How to Write Faster by Marcy Kennedy

Author:Marcy Kennedy
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Education and Reference, Publishing Guide, Writing Skills, Fiction Writing, Writing Faster, Editing
ISBN: 9780992037116
Publisher: Tongue Untied Communications
Published: 2013-10-16T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 4

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Make Notes and Stop in the Middle

One of the most common mistakes we make is to stop when we reach an end point or when we run out of ideas. It sounds logical. But when we start again the next day, we come to the page with no momentum and risk running into the dreaded writer’s block.

Ernest Hemingway had a different tactic—he always stopped in the middle. He stopped when the writing was still flowing and he knew what would happen next.

Acclaimed children’s writer Roald Dahl (author of books such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach) had the same routine. He believed that, if you make yourself stop and walk away before you run out of steam, you’ll come back the next day excited to continue working. An excited writer is a faster writer.

The benefit that I’ve personally found to this technique also comes from being able to complete a project early in the day (whether that be completing the project entirely or finishing a chapter or major section). The sense of accomplishment gained by crossing something off my list motivates me to work harder and with improved focus.

Along with stopping in the middle, at the end of your daily writing session, jot down a few notes about where you thought the scene/book was going and any great ideas you had but couldn’t get to. This helps you start off quicker the next day, and helps you move forward rather than needing to read what you wrote the previous session to remember where you left off. In other words, you stop the mid-project editing before it has a chance to start.

This trick, used by successful writers like Hemingway and Dahl, leads into our next two techniques—finding what excites you in every scene and not looking back.

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