Tips for writing FAST articles

[Nick1]

Hey there, I was just looking to share tips on writing fast articles. Do you have any gameplan you follow to write faster? As a fiction writer (and sometime writing info articles feel like fiction),I noticed that what took a long time was often the planning stage so I think it is worthwhile to write out a plan before starting to write an article where you can just focus on printing out words. I am also considering trying to raise my word per minute typed via things like Typing of the Dead. Right now, it's not bad, I type at around 35 wpm, but it could be higher. I tried voice recognition software from Microsoft, but speaking was extremely unnatural and I also had to go back every sentence to correct something the software did so I did away with it. Your own thoughts?

 

[Nick1]

Sorry for the single paragraph, for some reason, it's not recognizing when I press enter. l

 

[Execute]

The microsoft speech recognition isn't the best, have a look into dragon naturally speaking. I can't say from experience but just letting you know about that product. I just manually type out the content I need or outsource it.

I also find that using more than 1 screen is a massive help.

 

[0_00_0]

It really depends what you are trying to write. If you can write quality articles at 35 wpm then that is great. Going faster will likely just reduce quality. If you are looking for things to write about then pull up a few related articles and rewrite as you read them.

 

[noseo]

* Lower the quality
* Plagiarize
* Practice
* Become Stephen King

Seriously, though, I do recommend doing some typing practice. The goal of 60-70 WPM is reasonable (typing, not writing).

For some people, however, they find that it is easier just to babble into Dragon Naturally Speaking and then rewrite/edit instead of pushing the cursor forward with the keyboard. It's not such a bad idea, if that works for you.

 

[shortgigs]

have a look into dragon naturally speaking

I recommend this product or just purchase a MAC and it comes preloaded with it's own "Siri" which I have used for writing some content while I skim read online and it works perfectly.

Best of luck OP

 

[BENNY8877]

One thing that helped me was working with a timer, because 1) it stopped me from procrastinating and 2) made me aware that time was ticking down and allowed me to focus for however long I set the timer for.

 

[zebrahat]

You can write relatively quickly by using the Dragon Naturally Speaking software, and using controlled 'padding.' Skim through a related article, get the 4-5 main ideas from it, then dictate those main ideas in bullet form on your new article. Then use each main thought as the anchor for filling out a paragraph with 3-4 extra sentences. Dictate freely, as you really don't have to worry about adding additional knowledge, since you already put the 'meat' into the paragraph with the main thought. Repeat for the other paragraphs, edit for flow and typos, article done.

 

[ch8878]

You can write relatively quickly by using the Dragon Naturally Speaking software, and using controlled 'padding.' Skim through a related article, get the 4-5 main ideas from it, then dictate those main ideas in bullet form on your new article. Then use each main thought as the anchor for filling out a paragraph with 3-4 extra sentences. Dictate freely, as you really don't have to worry about adding additional knowledge, since you already put the 'meat' into the paragraph with the main thought. Repeat for the other paragraphs, edit for flow and typos, article done.

That is what I do pretty much.

 

[dennis_797]

Personally, I can't speak my ideas as clearly as I can write, so voice recognition software just doesn't work for me. I would advise you to continue practicing your typing as you have plenty of room for improvement which should naturally increase your output.

When it comes to writing "info" articles, the more knowledgeable you are about the topic, the less research you will have to do. If you only write articles on subjects you are very comfortable with, you might be able to avoid research all together.

I think it's also a matter of confidence: the more you write, the more you will trust in your ability. My articles require much less editing than they originally did, because I'm more comfortable with my writing style and so I make fewer mistakes. This also saves me a reasonable amount of time.

Keep practicing and you'll naturally get faster (and better) at writing.

 

[netguru]

Hey there, I was just looking to share tips on writing fast articles. Do you have any gameplan you follow to write faster? As a fiction writer (and sometime writing info articles feel like fiction),I noticed that what took a long time was often the planning stage so I think it is worthwhile to write out a plan before starting to write an article where you can just focus on printing out words. I am also considering trying to raise my word per minute typed via things like Typing of the Dead. Right now, it's not bad, I type at around 35 wpm, but it could be higher. I tried voice recognition software from Microsoft, but speaking was extremely unnatural and I also had to go back every sentence to correct something the software did so I did away with it. Your own thoughts?

Based on my experience, if it your every day routine to face on the computer and type on your keyboard. It's no doubt that you will be able to type faster. In short, your long experience on typing works like creating articles is the key.

 

[LoftPower]

The microsoft speech recognition isn't the best, have a look into dragon naturally speaking. I can't say from experience but just letting you know about that product. I just manually type out the content I need or outsource it.

I also find that using more than 1 screen is a massive help.

I have always wondered how dragon works. I would love to be able to try it out. I type pretty fast but would love to be able to get other work done faster on the computer.

 

[kalios]

I'm strictly into non-fiction writing, though I have dabbled in story writing in the past. From what I know of fiction writing, it's a completely different creative process than writing non-fiction. I would suggest pre-planning for your stories. Keeping a journal or written notebook helps. I don't think that your typing speed will really help or hurt you when it comes to writing as you could type 100 words a minute but if your preplanning/back story/characterization phase that goes on before you start writing takes a month, then that's going to be slowing you down. I don't really think there is a way to speed up fiction writing (just speaking from the experience I had). As for speeding up your nonfiction writing, that's more than doable. It's not based on typing speed either.

The quickest way to speed up nonfiction writing is to start with a question, such as you might find on a forum or Yahoo answers and then just write the answer. Flesh it out and within a few paragraphs you're done. Those type of 'articles' work really well on secondary sites (or your main site if you want a shorter post).

 

[SEOking222]

If the speed is right that you are saying 35 WPM then you can earn 10$ per hour (minimum) by writing 2 articles (5$ each) LOL

 

[SingletonDM]

This would be my general process for writing a "fast" article:

1. Open up notepad or use a browser-based text editor (I prefer darkcopy)
2. Briefly research the subject and note down 4-5 subheadings depending on your word count requirements (make sure to add an introduction and a conclusion)
3. Research each subheading in detail, you don't necessarily have to go in chronological order
4. Proofread, correct mistakes, format etc.

Obviously that's not the fastest method, but it's definitely beneficial when you're trying to maintain quality as well. If you're not bothered so much about quality, Dragon is going to be your best buddy.

Dragon doesn't come natural to me either, so I stay away from it. Even though I have an idea of what I'm going to write about before I write, most of it is made up as I'm typing. What I have found with DNS however, is that it can be extremely helpful when you're trying to reach a high word count, but you need to watch out for filler/fluff.

If you're having problems with the voice recognition software actually recognizing your voice (i.e. you need to correct a lot of mistakes) then it might be worthwhile to purchase a good microphone. I personally use the Samson Meteor.

 

[taketheride]

Just try to write the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about the subject (research it first if needed), then just don't stop writing. It doesn't matter if the content isn't good at that point, then when you have a chunk of text, go back and read through it, pick out what you can use and rewrite the parts that are needed. That's what I do

 

[EverestOnline]

Typing speed only helps in writing fast if you already know what to write about. Even if you can do 100 wpm, you will still need to take time to do research and reorganize ideas/thoughts for a subject matter you are not familiar with. There are articles that require more extensive research and therefore take longer to write.

Some articles are easier to write than others, but regardless of the type of article you are working on, creating an outline helps. With an outline, you establish the flow of the article by enumerating the ideas you will be discussing. Writing can be made easier with some sort of guide to follow.

 

[l7ucid]

Don't get TOO caught up on improving WPM typing speed. Yes, it will help; but too much can be a bit of a double edged sword as you will be typing too fast for your thoughts to keep up with. Well, this is the case with me but I am at the 100 plus range and find it hard to write slow. My point is that the research part is probably the most important as it will of course be the foundation for what follows. good luck

 

[LoftPower]

Just stick with being prepared for writing and do nothing but write at this time. No interruptions, no phone calls, no family bothering you. Work solely on writing and you will see you can be fast at it.

 

[reedfanuel]

If you need quality pieces, stick to writing your own content or hire a competent writer. Using a software does not guarantee quality. Typically, fast typing and research are the key.