I have a love-hate relationship with deadlines. I hate the stress but I also do my best work at the last minute. Something about the panic makes my brain actually work.
But 3 AM writing is exhausting and my drafts are messy. I need to get faster so I can start closer to the deadline AND have time to edit? Is that possible?
Here's what I've learned about speed writing:
The "vomit draft" method:
Write everything terribly on purpose. Don't stop, don't edit, don't judge. Just get words on the page. You can't fix a blank page. My record is 1000 words in an hour.
The timer method:
20 minutes writing, 5 minutes break. Repeat. The breaks feel impossible but actually help. I set an alarm and when it goes off, I stop mid-sentence. Starting again is easier when I know exactly where I stopped.
The "start in the middle" trick:
Introductions are the hardest. I write them last. I start with the section I'm most interested in. Momentum carries me to the harder parts.
The "no editing until the end" rule:
Every time I stopped to fix a sentence, I lost my flow. Now I write with errors everywhere. Misspellings, bad grammar, weird phrases. I fix everything in one pass at the end.
Voice-to-text:
Talking is faster than typing. I pace around my room rambling about my topic, then clean up the transcript later. It's messy but fast.
My current record:
1500 words in 2 hours. Not great literature but it got a B-. For a panicked ADHD brain, that's a win.
Anyone else have speed writing tips? I need to get faster!
But 3 AM writing is exhausting and my drafts are messy. I need to get faster so I can start closer to the deadline AND have time to edit? Is that possible?
Here's what I've learned about speed writing:
The "vomit draft" method:
Write everything terribly on purpose. Don't stop, don't edit, don't judge. Just get words on the page. You can't fix a blank page. My record is 1000 words in an hour.
The timer method:
20 minutes writing, 5 minutes break. Repeat. The breaks feel impossible but actually help. I set an alarm and when it goes off, I stop mid-sentence. Starting again is easier when I know exactly where I stopped.
The "start in the middle" trick:
Introductions are the hardest. I write them last. I start with the section I'm most interested in. Momentum carries me to the harder parts.
The "no editing until the end" rule:
Every time I stopped to fix a sentence, I lost my flow. Now I write with errors everywhere. Misspellings, bad grammar, weird phrases. I fix everything in one pass at the end.
Voice-to-text:
Talking is faster than typing. I pace around my room rambling about my topic, then clean up the transcript later. It's messy but fast.
My current record:
1500 words in 2 hours. Not great literature but it got a B-. For a panicked ADHD brain, that's a win.
Anyone else have speed writing tips? I need to get faster!
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