How to write faster

[Lily]

www.slate.com/articles/technology/the_browser/2011/08/slowpoke.html

[raemorgan]

I'd say writing "better" is more important than writing faster.

[avery]

For myself I have to write fairly fast or I get bored with it. I can see the value in this.

[jameskresnik]

Try to limit your working hours, write at a set time each day, and try your best not to emotionally flip out or check email every 20 seconds. This is called "engineering" your environment.

That sounds like a good rule for life-in-general.

[Deleted]

" 'Serious writing is at once a thinking task, a language task, and a memory task,' he declares."

I like that.

[joshuachrisstoff]

Better every time over faster.
When I write fast I miss words, make huge errors but it usually turns out to be an important part of that story I end up loving!

I think the truth is having something to say, b4 all else can be relative!

[Lily]

The advantage to writing fast is letting it all pour out without the restraints of the "rules", which can be creatively stifling. You can go back afterwards and edit it to suit.

[roxy]

If I don't write fast, I don't write.

[joshuachrisstoff]

Roxy and Lily, I understand both of you. I surely do think that fast writing has a valuable place in constructive Friction Wirting! [intentional] I couldn't make it as Fiction Writer, I changed my craft some, retitled the skill and viola, a large fiddle happened, or was that voila?

As best I can tell, I had a 'creative burst a while back. I finished an 80k word book, wrote two more and started a forth. How it worked was for six nights and seven days I couldn't sleep. I did lie down some with my eyes firmly shut but sleep evaded me. After 3-4-5 hours I would get back into it and rip the story apart and get most of it written down.
I was vary passionate about the geographical area and of course, I loved my characters, still do, and possibly always will do. The seven days was closely followed by three days and four days and the words were there, all I needed to do was to transcribe them to paper and save them. Simply. The edits were a pleasure as the story was powerful for me internally.

I still have to say BETTER trumps faster or slower or anything else. I also think your character type comes into it as well. I am very much a loose canon and once I get wound up, woe betide any fool who stands in my way. They get mowed down, simple.

I am still a two fingered typist and miles slower than most people. But the slowness of skill doesn't match my brain which speeds and slows on inspiration not words per minute count.

For you, do what feels good and right. There is little point writing a bad story fast or slow. Similarly, if you have a 'magic take' to tell, it doesn't matter how long it takes you to get it out and EDITED, if it is good, then, it is good. Stick with that and you can't go wrong.

Right now, I have four books on the go. I am writing vol 21, the last of the first series. I have written the end four pages which covers the dramatic climax but it almost seems that I can't write the intervening pages cos once I have, that character dies, and I am still not happy with that.
They other three books are some seventeen years later, that character is most definitely gone but never forgotten. It is even a little difficult to write the guts of the book to marry up all the plots into one giant battle where they meet their demise.

Maybe if I never finish it, the character can never die . . . well, maybe!
Mind you, I really do love the new premise and am getting pure enjoyment defining sll but one of the new characters. There is on that survives, the MC as it happens with some crucial side characters that may pplay a bi par in everything, ir they may not. One book is 59k words, so half finished so I am enjoying it and excited, it is just finishing vol 21 which is killing me. <GRIN>

[greg]

I write fairly fast or lose the flow.

[dervish]

It should be about writing better, how fast is immaterial.

[bryo]

Writing fast is one thing. Typing fast is another. Sometimes my fingers can‘t go as fast as I am thinking and that leaves me exasperated. My brain is on the second sentence my fingers are still half-way through the first so I try to speed up. And then in the wtinkle of aneye I start makin mitakes

[Lily]

Jul 10, 2012 17:17:10 GMT -5 bryo said:

Writing fast is one thing. Typing fast is another. Sometimes my fingers can‘t go as fast as I am thinking and that leaves me exasperated. My brain is on the second sentence my fingers are still half-way through the first so I try to speed up. And then in the wtinkle of aneye I start makin mitakes

I know what you mean, Bryo, and welcome to the forum. I hope you'll like it here.

[jd]

Heck, if I get myself to write at all I'm happy, no matter what speed.

[fullmetalxeno]

I really prefer to just write, i don't care what pace. To me writing faster isn't better, i mean look at C. S Lewis. He published 7 novels within 14 years, way faster than Tolkien and look at him! Tolkien went snail's pace and destroyed Narnia with his high quality writing. Tolkien writes circles around Lewis, not that Lewis was a bad writer. But he rushed too much, which caused his work to be less quality and more quanity which is the reason why Tolkien had more sucess, he took his time. Sorry for being extremely off-topic, but i thought i'd give my two cents.