Writing Advice For Writers
I Wrote 5,550 Words In A Single Day. Here’s Exactly How I Did It.
And how you can too!
--
At some point, many writers hit a writing plateau.
Or maybe it’s a 10-foot-high brick wall. And many times, we writers like to bang our heads against this wall. And we keep banging our heads until we give up or bust right through it.
For me, that wall was 5,000 words high.
I’m not a fast writer. In fact, I’m pretty darn slow.
But I cranked out an astonishing 5,550 words in a single day.
Here’s how I did it and how you can, too.
1. I sat down at my desk, with my laptop fired up.
The day I broke my record for word counts was like any other day.
The golden rays of the sun peeped through the glass panes, seeping into the house. I had just awoke and spent some time with my wife and baby boy.
Then I went into my home office and shut the door behind me.
Sitting at my wooden desk with a cup of freshly brewed coffee, I fired up my MacBook like I usually do.
There’s nothing special about this step, but it’s mandatory. You won’t be able to concentrate if you don’t have a sacred place to write.
So, the first step is to find your sacred space and prepare your mind to write.
For me, it’s also the key event that kicks off my day of writing.
2. I blocked out all distractions.
No phone. No annoying people. No interruptions.
I had to be in the zone if I wanted to churn out 5,000 words or more. So, I turned off my phone and put it in another room.
If you live with others, make sure they understand you don’t want to be bothered while writing. Let them know you’re going to be in your own world for a few hours. Tell them they should only barge into your sacred writing space if the house is on fire or there’s a medical emergency.
You could even invest in a “Do Not Disturb” sign and hang it outside your door. A stark reminder for all who try to enter your space.
The goal of this step is to minimize distractions as much as possible, allowing you to concentrate on your work.
Because when there are fewer distractions, the higher your focus will be. And with more focus, you’ll get more done.
No distractions = flow state.
3. I reviewed my outline before my writing session began.
This is something I do for all my writing projects.
I sit down and create an outline of what I want to write before I bang away at the keyboard. This gives me a road map to follow so I don’t get lost along the way.
If you don’t have an outline, now would be a good time to make one.
It doesn’t have to be complicated. Just a list of the key points you want to cover in your article or story.
In fact, this article started as a Twitter thread. Later, it served as my outline (and inspiration) for the words you’re reading right now.
Pretty easy, right?
4. Then I wrote.
And I kept writing. And writing. Then I wrote some more.
I kept my fingers glued to the keyboard and my eyes focused on the page.
And I didn’t stop writing until I surpassed my 5,000-word goal.
This was the hardest part of the process. But it’s also the most important. You can’t write 5,000 words per day if you don’t actually sit down and write them.
After all, a writer’s job is to do one thing.
And we must do that task to the best of our abilities.
And that is to write.
Some Final Thoughts
Maybe you won’t write 5,000 words every day. Or you won’t even hit your word count goals as much as you want.
That’s fine.
But with a solid game plan, you can hit your word count goals more often. And even go beyond them some days. Where you amaze yourself as a writer.
Just remember:
Having a distraction-free environment, concentrated focus and determination are a writer’s best friends.
Use them to your advantage and you’ll boost your writing output in no time. Because a productive writer is a happy writer! 😁 ✍️
If you enjoyed these writing tips, then feel free to connect with me on Twitter.