5 Tips on How to Write Faster (With Bonus)

Do you want to write 30K-40K+ words in a weekend? Do you want to write faster?

You can. Become a binge writer.

Binge writing is an impassioned writing session during an elongated time period. It can last from five hours to fifty hours. A binge writing session is uninterrupted—apart from limited sleep.

Many writers spend years attempting to finish their stories, but they never do. Not for lack of desire, but for lack of follow-through. I know from first hand experience that if I tried to write 2,000 words every day I’d fail. I already have, multiple times. But, if I set aside time to binge write, I can complete project after project.

It’s time for you to become a binge writer.

The results will astound you. I bet an extra 40K words might help you finish the final few chapters or your novel, or help you create an entire series of chapter books. The uses are endless.

But if you never embark on your binge writing journey, you may never accomplish your writing goals in a realistic timeframe.

Here are some binge writing tips:

1. Cram your brain.
   1. Fill your mind with pictures, ideas, and research on the topic you are writing about. If you are writing a novel set in Paris, inundate yourself with French music in your car, watch French foreign movies or documentaries, and visualize the world around you as Paris itself.
   2. If you are writing a non-fiction about training dogs, spend time with dogs. Train them, observe them, and watch movies with dogs as characters.
   3. Let your mind absorb the images, actions, and ideas that you want to flow effortlessly out of you and into your story or book.
2. Schedule your binge session.
   1. Pick your time and place. Don’t let anyone infringe upon your session and don’t make plans close to the start and finish of your time. You’ll only be able to binge write, if you hold fast and firm to your timetable. So when your brother-in-law calls to invite you to dinner and board games, you say NO even though you really want to go. You make a date with yourself.
3. Set the mood.
   1. Before your session download music that will stimulate the proper mood for your writing. Epic soundtracks for fantasy, love songs for romance, etc. Have them preloaded and ready to go.
   2. If you like the lighting low for romance or suspense. Get your candles ready.
   3. If you are writing a story in a bakery, plan to have fresh bread baking in your house. Or, if your story is set in a field of flowers have scented candles or oils to help create the right aroma and atmosphere.
4. Prepare your meals.
   1. Nothing can ruin your session like a rumbly tummy. The moment you stop to fix a meal, you lose thirty minutes minimum. If you go out to get something, you lose an hour. That is if you can get back into the swing of things when you return. Hunger pangs are the enemy of the binge writer.
   2. If you have an amazing spouse who will cook for you, recruit them to make and deliver your food. I know this sounds like they are your servant, but if you want to be a serious writer… you have to write. And if your spouse wants you to be a serious writer and actually finish a book… you have to write, and they have to support you.
   3. If you are single, pre-make the food. I eat a lot of leftovers when I binge write. You can also use frozen meals. The microwave is a binge writer’s best friend.
   4. And don’t forget about cereal. It’s easy and quick, and you can eat it for three meals a day if you have to.
   1. It doesn’t matter if you are slow at typing or fast at typing—just write. I only get about 25 words per minute, but I can still churn out around 12K-15K words a day. Just imagine what I could accomplish if I could double my speed.
   2. Forget about editing, forget about grammar, forget about punctuation, and forget about ensuring details are accurate. That’s what the editing process is for. It’s not called binge editing—It’s binge writing, so write.
5. BONUS: Exercise
   1. If you don’t move—you die. No, seriously, this is true. You should always try to move around for five minutes once every hour. I like to do air squats, lunges, jumping jacks, planks, knee lifts, and pace around the room.
   2. I use this time to think about what I am working on, and then create a game plan for how I am going to write it all over the next hour.

If you follow these 5 easy steps, you’ll be binge writing in no time. And, you’ll be well on your way to new projects and new stories.

Do you have any more tips from your binge writing sessions? Share in the comments below.