13 Ways to Get the Writing Done Faster: Two pro writers share their secrets

by Linda Formichelli, Carol Tice

To earn well as a freelance writer, you've got to be able to crank out your assignments. Learn how to speed up the process and get your writing done quickly from Carol Tice of the Make a Living Writing blog and Linda Formichelli of The Renegade Writer.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

30 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 26, 2012

About the author

Linda Formichelli is a freelance writer in Los Angeles. She spent 25 years writing for top publications and brands, from Good Housekeeping and Inc. magazines to Best Buy and Intel. She's also the author or coauthor of a dozen books, including the classic The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is more 'how to crank out your magazine articles', rather than writing in general, with a large chunk of the focus on interviewing.

There were still a few things to take away for me, though, even as a non-non-fiction (wannabe) writer. Near the end, talking about being 'in flow' (ref 'Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience) and allowing yourself to "write what you want to write", rather than pushing it - and still having everything get done. I'm living in a constant fog of wanting to be doing something else, but feeling too guilty to then actually get that done either - excellent advice here, then, *if* you can manage it: it's all very well saying not to over-schedule, but those of us who aren't full-time writers don't get quite the same level of freedom!

Another sage bit of advice was to follow through on the writing as soon as you've finished the interview - in other words, do it while it's fresh in your mind, not when you have to come back and reread the notes, and re-find the headspace. True, if you can.

Two opposing views were offered on first drafts: one was to rattle it all out, then go back and correct/fill in the quotes/references. Alternatively, blocking in headings and the main quotes you want to use under the subsections - I can see uses for either. There's also the usual advice on blocking social media, and also "don't overwrite" - you don't want to waste time having to cut an article in half.

Best takeaway for me, though, was "start writing anywhere". Not as in, on the bus, etc (although that works, too!) but rather don't feel obliged to start at the beginning. Beginnings and endings can be the hardest bit, so writing the middle first then going back is fine if it frees you up. Definitely going to try this!

Overall, though, this book wasn't for me - the tone of writing so purely for money, and then all the advice about recycling and cutting (unnecessary) corners, just felt a bit too mercenary for my own views on the joys of writing.

[Leah Markum · Rating 3 out of 5]

We can address the drawbacks with one point: the audience. The book should market and clarify that it's for freelance journalists. Unfortunately, this happens often with Carol Tice (who co-authored this book).

To use this ebook as an example, they use verbiage like "freelance writing" or just "writing". But the unspoken audience is journalists. So the advice doesn't hit home for the broader audience who found this ebook.

The audience who found this book includes many kinds of professional writers. They thought they found something general and for them. This is evident in the reviews here on GoodReads.

If you market a book for one audience but write it as another, you create a problem.

That issue aside, I'd rate this book a solid 4-star if I was a new freelance journalist. The first eight points address how to make the most of interviews. You don't need to visit your source--just phone them. Have a short interview. Don't write much more than the word count you need. And some other similar points.

The last five points of the book provide value for any writer, especially newer ones.

For instance, I'm learning that I don't need to take as many hours writing a blog as I have. Blogs don't need sources to be authoritative. I can write in the morning, get my thoughts out, and have a solid 600-800 word post in less than an hour. I'd still need to edit, but about point in the book is to dump perfectionistic editing.

In all, if you're a journalist, this book will help you streamline your interview process. If you're a new writer, give the last five points a chance to get ahead of the productivity curve.

[Susan Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is some interesting information in this book, mainly related to non-fiction article writing, which makes sense as that’s what Carol and Linda do. Some of it is useful for other writers. For me, as a touch typist, it made me realise that my speed has dropped and I have signed up to a course to fix that.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was really short and only took me about an hour to read. I didn’t feel like I learned anything new about how to write faster. It might be more helpful for a person just starting out as a freelance writer.

[Amy Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The information was useful but focused heavily on magazine writing rather than a blog or digital content writing, which is what I thought the book was about. It was also incredibly short.