# How to Write Faster  ## Metadata - Author: [[Liz Hayes]] - Full Title: How to Write Faster - Category: #books ## Highlights - Deep POV, the point of view seen from inside the character’s head. ([Location 48](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=48)) - PDR in Jeff Bollow’s excellent book, Writing Fast: How to Write Anything with Lightning Speed. ([Location 57](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=57)) - Plan, Draft, Revise. ([Location 58](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=58)) - Copyediting is not one of the tasks of PDR, and should be postponed until after the manuscript is completely finished. ([Location 60](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=60)) - novices tend to write in narrative exposition, the fastest of all writing styles. ([Location 72](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=72)) - Skilled writers usually write in styles that take longer to compose. ([Location 74](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=74)) - skilled writers often explore ideas they don’t end up using, then cut some of their material. ([Location 79](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=79)) - important to understand the difference between drafting speed and finished speed, and to have a sense of what’s normal for each. ([Location 92](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=92)) - Draft means putting words on paper as quickly as possible. ([Location 101](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=101)) - Why so slow? Because drafting accounts for only around 18% of all the time spent writing. ([Location 109](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=109)) - experienced writers generate about five times as much material as goes into the finished manuscript. ([Location 115](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=115)) - Writing is a creative activity, and inherently inefficient. ([Location 140](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=140)) - You have to try things out to see what works. ([Location 161](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=161)) - stages of drafting and revision should be done separately. ([Location 192](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=192)) - chief causes of writer’s block. ([Location 194](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=194)) - Don’t edit while composing ([Location 197](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=197)) - Revise top-down, structure to surface ([Location 199](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=199)) - Copyedit and format last ([Location 202](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=202)) - Planning has two parts. First you identify a goal, and then you figure out how to reach it. ([Location 243](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=243)) - Planning is done in a malleable media, ([Location 254](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=254)) - Stories are like fractals in that they have repeating patterns, too. ([Location 266](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=266)) - start with a high-level thought and expand it, ([Location 278](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=278)) - “Plan a little, write a little.” ([Location 357](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=357)) - not to rework the wording of your text, and most certainly not copyedit it, until you’ve done the first structural edit ([Location 363](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=363)) - Planning Tools ([Location 367](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=367)) - Your first draft doesn’t have to be especially good. It’s a sketch, ([Location 441](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=441)) - In drafting, you have permission to write badly. ([Location 447](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=447)) - Unlike speech, writing isn’t instinctive, it has to be learned. ([Location 450](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=450)) - Drafting is all about going forward without stopping. ([Location 473](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=473)) - Whatever you do, don’t compose and edit at the same time. ([Location 474](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=474)) - Writing while looking at a photograph is much easier, and produces a more detailed and realistic description. ([Location 509](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=509)) - slow writers were perfectionists. ([Location 513](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=513)) - in till ([Location 531](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=531)) - Note: That's until. - There’s nothing like a deadline to forget being perfect and just get the thing out. ([Location 537](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=537)) - I found that every single person who identified themselves as a slow writer was also a perfectionist. ([Location 545](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=545)) - Take a moment to take notes on any problems with the story, ([Location 558](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=558)) - Developmental Editing is the highest form of revision. It deals with the story’s purpose, also called rhetorical goals. ([Location 580](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=580)) - Structural Editing deals with the shape of the story at a high level, as determined by the events of the plot, ([Location 583](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=583)) - Have Someone Read To You even if they’re a computer. ([Location 619](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=619)) - The structure of the story is a muslin mockup. ([Location 704](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=704)) - Surface is expensive because of the time it takes to compose. ([Location 705](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=705)) - There are only two rules: Attack the biggest problem first. Resist the temptation to fix the wording. You’ll do that later. ([Location 714](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=714)) - Only after the large structural issues have been addressed should you tinker with the wording. ([Location 719](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=719)) - expect revision to take at least twice as long as it took to draft the manuscript in the first place, ([Location 720](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=720)) - A story is broken if the story question doesn’t get answered at the end. ([Location 735](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=735)) - a document’s too big for scissors and tape, Scrivener, a software application for writers, does about the same thing. ([Location 743](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=743)) - the only proper response is, “Thank you,” ([Location 807](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=807)) - Structure is what you say; surface is how you say it. ([Location 1662](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1662)) - Surface carries the emotional content of the story. ([Location 1668](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1668)) - Writers are manipulative, they do things to evoke emotion. It’s a skill, and you can learn it too. ([Location 1671](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1671)) - Close POV, also called Limited POV, is a technique which puts the reader inside the head of one character in a scene. ([Location 1692](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1692)) - Similar to Close POV, but deeper inside the character’s head, and harder to write. ([Location 1694](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1694)) - blocking, acting out the motions. ([Location 1701](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1701)) - Offload short-term memory whenever you can. ([Location 1708](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1708)) - make use of information stored in the form of notes, images, or diagrams, so you don’t have to memorize it. ([Location 1710](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1710)) - Other memory aids including maps, floor plans, a calendar, or a storyboard can be helpful. ([Location 1717](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1717)) - Collecting artifacts is a useful practice for a writer. ([Location 1724](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1724)) - generally means prose that sounds nice and is easy to read. ([Location 1733](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1733)) - Don’t make your readers work, write for the lowest grade level you can. ([Location 1738](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1738)) - complex ideas can ([Location 1746](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1746)) - be expressed in simple language with no loss of meaning. ([Location 1746](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1746)) - Express Complex Thoughts in Simple Words ([Location 1753](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1753)) - Write like you talk. ([Location 1757](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1757)) - Avoid Jargon ([Location 1762](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1762)) - body-related words reach your reader’s emotions more directly. ([Location 1780](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1780)) - Replace weak words with more specific ones: ([Location 1785](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1785)) - Text is easier to read if it’s dense, ([Location 1794](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1794)) - strike out any word that doesn’t have to be there. ([Location 1795](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1795)) - active sentences tend to be short. ([Location 1800](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1800)) - Don’t use words that take up space but carry little meaning. ([Location 1804](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1804)) - one excuse is more convincing than two. ([Location 1810](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1810)) - The first draft usually comes out as a collection of multi-syllable words and technical jargon housed in long, rambling sentences. ([Location 1814](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1814)) - Keep a Notebook of Lyrical Phrases ([Location 1851](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1851)) - it’s reasonable to believe that dictated text is more fluent than written text. Based on my own experience, I tend to agree with him. ([Location 1892](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1892)) - Don’t copyedit until you’ve completely finished all the work on the structure and wording. ([Location 1899](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1899)) - To write as efficiently as possible, don’t do document design, which includes format and layout, until after you’ve finished copyediting. ([Location 1924](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1924)) - Experienced writers take longer than novices to produce pieces of the same length. ([Location 1960](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1960)) - When you dictate, there’s nothing between you and the words. The sentences come out longer and more complicated, but also more natural sounding. ([Location 1976](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1976)) - for fast drafting, dictation is two and a half times as fast as either longhand or word processing, ([Location 1979](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=1979)) - knowledge transformation is the source of new content, and results in the generation of new ideas. ([Location 2001](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=2001)) - Generating ideas is a high-level process that uses much of a writer’s available thought and memory. The same is true for composing text, the process of turning nonverbal thoughts into words.   If both processes are done at the same time, they compete with each other for resources, and both suffer for it. ([Location 2003](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=2003)) - Tags: [[blue]] - And unlike Planners, Pantsers seem to have an easy time expressing their ideas in words, almost as if their thoughts originated in spoken form. ([Location 2021](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=2021)) - Tags: [[blue]] - Pantsers ([Location 2023](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=2023)) - Note: Do you mean planners? - If you’re revision-strategy and someone tries to do this to you, just say no. Planning-strategy will hurt you. ([Location 2030](https://readwise.io/to_kindle?action=open&asin=B01B391C4O&location=2030))