So far, we've had DIY Author, E.B. Black, and traditionally published author, Michelle Hauck. This week, hybrid author, Jean Oram, visited with great writing tips! Since many prefer to see it as one entire post, I am blogging it as well.
Enjoy!
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How to Write Faster: Write Your Next Novel Kick Butt Fast
by Jean Oram
Many people will tell you to write every morning at a certain time and that is how you will write faster. Maybe. But for me it's about knowing where I am going in my story--no, not plotting exactly--really helps me pick up speed. The following tips aren't ones you'll typically come across when people share advice on how to write faster but I think they will help you out.
Five uncommon tips to help you write faster:
Tip 1: Know your character's fatal flaw before you start writing.
A fatal flaw is that something within your character that they have to overcome because it stands in their way of getting what they truly want. As their character arc and growth builds throughout the story they should overcome this flaw or at least get better at dealing with it.
How this helps you write faster: By knowing your character and what they have to overcome, it not only creates a stronger character but it helps you write faster because you know what you have to accomplish. By having that as a goal (overcoming the flaw) it is easier to dream up situations that will enhance the character's growth process.
Real life example: My upcoming book, Whiskey and Gumdrops, has a heroine who has issues with accepting no-strings-attached help without her feeling as though she owes them back. In other words, her dire need for independence gets in the way of her asking for the help she needs in order to follow her dreams.
Tip 2: What does your character want and what stands in their way?
How this helps you write faster: By knowing what your character wants to accomplish and by having things stand in their way you naturally create conflict which creates a faster feeling read (can't put it down!) as well as helps direct you forward while you ask yourself a series of 'now what happens' type questions which in the end leads to less stalling out.
Real life example: My character, Mandy, wants to be a big fish in the small town of Blueberry Springs. Guess what? She's going to have to accept help (money, skills, and more) to accomplish her dreams. This ties into her fatal flaw (accepting help and not being 100% independent) and you can see how her flaw and end goal are going to be at odds with each other and force her to change and grow.
Tip 3: Put conflict and flaws in every scene.
How this will help you write faster: Remind yourself before you start a new scene what your character wants (there is the main goal and then there will be the one thing they want for that one scene as well) and what stands in their way as well as what their flaw is and at what point they are at for overcoming that flaw. I actually make notes in a sidebar in my writing program (Scrivener) to remind myself to focus on those things. By being reminded of these things, I can taint the scene (in a good way!) as well as the character interactions in subtle ways that will help emphasize this aspect of the story. In turn, this makes the scene stronger and also makes the editing process go faster.
Real life example: For Mandy, this is the note I wrote to look at for each scene to help me remember to taint each scene and interaction:
-Fighting against nature—become her mother/dependent/nothing.
-Loves Frankie but is afraid.
4. Don't sweat the details.
How this will help you write faster: By not letting research and seasonal timeline or even character names, descriptions, and details distract you, you can keep writing and maintain the flow of your scene and where you are heading with it. Instead of stopping, put in a placeholders (highlighted, ALL CAPS, or make a document note) to remind you to fix it/fill it in later. By highlighting it in some way it makes it easier to find later and carry on in the here and now--because you know you won't forget to come back to it.
Real life example: My first drafts can end up smattered with things like "He grabbed the TECHNICAL DETAIL and spun it to the right," or "She walked down the street, the INSERT SEASONAL DETAIL making her REACTION," or "WORK GUY 1 said…". By not worrying about the tiny details in the first draft it allows me to stay with the story's flow and keep moving those fingers over the keys. Details are for wussies. Sorry, I mean second, third, and fourth drafts.
5. Learn how to write anywhere.
How this will help you write faster: Get honest with yourself. If you feel you have to have a cup of a tea and a quiet house and a spot on the couch facing South in order to write, then you have a problem. I used to be this way, but actually found that it wasn't the 'spot' so much as knowing my character and what kind of journey she was supposed to be on. And darn it all, but it was getting really hard to get that 'special' setting so I could write. And so, I learned to write anywhere. Anytime.
One more thing on this--if you are 'stuck' writing in one physical place it could be a problem of getting back into the flow after you last left off. I used to have that problem when I wrote in Microsoft Word. I spent a lot of time asking myself "What the heck did I write last time? Where am I? Where am I going?" Now I use Scrivener and I can see on the left of my screen my different scenes and where I was last time and I can jump right back in! Saaaweeet! Zero to sixty in a couple of seconds!
Real life example: I've been cured! In the past several months I have written in the following places and somehow managed to complete a book despite the odds: in the car (as a passenger, but also snagging a few minutes while my son stayed under the influence of a car induced nap), in the playground, on a ferry, in an apple orchard, in a hospital ER, in a hospital room (as a visitor), while babysitting, in a living room full of people, on a front sidewalk… etc. You can teach yourself to write anywhere and a lot of that is by following tips 1 & 2 above. If you know where you are going, with whom, and why, then the rest becomes easy. Both in writing and in real life.
Good luck and write fast!
So? What do you think? Can these tips help you write faster? How fast do you write right now? What helps you put the pedal to the metal? Tell us in the comment section.
Jean Oram writes fast, edits slow. But she's getting better! She's a moderator at the writing website www.agentqueryconnect.com. A writing tips blogger at www.thehelpfulwriter.com (she tweets as @jeanoram). A women's fiction/romance writer atwww.jeanoram.com and is in the process of editing book 2 in her Blueberry Springs series, Whiskey and Gumdrops, for an October 2013 release. Book 1 in the series, Champagne and Lemon Drops is free on most ebook sites. Enjoy!
