I have a problem.
I find that I write slowly, too slowly for my own satisfaction. I could take days to come up with an idea for an article and then take hours or a few days to complete a simple article.
I wanted to know how to write articles fast. I not only want to aim for speed, but to also write good articles.
Here are what I have learnt from others as well as from my own experience.
8 Simple Tips to Write Articles Fast
- Master your mind
“Your mind is your instrument. Learn to be its master, not slave.”
We all have limiting beliefs. I know “I am not a great writer”. But who says that a person has to be a great writer before he can start writing and sharing his thoughts and ideas.
I encourage myself that each time I write an article, I am working on my skill of becoming a better writer. I am constantly improving.
Besides, my aim of writing these articles is to share what I have learnt with others.
- Set a timer
Allow a certain amount of time to research, write and edit the post.“Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.” – Parkinson law, by C. Northcote Parkinson
If you set no time limit to complete the article, it will fill the time you have available, whether is it a day or a week.
- One at a time
Sometimes, I come across several ideas, and wonder which I should write about first. Now, I just pick an idea that resonates best with me at that particular time and focus on doing research on that idea, write that article and publish the article before moving on to the next idea.
As I have already written the other ideas down, there is no worry of me forgetting those ideas. Besides, some ideas might seem less appealing as time goes by, so I’ll just discard them. Other ideas might need a lot more research or knowledge before I can write about them, so in the meantime, I’ll just read up more about the topic and compile the notes. - Don’t aim for perfection
Know that you have written the best of what you have at that point in time. Aim for clarity and usefulness of the article, not perfection. Write the best article you can, given the resources, knowledge and time you have.
Who says you can’t go back and change and add new materials as you gain more knowledge? Especially with an online article, it is so easy to edit and republish an old article. Even if you write for print, for example a book, you can publish a new version of the book in future when you gain more knowledge or have more to share. - Keep on practising
Writing is a skill, so you need to practise it. Before you can product a great article, you need to write a mediocre one. So, start writing now. Your first draft might be so bad that it made you embarrassed, but you can always edit and polish it before publishing it.
Speed of writing also comes from practise. As you write more often, writing comes more naturally and faster. - Write using a list
Using a list structure can help you come up with an article fast. For example, you can write a “how to” article, like this one. Come up with the points for the list and then write a few sentences about each point. - Find your best time and place
Each of us have our most productive and alert state. Write during this period will ensure that you can produce a good article at the shortest time possible. Eliminate the distractions and write at a place and time suitable for you. - Feed your mind
Get exposed to new ideas and knowledge. To have a constant flow of ideas and topics to write about, we need to gain new knowledge. Reading is one of the best ways to get new ideas and knowledge. Not only can we read books and magazines, but in this technological era, it’s easy to get access to information in the form of blog posts, podcasts or videos. I gained a lot of knowledge from watching TED talks and they gave me ideas on what to write about or piqued a new interest.
What is a genius?
I’m still a long way from being a great and fast writer. But as Thomas Edison said, “Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.”
Many whom we think are geniuses in their crafts spent years perfecting their crafts. It is so often we only see the results and not the processes which make us perceive them as being born geniuses. Instead, only a minority might be born geniuses, while the majority worked at their crafts.
