Writing slow isn’t always about focus.
Sometimes you’re just stuck. You hesitate. You fix things that don’t need fixing. You chase a better version of a sentence you haven’t even finished.
Then the session’s over and the draft still isn’t done.
Writing faster has less to do with how fast you type and more to do with what keeps getting in your way.
That’s what this list is for. You’ll learn 11 tried-and-tested tricks and strategies for writing faster:
- Ban Backspace for 10 Minutes
- Write the Middle First
- Narrate Out Loud Before Typing
- Set a Ridiculous Draft Deadline
- Draft with Your Eyes Closed
- Use Comment Mode to Move Faster
- Pre-Decide Word Count Targets by Section
- Use a “No Delete” Rule Until Draft 2
- Stack Your Writing Environment
- Adopt Scene-Based Writing
- Angle Stacking (Pick Before You Write)
But enough talk. Let’s dive right in.
1. Ban Backspace for 10 Minutes
If you struggle to finish drafts, there’s a good chance you’re editing while you write.
You’re typing a few words, then pausing. Doubting them. Deleting them before they’ve even had a chance to settle.
Try this instead: set a timer for ten minutes and ban the backspace key completely. No edits. No rewrites. No fixing that weird sentence you just typed, even if it reads like you wrote it with oven mitts on.
It’ll be uncomfortable at first. That’s the point. The urge to go back will creep in, especially if you’re used to cleaning as you go. But once your brain realizes the only direction is forward, something changes.
You stop hesitating.
You write faster because you’ve removed the decision that usually slows you down: whether to fix or keep going.
For ten minutes, you keep going.
2. Write the Middle First
Most writers try to start at the beginning. Which makes sense, until it doesn’t.
Intros are slow. You’re still warming up. You’re still figuring out what you’re even trying to say. So you stare. You tweak. You spend half your energy trying to write a good sentence instead of making a clear point.
There’s a better option: start in the middle.
Pick the section you know best. The part you already outlined in your head. The idea that feels easiest to explain.
Writing that first gets you moving. It builds confidence. You’re no longer guessing where the piece is going. You’re already halfway there, and it doesn’t feel like pulling teeth anymore.
When the draft is mostly done, circling back to write the intro feels like solving a puzzle with the picture already filled in. You know what you’re setting up. You know where it lands.
So start where you’ve got traction.
The middle works just fine.
3. Narrate Out Loud Before Typing
If your writing feels slow or stiff, try talking first.
Not in your head. Out loud. Like you’re explaining the idea to a friend who’s sitting across the table, nodding politely but clearly not getting it yet.
When you speak before you write, your thoughts stop trying to be perfect. You skip the fake-sounding phrasing. You stop obsessing over transitions. You just explain the thing.
It’s a shortcut to clarity. And once you hear what you’re actually trying to say, it’s much easier to write it down.
You can talk into a voice memo, use your phone’s recorder, or pace around the room mumbling to yourself like a sleep-deprived professor. Doesn’t matter. Just get it out of your head and into the air.
4. Set a Ridiculous Draft Deadline
Most people set soft deadlines. “Try to finish by lunch.” “Maybe I’ll wrap this today.”
That’s not a deadline. That’s a wish.
If you want to write faster, give yourself a deadline so short it feels slightly unreasonable. Tell yourself, “I have 23 minutes to draft this.” Not an hour. Not the afternoon. Just a weirdly specific chunk of time that forces movement.
When you know the clock’s ticking, you make quicker decisions. You stop wondering if this is the perfect structure. You stop rewriting the same sentence five different ways. You just write the thing.
There’s no magic to it. It’s just Parkinson’s Law doing its job.
The work expands to fill the time you give it. So give it less time.
And then hit the gas.
5. Draft with Your Eyes Closed
If your fingers know how to type, but your brain keeps getting in the way, try writing blind.
Literally.
Close your eyes. Mute the screen. Turn your monitor away. Use a blackout writing app like BlindWrite or The Most Dangerous Writing App. Whatever gets the words out without letting you see them.
When you can’t watch yourself write, you stop trying to fix every awkward phrase in real time. You’re not distracted by typos. You’re not tempted to nudge that paragraph up or down or sideways. You just keep going, because that’s all you can do.
It’s weirdly effective.
And no, you won’t love what you see when you finally look. But you’ll have a draft. You’ll have momentum.
And you’ll have skipped the part where you stare at one paragraph for 45 minutes wondering why it sounds like it was written by a sleep-deprived raccoon.
6. Use Comment Mode to Move Faster
Some sections are easy. Others slow you down like wet cement.
Maybe you’re missing a stat. Or a quote. Or a better example. Maybe the transition doesn’t quite work. So you sit there, poking at the problem until your momentum’s gone.
Don’t fix it. Flag it.
Leave a quick comment. “[Add stat here].” “Transition needs work.” “Punch this up later.” Then move on. No tinkering. No losing the thread.
This works in Google Docs, Word, Notion… anything with a comment function. You can also just write a note in brackets and highlight it. Doesn’t matter.
The point is to keep writing.
Your brain works faster when you treat problems like speed bumps instead of stop signs. Flag it and keep driving.
You can fix the potholes tomorrow.
7. Pre-Decide Word Count Targets by Section
Blank pages don’t just look empty…
They feel endless.
One way to shrink the scope is to decide your word count targets before you start writing. If you’re drafting a blog post or chapter with multiple sections, assign a rough word goal to each one. Maybe the intro gets 100 words. Section 1 gets 300. Section 2 gets 200. And so on.
Now you’re not writing a 1,200-word post.
You’re filling five small containers.
It’s a shift in mindset, but it’s a useful one. You’ll make faster decisions. You’ll know when to move on. You’ll catch yourself before you spend 45 minutes over-explaining the easy part and running out of steam before the hard part.
A rough plan is better than none.
8. Use a “No Delete” Rule Until Draft 2
Most writers don’t just revise after they write. They revise while they write.
That’s the bottleneck.
Instead, try this: make it a rule that you can’t delete anything until the second draft. Not a sentence. Not a word. If something isn’t working, mark it. Move it. Rewrite it next to the original. But don’t erase it.
Why? Because deleting slows you down. It tells your brain the goal is perfection. It kills flow in the name of cleanliness.
You don’t need clean. You need forward.
This rule isn’t about clutter. It’s about preserving momentum. Half the time, that thing you wanted to delete ends up being the seed of something better, but only if you let it sit for a minute.
Edit later.
Right now, keep your hands off the scissors.
9. Stack Your Writing Environment
Writing speed has less to do with typing and more to do with what’s getting in your way before you start.
Your environment plays a bigger role than most people admit. If you’re bouncing between apps, checking Slack, switching browser tabs, fiddling with playlists, or looking for that one note you definitely saved somewhere… of course you’re writing slow.
Make it boring.
Open only what you need. Close everything else. Use a distraction blocker if you have to. Load your notes in split-screen. Turn off notifications. Start your session with the same setup every time so your brain knows what’s coming.
You don’t need to overthink it.
Just fix the things that keep breaking your focus.
Most people write in a digital junk drawer and wonder why their focus sucks.
10. Adopt Scene-Based Writing
If you’re writing a blog post, article, chapter, or essay, there’s a trick that can make each section easier to write (and easier to read).
Treat it like a scene.
Not in the cinematic sense. You don’t need dialogue or slow pans or anyone entering stage left. You just need to make the section about something.
One moment. One idea. One shift.
Too many writers treat sections like containers for words instead of mini-stories. That’s when you ramble. That’s when the pacing dies. That’s when your intro turns into a recap and your outro forgets what the point was.
Scene-based writing forces clarity. If you can’t describe what’s happening in the section, you’re not ready to write it yet.
11. Angle Stacking (Pick Before You Write)
Drafts don’t always stall because the idea is weak. Sometimes it’s the angle that’s slowing you down.
You start writing, but halfway through, the tone feels off. Or you change direction. Or you realize you’re trying to make five different points at once and none of them are landing.
That’s an angle issue. And it’s fixable before you type a single word.
Before you start writing, jot down three possible angles. Three ways you could frame the idea. Don’t overthink them. Just get them down.
Then pick one.
Making that decision early keeps you from drifting. You’re not halfway through the piece wondering if it should’ve been a how-to, a story, or a rant. You already know.
Clarity on the front end saves hours on the back.
Especially when your first instinct wasn’t actually the strongest one.
Write Faster by Getting Out of Your Own Way
Writing faster starts when you stop interrupting yourself.
That’s it.
One less stall. One fewer decision. One part of the process that doesn’t get in your way.
Pick something from the list and test it. Don’t overthink it.
If it works, keep it. If not, toss it.
Either way, you’ll be moving again.
