You’re a writer and you’ve got loads of ideas. Congratulations! Now what?


How do you get started once you start writing? How do you stay on track?


Writing is tough work, so here are five of my favorite writer hacks for getting more words written—FASTER!


1. Plan ahead.

Some writers think outline is a dirty word, but I love the approach. 


It’s fine to free-write when you’re exploring ideas, but when you sit down to write your next book, you should have the beginning, middle and end written down. 


Not only that, you should have important scenes scoped out. 


Knowing WHAT to write each day will greatly speed your writing and boost your word count.


2. Write, don’t edit.

Anne LaMott in her book, Bird By Bird, says to write a shitty first draft. 


Using your outline, write as fast as possible without going back and rereading.


Why? Because different parts of your brain light up when you’re in a free-flow writing state. 


Switch to editing, and your more analytical, logical side appears. And she can be grumpy and not as much fun as writer brain!


So, keep writing and editing separate.


3. Write in timed sprints.

I love Pomodoros—timed sprints for getting focused work done. 


Set a timer for 25 minutes (or however much time you have) and write like a BEAST.


Then stop and take a five minute break and then repeat. You’ll be amazed at how much you can get done.


4. Use a passive voice checker.

Passive voice and using adverbs are just a few of the things we should avoid in our writing.


There’s a great free app called Hemingway app. Just plug Hemingway app into Google and you’ll find it.


The tool will help you come up with simpler phrasing and improve your writing.


If you want to get more advanced, I use Grammarly premium for editing.


5. Hire an editor.

Nothing can accelerate your writing process like finding a writing coach or a structural editor.


Yes, you have to pay for it, unless you can arrange some kind of skill trade. And no, your aunt who taught English twenty years ago might not be the best choice.


You want to find someone who enjoys reading books in your genre. Someone who understands what readers are looking for. Bonus if they are market savvy and can help you better tailor your book so that readers want to keep reading once they start.


I hope this short video helped you today. 

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