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How can I increase my writing speed?

by Charles Washington
30 replies
Right now, I can only seem to write 2 400 word articles an hour. Are there any tips that could help me increase that rate a bit?

I do a lot of ghostwriting, but I am limited by low amount of articles I can write per day - having a full time job and all.

Thanks
#increase #speed #writing
  • Profile picture of the author Dan Ambrose
    Practice!
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  • Profile picture of the author lazavas
    Originally Posted by shkad14 View Post

    Right now, I can only seem to write 2 400 word articles an hour. Are there any tips that could help me increase that rate a bit?

    I do a lot of ghostwriting, but I am limited by low amount of articles I can write per day - having a full time job and all.

    Thanks
    try this mate, pretty good

    free online touch typing speed test - wpm words per minute
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  • Profile picture of the author TiffanyLambert
    I was about to say DNS too. But I can write 4-5 pages an hour typing, too. With DNS I get about 9 but then there's a bit of cleanup if I was sloppy.

    To increase writing speed, stop trying so hard, too. Some people stumble trying to be so "elegant" with their writing. When writing online, KISS (keep it simple stupid)! Write conversationally, don't try finding big words and using flowery sentences. You'll move faster.

    And short, to the point sentences read better anyway!
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  • Profile picture of the author tomw
    Hire a secretary

    Thomas
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    • Profile picture of the author innocent07
      Banned
      Get married, and get your wife to become your secretary, joke
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    • Profile picture of the author Lloyd Buchinski
      Originally Posted by tomw View Post

      Hire a secretary

      Thomas
      Won't help me. I always wanted to be my own boss but so far I've
      just got up to being my own secretary.
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      • Profile picture of the author tomw
        Originally Posted by Lloyd Buchinski View Post

        Won't help me. I always wanted to be my own boss but so far I've
        just got up to being my own secretary.
        Lloyd,

        Fair enough. Apologies for the flippant comment I'm just in a light-hearted mood. I think the voice recognition route could be the way to go, although I have to say that I have tried this and spent more time making corrections and fiddling about than if I'd typed the darn thing blind and with my big toe.

        It was with a product called ViaVoice for MAC which was by Microsoft so I shouldn't really have been surprised. Maybe someone can suggest an alternative that will actually work.

        Loren, thanks - you learn something new everyday!

        Thomas
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        Help Us Rescue, Rehabilitate And Reunite Victims With Their Families
        STOP THE TRAFFIK is a growing global movement of individuals, communities and organisations fighting to PREVENT the sale of people,
        PROTECT the trafficked and PROSECUTE the traffickers.
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  • Profile picture of the author Loren Woirhaye
    You can learn the Dvorak keyboard layout and shoot
    for higher speeds. The real benefit is in less repetitive
    stress injury and things like achey wrists.

    There is also Colemak keyboard layout: ergonomic, fast and easy to learn QWERTY/Dvorak alternative which is a cross
    between qwerty and dvorak.
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  • Profile picture of the author ejfern22
    Voice recognition is often the easiest way to write faster. I would suggest to just keep working at it and eventually you will be able to write articles much faster and make more money.
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  • Profile picture of the author talfighel
    Write down your article without fixing your spelling or grammer. Once you just write and don't stop, your time of writing one article will be a lot less.

    Now, once you finish to write it, use a spell checker and grammer checker to see if anything needs to be fixed.

    I would also write less then 400 words. I usually like to write a 250-400 words and this cuts the time frame for me.

    Tal
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    • Profile picture of the author ShayB
      Originally Posted by talfighel View Post

      Now, once you finish to write it, use a spell checker and grammer checker to see if anything needs to be fixed.

      Tal
      Dew knot trussed speel cheque two ketch awl yore miss steaks.
      Signature
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      • Profile picture of the author ShayB
        Here are some things I do to cut down my writing time.
        • Do all of your research before you start writing. When I am writing articles, I may have 100 pages of research material for 10 articles, but I make sure I don't have to start and stop when I sit down to write. Better to have too much rather than too little.
        • Print out your research material, if from online sources.
        • Get an outline for what you are going to write, even if it is in your head. Have an idea of the points you want to cover.
        • Use the basic format that is used by most research articles: opening paragraph, 3 points, closing summary. That alone should get you up to 400 words.
        • Don't fluff your word count. Make sure you are not adding meaningless drivel just to up the word count - it is draining and boring.
        • Read over all of the research material thoroughly before starting.
        • Set a timer for 15 minutes per article.
        I hope this helps.
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  • Profile picture of the author Charles Washington
    Ok, I took the typing test and I type 35 words per minute. Is that good or bad?

    My real problem is in the research and layout phase. That is what I have trouble with.
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  • Profile picture of the author Debbie Songster
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    Get the standard version for $49.99
    And if you PM me I'll give you the 25% off code they gave me to use. (needs to be used in the next 2 weeks)
    I just bought the software - it hasn't arrived yet
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    • Profile picture of the author bombdiggity
      I know you asked how you can increase your writing speed, but you should take a moment to sit back and reflect on what you've already accomplished. 2 400 word articles within an hour is a pretty good turnaround time; especially if they're high-quality. Unlike a lot of the suggestions in this thread, I actually operate the opposite way. I'll churn out a paragraph and then refine it and edit it right there...I never wait until I'm completely finished with the article, because in all honesty I think it would take me even longer to do it that way. I'm a perfectionist, but I can still get a 450-600 word article done within 25-30 minutes with no problem.

      If you're having trouble with the research and layout phase, what I really recommend is that you use your memory warehouse when writing these articles. Lately, I haven't even needed to do very much research. I access a part of the brain that feeds me information about the particular niche or subject that I've read in the past, and once I've established that the rest just flows out. With time and practice, you'll be able to develop this skill more fully.

      When I was first starting out though, the main places I would go were EzineArticles (and would base my information on the articles already there), eHow, or if you're not really sure how it works and need to describe something technical like CMS (content management service), Wikipedia works wonders. The best thing to do is to set your articles up on a 3-point structure, and then search for articles that have already been submitted to the submission sites for tidbits of information (i.e., "84% of Americans use cell phones today"). Find 3 major points like this concerning the subject you're writing about, and then make each paragraph of the body deal with one of these points. Your examples and descriptions should take up most of the paragraph, and all you've done is based your entire paragraph on a simple sentence.

      Let me know if any of these suggestions have helped you. I had to learn most of this stuff on my own.
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      • Profile picture of the author angela99
        Writing is a muscle, like any other. Your speed will increase with time, and practice. (I'm assuming you mean you want to write well, and not write drivel. :-))

        Here's a process which works for writing ten articles in 20 minutes to half an hour per 500 word article (around five hours):

        * Research keywords;

        * Think about the emotional reasons buyers buy;

        * Outline each article (do research for facts at this stage);

        * Next day, write a "zero" draft. That is, type without worrying about anything, just keep your fingers on the keyboard;

        * Next day, clean up the article drafts and complete each article.

        The idea is to separate planning (keywords, outlining) from creativity, because they use different parts of your brain. Planning is logical and uses your left brain. Creativity is necessary at the writing stage, and is a right-brain process.

        If you're on deadline, and can't wait 24 hours between planning and writing, then go and take a walk, or do something else for at least an hour. This clears your mind -- reboots your brain, if you like. :-)

        Things I find useful in order to be reasonably prolific:

        * Mind maps

        * Meditating

        * Mac Dictate (I have DNS on my Windows machine but rarely use it). I use Dictate for long projects like ebooks, and then record/ write for 30 minute stretches without stopping at all. I close my office door, and turn off the phone. :-)

        * Exercise -- my Jack Russell terrier takes me for a walk each afternoon, and playing with her in the yard when I take breaks helps me to clear my mind and BREATHE; great for stress relief.

        Hope this helps.

        Cheers

        Angela
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    • Profile picture of the author Charles Harper
      Originally Posted by Debbie Songster View Post

      Here is a sale link for Dragon
      Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10
      I'm not affiliated with them in any way


      Get the standard version for $49.99
      And if you PM me I'll give you the 25% off code they gave me to use. (needs to be used in the next 2 weeks)
      I just bought the software - it hasn't arrived yet
      Hey Debbie:

      Good to see what you look like finally.

      In any case, Naturally Speaking is on sale for $95 after rebate.

      Charles
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  • Profile picture of the author Daniel Deegan
    As others have said, using DNS is a easy way to speed up your writing but you can speed up your writing even more by doing the following.

    Create and use a good outline. There are many ways to to create an outline, but I personally like a mindmap outline hybrid using mind manager. Then I use DNS to cover all the points I have in my mind map. This also works for giving speeches, recording instructional videos,etc.

    Use article templates and swipe files. Many writers have templates for different article types and styles. They work really well since they help to take out the thinking so you're never asking yourself what to write about.

    Improve your research skills. This is something alot of people overlook, but if you learn how to research like a professional you will drastically improve your writing quality and reduce your overall turn around time. Speed reading is another skill worth learning since it helps to speed up your research.
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  • Profile picture of the author BradCarroll
    If you take a typing course or do some exercises then you should be able to double your word per minute speed. At least, I think so...I guess it could also just be the way your brain needs to work, to write like that?

    But if it's just a case of typing speed, you should be able to at least double your word per minute if you do typing exercises specifically to improve that.

    Also, if you don't already outline your articles, start doing that. Plan out five or six (or ten) and then work from the outlines. This almost doubled my article writing speed.
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  • Profile picture of the author Caroline Middlebrook
    If it's the research you are struggling with spend an hour or so immersing yourself in the subject beforehand and when it comes down to doing your writing make sure you are totally free of distractions. Don't be checking your email every 2 minutes!

    I found that when I was trying to write articles in areas I wasn't very familiar with I'd just procrastinate and keep checking email, playing around with Facebook etc and all that distraction really slowed me down. When I knuckled down to it, it went a lot faster.

    Caroline
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  • Profile picture of the author napoleonfirst
    You must know a lot about your niche first, and try to write simple and clear, like talking to your best friend.
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  • Profile picture of the author guna
    Is the research time included? I mean do you research, think about topics you want to write? Best way is to update yourself on every category and spend some time on news in the morning.. That will essentially get you the ideas and free flow to write..

    Cheers
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  • Profile picture of the author AndrewCavanagh
    Originally Posted by shkad14 View Post

    Right now, I can only seem to write 2 400 word articles an hour. Are there any tips that could help me increase that rate a bit?

    Maybe if you wrote for people who can read faster...just kidding!

    2 x 400 word articles an hour is quite good.

    What really counts in your consistency in writing.

    If you did those 2 articles every day for a month (one hour of writing) you'd have 60 articles.

    Every day for a year and you'd have 700 articles.

    That would be quite likely to bring you in some good income.

    Kindest regards,
    Andrew Cavanagh
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  • Profile picture of the author WinsonYeung
    Put your laptop below your pillow and sleep with it every night !!!
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  • Profile picture of the author Myles MacGregor
    Okay! Here is a tip for you, and it works great for me:

    -Start writing on paper. When you aren't distracted by staring at a computer screen, you will write more fluidly, and faster.

    Then, when you go to type it on the computer, it will take you no time at all AND it will give you a chance to edit everything, making your articles flow more nicely.

    But writing fast isn't really what its about. If you can spit out 4 400 word articles an hour, and they're all crap, then no one will read them, right?

    I recommend, just slow down, and focus on writing good content. When you focus on making your content good, then your affiliate campaigns will really take off, at least in my opinion.
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    • Profile picture of the author JMLebeau
      Does anyone knows what is the best spelling corrector ?
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  • Profile picture of the author marciayudkin
    >>Right now, I can only seem to write 2 400 word articles an hour. Are there any tips that could help me increase that rate a bit? I do a lot of ghostwriting, but I am limited by low amount of articles I can write per day - having a full time job and all.<<

    What you need to do is increase your standards for writing quality rather than increasing your speed.

    Try writing one much better 400 word article an hour rather than two, and you'll greatly increase your income.

    I am not joking. I say this as someone who has been a published freelance writer and author for more than 25 years. I have written for (and been paid by) the New York Times Magazine, Psychology Today, Ladies Home Journal, National Public Radio and many others.

    There are perhaps three people in the world who can write two high-quality 400 word articles in an hour. For most very good writers, one high-quality 400 word article takes at least several hours.

    Try putting more thought into what you want to say.

    Add more artfulness to how you say it.

    Never stop with a first draft - always set it aside and rewrite it.

    Study good writers and improve your craft.

    By raising your standards, you will raise your pay and improve your results.

    Marcia Yudkin
    Author of 11 books, including one Book of the Month Club selection
    Writing coach
    http://www.yudkin.com/complete.htm
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  • Profile picture of the author Lee McIntyre
    The best advice I can give is to write first and edit second. Editing and writing at the same time will slow you down. Get all the content down and then come back and edit.

    Also, it's a good idea to "force" yourself to be faster. Buy a cheap digital countdown clock from Amazon and place it on your desk. Now set it to 15 minutes and promise yourself that you'll stop writing when it hits zero. Now set it to 5 minutes and get all your editing done in this time.

    The longer you "think" you have to do a task the longer it will take. Follow the process above and you'll complete 3 articles per hour. When you're comfortable with this then is the time to further reduce the time you allow yourself for each task.

    I hope this helps

    Lee McIntyre
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  • Profile picture of the author philstutt
    Try having a session where all you do is to work on the outline of your articles. Quick notes and bullet points. I finds that when I have done that for,say, 10 articles that when I actually come to write them they flow much better than starting from scratch.

    I tried voice recognition but my girlfriend could not keep up with me and i had to keep spelling all the long words! (JOKE) - I just hope that Jane, my girlfriend does not read this.......
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