How to Use Speed Writing to Improve Your Writing Career

The worst writer in the world is the one who refuses to take criticism of his or her work. As soon as you start making excuses for your writing, you should know that you are headed Many of us have faced the interminable writer's block that prevents us from finishing an article or a book or a poem or a review. Writers are always looking for ways to surpass the writer's block obstacle, and I have a new one for you: Speed writing. Essentially, the goal of speed writing is to get something out on the page as quickly as possible.

One of the reasons why writers struggle in their careers is the desire to "get it right the first time". We write the opening sentence of an article, read it back, and realize that it sounds terrible. You can spend six hours trying to improve that sentence, but in the end, you're just pushing yourself toward a frustrated end.

Speed writing allows you to forget the flaws of your writing and just write. You don't think about the grammatical error in the third sentence or the sloppy transition from paragraph one to paragraph two. Instead, you are working toward the satisfaction of creation: The warm glow that arises in your stomach when you look at a completed draft.

Granted, the finished draft of a speed writing marathon isn't going to resemble anything you'd ever submit to an editor. However, it is a stepping stone toward the finished product and it will get you writing.

The wonderful thing about speed writing is that you know the first draft is going to be terrible. You've been writing so fast and so furiously that mistakes are all but guaranteed. Since you know that the draft isn't going to be wonderful or perfect or publishable, you don't feel any anxiety.

In order for speed writing to work its magic, you must first understand the process. Basically, speed writing involves setting a goal and completing it as quickly as possible. For example, if you were writing an article for a magazine, your goal for speed writing might be to pump out a full first draft in thirty minutes.

The best way to keep you rushing forward during speed writing is to set a temporal goal and stick to it. If you tell yourself that you have to be done in thirty minutes, the pressure will be to write quickly rather than to write well. Remember, you aren't looking for literary perfection; the goal if speed writing is to have a completed first draft.

When you start your speed writing session, don't think about anything but the subject of your article or story. Focus on the facts you have collected thus far and the information you want to convey to your readers. If you know that you make a mistake during speed writing, don't take the time to go back and correct it. You might leave out a bit of punctuation or spell a word incorrectly, but none of that matters at this juncture. As long as you can read it, keep going.

Some people prefer to conduct speed writing sessions in longhand while others stick with their word processing programs. I can't speak for everyone, but I know that most people can type faster than they can write. Go with whatever allows you to be the most creative; if you are used to writing longhand, you might want to stick with what you know.

In any event, speed writing can help you enormously if you are having trouble getting started with those first drafts. Once you have completed speed writing, you'll have a draft from which to work, which will make the editing and revision processes much less painful.