How to write-Fast

I stumbled on this interesting blog post (while reading something else). I track and scan hundreds of websites, filter, assimilate and consume. I end up choosing many topical issues, and then write the blog posts here. There’s definitely a creative burst (at times), but everything linked here forms the basis for the long-form elsewhere. The blog has several “tips” (actionable) and that’s why I feel you might be interested in following this through.

How to Write Faster – Herbert Lui

Remember, it’s a radical act to declare, “Hey, I’m gonna write because I said I would write.” On average, we spend almost an hour of our day on social media. We can choose to end our Netflix spree an episode early, or to scroll a bit less, and instead, to write. Even when it feels like we don’t have enough time, we can make time.

Happy writing!

Here’s more:

Editing is really where the magic happens. And this part might sound really difficult—but really, it feels incredibly natural when there’s a draft in front of you. Even if it’s a terrible draft, it’s really easy to find the parts that you can take to make it good. There are also many techniques to editing, so you don’t get stuck trying to make it perfect. You’ve already written pretty fast, and now you’re going to make your writing better. It’s worth noting that I don’t get a chance to use all of these editing techniques anymore; I’ll use different ones for different types of edits. For example, if I have 30 minutes, a very brief line edit will involve checking links (#19) reading it silently (#20), whereas a developmental edit would need 10–20 hours, and take multiple rounds involving all of these steps.

My editing happens with dedicated blocks of time. I end up writing very complex pieces (at times) which score terribly on the readability matrix. Nevertheless, when I write my blog, it is usually up to speed (and mostly as I am talking to myself). All grammatical errors are flagged in real time (through OutWrite), and the editing process is reserved for the complex interplay of ideas.