Writing is a learned skill, not something you are born with. So, you should think of your writing as a skill that you are constantly improving, so it is important to develop a regular writing routine.
It takes time, practice, and an openness to feedback to develop these skills. Fortunately, there are a few quick writing tips that can help you on your way.
What can you do to improve your writing speed (while maintaining quality)? First, consider breaking your process into sections. Then, when it comes to finding words quickly, you can spend a lot of time meeting deadlines.
Come on, let's do it!
A story has a beginning, middle, and end. Your writing process will have a similar structure. In the process of writing, it's not just about beginnings, middles, and ends. It's what happens before, during, and after you write.
Prepare Your Writing
Prepare yourself before you start writing.
1. Don't let distractions get in the way
When it comes to writing, distractions are your biggest enemy. Taking time to relax is essential to convey your thoughts better. It is hard to accomplish that when you can't make two sentences work together.
Set aside a specific time each day to solely concentrate on writing, regardless of where you work.
2. Turn off the notification
When you have to use the internet for online writing, keep it to a minimum. Close all unnecessary tabs.
Put your phone into airplane mode to not see incoming emails and texts.
Ignore social media - it's full of rabbit holes that are just waiting to be explored.
3. When you're writing a rough draft, turn off the spellchecker
You shouldn't use spellcheckers anywhere you write. That includes Google Docs and Microsoft Word. For example, Google Docs highlights any misspelled words in red.
Seeing that red-underlined misspelled word that screams out for editing immediately makes you stop and correct it.
4. Create a playlist for writing
Play soothing music or listen to ambient sounds.
5. Understand the main purpose of your article
You probably already knew that, right? Your writing will lose its focus if you don't have a clear thesis definition when you start. You may find it helpful to make a headline (even a bad one) before you start writing.
Your thesis serves as your anchor and prevents you from meandering throughout your article.
You may want to try keyword research or brainstorming for a topic idea before moving forward.
6. Outline your strategy
Decide what your primary points will be before you write. You can use any of the following:
- Objections your reader may have
- Pain points
- Unusual approaches
- Topical FAQs
It could even be a bold claim that you make as the article's main point. You should use the subheadings of your outline to support your headline (or thesis).
7. Make a big first-draft brain dump
You can write whatever you want in your first draft. It's the right time and the right place to let all your thoughts out. Do not hold back.
When you are already familiar with the topic, you may have a large first draft that needs little research - great for hitting the word count quickly.
The tendency to criticize yourself, sabotage yourself, and ruthlessly judge your ideas is easy - avoid it.
You needn't edit anything now.
Separating my drafts and editing days is something I find helpful for getting my ideas out.
8. Use Placeholders
There will be other thoughts that come to mind when you're writing. This could be anything: a question you want to ask, an image you wish to upload, or anything else.
Don't interrupt what you're thinking - no matter how tempting it may be.
If you have a question about your topic, write it down (aka a placeholder) and revisit it when you edit.
Placeholders enable you to write faster because they prevent you from stopping.
It keeps you from being distracted. Use symbols, letters, or numbers for placeholders (e.g., $$ or OQ).
Press command + F on your Mac to go back to the draft and type the placeholder you created.
Every time you have used one, it will appear on your page, and you can conduct further research, add visuals, or answer additional questions about your topic.
Placeholders allow you to finish your thoughts later.
After You Write
It's time to take a break from your work. Returning the next day has been helpful for me. Many times your post will be enriched with new ideas.
9. Additional research can fill in the knowledge gaps
If you find any places in your draft unclear, go back and revise them. Writing will expose you to areas you didn't know as well as you thought.
These are the knowledge gaps you have.
There are times when writing a blog post feels like writing a research paper. So read up on anything that doesn't make sense to you.
By explaining concepts to others, you can understand the material even better.
10. Check out the placeholder
Finish your article by finding all of the placeholders and thinking about those thoughts you had. Then, by adding images, graphics, or subheadings to the article, you can answer additional questions you might have had.
A visual placeholder is a signpost that tells you where to finish an idea.
11. Edit without mercy
You're now going to go over your post with a fine-tooth comb. Grammarly or Hemingway are great apps to spell-check your post. After reading it, reread it to get an idea of how the article flows.
What is it like to read for humans?
It is great to have a spell check app, but sometimes they make poor suggestions. Rereading your article can help you catch those mistakes.
Clean up any typos in your draft and make it publishable. For me, that's how I write.
Writing isn't easy, and no one expects us to be perfect. These writing tips, when followed naturally, can enhance our style and make us sound smarter.
