In recent years, people have asked me how I write so much.
Some of them are just being polite by showing interest. I like when people do that.
But some have really wanted to know: they are the people I love.
And it’s fair enough to wonder. As of this writing, I publish at least ten articles a week. In 2019, I totaled around 240,000 words on my websites. That does not include the ten (and counting) books that I have through my sites and Amazon, or my other projects.
(I don’t know how many words were used in Monster Mind Edukaré, my premium mental training product. But since it has 19 modules, some of which contain multiple books, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were hundreds of thousands more.)
It also doesn’t include the freelance writing jobs I do.
And I didn’t used to be like that. In my youth, probably in my 20s, I tried to write a novel. I think it took me two years to write 40,000 of the worst words you can imagine.
That was also the peak of my writing output: a delightful combination of free time, naivety, and sheer inspiration.
Now though?
I write 40,000 engaging and interesting words every two months or so.
I learned how to make writing work for me.
Notice that I emphasize “working for me.” This is not the only writing system out there. Many people break all the guidelines that I establish here. If that works for them, that’s fine. But what I have here is a robust and reliable system that takes a lot of the stress out of it.
If typing is a hassle for you, try my system.
Let me share with you some of what I discovered, more or less by accident, that makes writing hundreds or thousands of words a day easy.
Imagine sitting down at your desk and directly starting to write. No nonsense, without intimidating your brain into coming up with something, you immediately know enough to get started.
And getting started is always the hardest part.
So let’s take a look at the first of the three steps:
Step 1: Brainstorm and Research
A common mistake made by newbies is sitting at your desk and trying to think of something to write.
It is a mistake for several reasons:
One, thinking of ideas requires a different state of mind than writing. Writing requires a long and interrupted flow. Dreaming of ideas works best when your thoughts can jump from one notion to the next.
Two, if you stop writing to find a fact or a quote, you are only making it difficult for yourself.
Three, the actual writing phase is the hard part. You want it to be as easy as possible; so easy, in fact, you sit down and start typing right away.
What this means is that you have your ideas beforehand, do all the research you need … and then walk away.
How this will look to you is up to you.
For my short articles, my notes are usually just a few keywords. Perhaps the title of the article.
For longer articles (like this one) or book chapters, I take more notes. Anything from a list of captions to a bulleted list of relevant facts and ideas.
You may find that too much structure kills spontaneity, or just the opposite, so I invite you to experiment.
The key is to make the next step as easy and seamless as possible.
Step 2: Write
Thanks to your previous job, you can sit back and start writing.
This, more than any step, depends on your personal style.
Some people need to “warm up” or “get into the zone.” If so, I recommend writing in long blocks of time. I know it’s not always possible, but an hour or two without interruptions will do wonders for your productivity.
On the other hand, some of you are like me: you can sit down and start saying words right away.
If you get lost in the flow of writing, great! You will do a lot and it will probably be quite good.
But if you have to make an effort? That’s where Tech Pomodoro comes in handy. Unlike the first group, you want to be interrupted, so set a timer for 20 or 30 minutes and promise to do nothing but type until it rings.
Don’t read emails.
Without daydreaming.
Simply typing.
You can save all those distractions for your breaks. Take five or ten minutes to laze around, stretch your legs, and refill the water. Then reset the timer and start over.
Step 3: edit and rewrite
Another classic mistake:
You write a sentence feeling pretty good. Then you read it and you realize it’s garbage, so you delete it and start over.
After an hour of this, you have nothing to show except maybe two overcooked paragraphs.
In step 2, I said that all you can do is write. That doesn’t mean you can rewrite. Rewriting involves reading, which is a bad idea.
Why?
Because editing requires critical analysis. Writing requires a creative flow. If you alternate between the two thinking styles, your brain will have a hard time doing either one.
Plus, it’s bad for morale. Not every sentence (or paragraph) you write will be gold. That’s okay because writing is a numbers game. Write enough words and some of them will be good.
Now, I’m not saying that you can’t catch typos or correct awkward words as you type. If you notice a quick fix, please do so. The trick is not looking for them. And so as not to waste too much time repairing them.
The goal of step 2 is to create something to edit. If you’ve had trouble writing in the past, this could be the reason.
The Meta-step: Experiment and Innovate
Give this process a twist.
See how it works for you.
You have a bad day sometimes, so stick with it and really see how it works.
Then start designing your own system.
Maybe you can compress the steps: you get out of bed with an idea forming in your groggy mind, pour yourself a coffee, and then start writing.
Or maybe it takes weeks in the research phase.
Maybe the music will help you focus … or not.
You can write better in the morning or afternoon.
With a cup of coffee or a glass of wine.
I don’t know what system will work for you. And I doubt that any system is the only answer. Your tastes and lifestyle will change over time, which means your system will change with it.
(You are doing well to keep the same writing system after having a child as before.)
And who knows, I might end up with a “system” altogether. You will reach the stage where, if you want to write, you write.
I know it works for some people.
But what if you are struggling to get the words out? I wouldn’t start there. Take this system of mine and stick with it; you will be amazed at how much you write.