For writers, creating articles has to be part of their daily routine. To illustrate, if you are a freelance writer who has to compose at least one 500-word article each day, in five working days, you would have come up with at least 2,500 words. Let’s say your fee per article is P1,500; after a week, you would have earned P7,500.
If you can increase the number of articles that you write, perhaps double it, then, of course, the results obtained will also increase. The question is, how can you increase the number of articles you write without sacrificing their quality?
What we should understand at first, is this: writing is not just a matter of stringing words together. It involves many other factors, such as understanding briefs or leads, building ideas, doing research.
If you want to finish your writing projects faster, you also have to hone your ability to handle all the other tasks you need to do to complete your projects. This way, you may be able to increase your weekly income from, say, P7,500 to P15,000.
Develop ideas anytime, not just when writing
In a creative industry like writing, building ideas is an important process that is always done before starting a job. Your ideas will dictate the direction of your writing.
The problem is, we often feel that coming up with ideas is difficult and inconvenient. There are many distractions often encountered by writers, chief of which is the so-called writer's block. All these ultimately cause the ideation process to take longer than the actual writing process.
One of the most powerful strategies for developing ideas is to practice your creativity. Get used to coming up with ideas, not just when you're writing. Familiarize yourself with 5 to 10 ideas every day. This will sharpen the sensitivity and flexibility of your imagination, and you can use that in your writing.
Do not forget to always note down the idea that comes to your mind. You will never know when you can use the idea. And when the time comes to write, you won’t need much time to deliberate on a topic because you already have a bank of ideas to work from.
Set a special time to do research
Research is an activity that must be done by the writer to understand deeply the material he’s working on. This is something every writer needs to do to ensure that by the time of writing, you can focus on just that. You won’t have to write while doing additional research.
According to Dr. David Meyer in The Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, multitasking decreases your focus. "When doing multitasking, the focus of the brain will change and it [will take] time in understanding processes," said Meyer. "And unconsciously, your productivity will decrease by about 40 percent.”
This will surely affect your efficiency in writing. You open a dozen tabs on your browser while writing and before you know it, two hours have passed by with you not making any significant progress on your writing. If you do this, then you’ve already felt the pull of multitasking.
Create an outline
Once the idea’s set and the results of your research are ready, the next thing you do is to prepare an outline of your story. Define the main points of your story; put ideas and materials into the content of the article. For example, the first paragraph addresses point A; the second paragraph will be about B; third paragraph on C; and so on, until the closing paragraph.
A clear outline guides you in writing the article, so you can compose smoothly, focusing on a predefined path. This activity will save you a lot of time during the writing process, as it keeps you from being distracted by other points.
Use simple words; don’t edit and write at the same time
Lots of authors want to impress with big words and flowery syntax. Rather than keeping yourself busy looking for words that sound perfect, or that make you look smarter, you should just stick to writing simply.
In addition to making the writing process more efficient, the use of common words also makes it easier for readers to understand your article.
Related to this, another distraction in the process of writing is when you combine writing and editing. Again, just as with the difficulty with simultaneous research and writing, splitting your focus between writing and editing has the potential to distract from your concentration and productivity. Ultimately, it will take you longer to produce the writing.[edgtf_blockquote show_mark="yes" text="Lots of authors want to impress with big words and flowery syntax. Rather than keeping yourself busy looking for words that sound perfect, or that make you look smarter, you should just stick to writing simply." color="#45ada8"]
Learn how to type fast
Another factor that can help the writing process to be more efficient is your ability to type fast. If you are not familiar with the alphabetical position on the computer keyboard, you’d have to keep your eyes fixated on the buttons to make sure you hit the right letter while writing. It will surely affect your ability to produce many words per minute.
You should practice typing more often without looking at the keyboard and instead focus on the computer screen. One service that can help you develop this ability is Keyhero.com, which provides typing tests and exercises. The more you practice, the better your ability to write more efficiently.
Those are some factors that, if done consistently, will help you be more efficient in writing. Additionally, write at a time when you think you are most productive, and avoid various forms of distraction. Ignoring your smartphone while you're writing is also pretty effective.
Finally, remember that you are not a robot. Your body and mind need to rest in order to continue working properly. Rest for 10 to 15 minutes during the process of writing; that will be enough to freshen up. Do not take too long, though, because you might become too lazy to continue. Happy writing!
