Being able to produce content quickly is a skill you’ll never regret developing. And not only will a solid process help you write faster, it will ease editing frustrations by making your draft more organized from the start. Using the process of drafting this article as an example, I’ve laid out my strategies to get things done and meet deadlines.
Do some reconnaissance
Google a topic and scan the top results to see what other writers have written about it
- This will help you remember things you want to talk about and give you a good idea of how others have covered the topic
- Can you bring something new to the conversation that will help your post stand out?
Do a developmental edit
A developmental edit helps an author develop ideas into a coherent, readable work.
- Read your article aloud to make sure it is well-structured and clean up any wordiness and run-on sentences that you see in other people’s writing.
Decide what you want to say
Focus on strategies for writing faster by honing in on a specific skill (fast writing) rather than a broad angle (writing in general)
- Think about your writing process and determine which of your writing habits are most conducive to writing quickly and easily
Write in chunks
Skip to different segments of your article as you’re inspired to write about them
- It’s okay to skip ahead to different parts of the story if you want to
- Don’t be afraid to stop and re-write parts of your writing.
Create an outline
Let the stream flow as you outline so you can organize your thoughts ahead of time.
- It will be easier to write because you’ve gathered and organized your thoughts in advance. Create SEO-friendly headings and index your thoughts with ease.
Fill in your research holes and link to relevant posts.
Use organization tools like Evernote to jot down quick research references and find references for each of the sections you’ve written so you don’t forget to add links to relevant research posts to your own site whenever you can.
Proof, proof, proofread
Give it a thorough going-over to check for errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation
Write when you’re groggy
Insight-based problem-solving requires a broad, unfocused approach.
Get it down first
Don’t retrace your steps, don’t edit as you go, and don’t stop for research.
- Fill in the research blanks after writing
- Journalists use the letters TK for “to come”
- Just type “RESEARCH” and keep rolling.
