How to Increase Your Writing Speed and Become a Faster Writer

You’ve got the ideas. You’ve got the determination. But the actual writing is going slower than you’d like. So how do you get more words down on the page in less time?

Whether you’ve got a deadline looming or just want your writing pace to keep up with the thoughts in your head, here are our top strategies for how to increase your writing speed.

Concentrate Your Efforts by Writing in Short Bursts

Writing in short, concentrated bursts is one of the easiest and most effective ways to up your writing speed. It gives you a sense of urgency, helping you focus and resist distractions.

It’s the idea behind writing sprints, where you set a timer for a short block (often 15 minutes) and see how much you can get done.

If you have a competitive streak or just need some accountability, see if you can find other like-minded writers to sprint with for an extra boost of motivation.

The Pomodoro technique is also a good way to focus your mind. It involves working for 25 minutes, followed by a 5-minute break. Repeat this until you’ve done 4 sessions (so 2 hours in total), then take a longer break.

You can just use a standard timer, but there are also many YouTube videos that combine a Pomodoro timer with custom-made soundscapes and music, so you could find one that matches the vibe of your story to get properly immersed.

Ensure You’re Using the Right Writing Software for You

Another important aspect of working out how to write faster is to think about the tools you’re using and whether they’re providing everything that you need in the best format.

While writing apps have lots of features in common, they aren’t interchangeable. If you haven’t explored different options yet, there might be one out there that suits you better.

Things to consider:

• Does the interface feel comfortable?

• Do you have to spend extra seconds locating features that you need?

• Does it have a full-screen mode to help you reduce distractions?

• Does it let you access your notes quickly and easily if you need to?

To get you started with your search, we created this helpful guide to the best novel writing apps available and how they fulfill different needs.

Focus on Your Typing Technique

It probably goes without saying that how fast you can physically form words on the (digital) page has a lot to do with your writing speed.

Teaching yourself to touch type could help you increase your speed. It means you’ll be able to use all ten fingers and locate the right keys via muscle memory, without looking. There are a variety of free courses, tools, and games out there to help you learn.

But if that seems a little daunting, there are still ways to increase your typing speed using the method you already use. One thing to try is rollover typing (where you don’t release a key until you hit the next).

Regardless of how you type, typing exercises and practicing regularly will help you go faster and make fewer mistakes.

Try Other Writing Methods, Like Text-to-Speech Software

As effective as typing is, you might be quicker writing another way.

Dictation (text-to-speech) software is often recommended as a fast way of getting words down. While it will probably take time and patience to find the best app, get used to it, and train it to adapt to your voice, it could be well worth it.

Then there’s good old pen and paper. While handwriting is usually considered to be slower than typing, you might find it helps your story flow better than working on a computer, meaning you actually get more down.

And with transcription apps to convert your handwritten pages into editable text on your device, you won’t have to laboriously type it up later—just clean up the output.

Think Like an Athlete and Prioritize Your Physical Well-Being

Unless you’re a dictation devotee, writing faster is going to involve various parts of your body, so it’s crucial to look after them so you can keep performing at your best.

Just like stretching before a workout or a run, it could be useful to do some quick exercises to help warm up your hands before a writing session.

Posture matters too. Sit as straight as you can with your back well supported, shoulders relaxed, and feet flat on the floor. Keep your arms roughly parallel to the floor, with your elbows at right angles. Try not to rest your wrists on anything—let your hands hover.

Taking breaks and changing position is just as important. Get up regularly to move and stretch, including your hands and wrists.

Everyone is different and has different health requirements, though. Be sure to do your research before trying any exercises, and consult with a medical professional if appropriate.

Know More About Where You’re Going Before You Start

Do you often stare at a blank page, not sure where to begin? Or maybe you end up slowing to a crawl partway through because you’re not sure where to go next? If so, developing a scene-by-scene breakdown and/or chapter summaries could be a lifeline.

They give you milestones to hit as you go along, meaning you don’t have to stop and ponder what should come next.

This won’t work for everyone, though. If you’re closer to what’s known as a pantser/discovery writer, someone who likes to work out the story as they go, this might feel like it’s cramping your writing style (which could sap your motivation and slow you down).

That being said, starting out with a vague idea of the point you want to get to in that writing session could still help you direct your thoughts. It’s worth experimenting with to see what level of preparation (if any) feels right for you.

Don’t Edit As You Go

A clumsy bit of phrasing, a ridiculous typo, a piece of dialogue that just doesn’t quite land… They can all stop you mid-flow. Before you know it, you’ve switched to editing mode and writing has stalled completely.

Tricky as it is to reel in your inner editor, it’s crucial if you want to write faster.

Keep reminding yourself that at the moment, you’re concentrating on telling yourself the story. You can come back and lavish time on improving the prose once you have the draft finished.

Turn your spell-check off for now so it’s easier to ignore the irritating spelling mistakes and grammatical slips without those telltale colorful lines. You can blitz through them later.

Knowing you have a reliable editing and proofing tool to turn to later can help you relax while you write. Tools like ProWritingAid can help you fix spelling and grammar issues, repetitions, run-on sentences, and clichés that can creep in when you’re writing fast. 

 Sign up for free to give it a try.

Embrace the “to Be Decided” Approach

If writing is going well but you suddenly hit up against a scene you need to devote more thought to or a side character who you can’t think of a name for just yet, don’t get bogged down in trying to do it then and there. Leave yourself a sign so you can return to it.

That could be a specific symbol/emoji, an abbreviation (journalists traditionally used “TK”), or even a word that’s not likely to come up in the story—anything that will help you locate it. You could have some real fun with this.

For temporary character names, you could identify them by their profession, role in the story, or a characteristic. You could also give them the first name that comes into your head, even if it doesn’t fit the setting. What matters is keeping it the same so you can easily rename them.

Practice, Practice, Practice

While these fast-writing tips will help a lot, the true secret to how to become a faster writer is to write and write often.

Build regular writing time into your schedule, and experiment with some of the techniques above so you can discover what works best for you.

Set yourself some speed-related targets to work toward—best to keep them realistic so you don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Find some way of tracking your progress, and remember to celebrate when you reach a goal.

If you need some extra accountability and support, why not sign up for a community writing challenge like our Novel November? Hopefully, having an ambitious target, a deadline, and a supportive community will help you discover how to write quickly in a way that suits you.

Conclusion: How to Increase Your Writing Speed

When it comes to how to improve your writing speed, there are many things you can try, whether that’s writing in short bursts, switching up the tools you use, or resisting the urge to edit as you go.

It’s all about finding techniques that work for you and your writing, then putting in the practice so you can reap the benefits.