 5 minutes researching and creating your outline.

Don’t Stop

Write the body of the article first. Keep typing. Don’t stop. Don’t edit. Don’t think. You did all of the thinking when you made your outline. Anytime to stop to do any of these things, it slows you down. You will be able to correct your mistakes much faster if you do it in one sweep at the end. 5 minutes in research plus your typing speed puts us at about 15-20 minutes into the article.

Introduction and Conclusion

Next, it is time to write your introduction. “Wasn’t I suppose to do that first?” No. Write the introduction after you know what you wrote about. To state the obvious, it is much easier to introduce the article and topics you covered after you have written them. After that, write your conclusion. In the conclusion you will just want to summarize the article, highlight some of the important points and if applicable;  insert your call to action. Try to touch on at least one point from each paragraph as you write your conclusion.

Proofread

Now we are 20-25 minutes in and it is time to edit. Read the article out loud to yourself. If you are writing multiple articles, it would be a good idea to start on the second article and then come back and edit the first after. Time away from the article will cure some of your “grammar blindness” we can sometimes get. If you can’t do that, that is okay.

Add a title, format the article and you are done. 30 minutes and you are half way to a respectable hourly wage.

I can’t write that fast, I type slow!

Speaking of…

If you type slow, you can try a voice recognition program. Most people use Dragon Naturally Speaking. Buy a decent microphone, set up the software and you are ready to go.

*Note: USB microphones tend to work better than line-in microphones.

You are suppose to be able to talk-type 2 times faster than typing. The only down side is the edits. It does fairly well, but you will have to spend a little more time in the editing process.