How to Write Faster

Whether you need to write more quickly while note-taking or you need to hash out that essay before it's due, writing faster isn't very difficult. You can learn a shorthand system for taking notes, or you can learn how to manage your time so that you sit down and write.

Method 1

Writing More Quickly by Hand

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   Make outlines. As long as you know how best you remember things, use keywords instead of trying to write word for word what your professor or interviewee is saying. Make sure that you're using an outline that makes sense to you. If you can't understand it later, then it won't be very useful.^[1]
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   Use symbols. Make up some symbols for important concepts related to what you're doing. You already probably do this to an extent – using "&" for "and," "+" for "plus," &c., &c. Well, don't just stop there! No matter what you're doing, you will end up using some words and nouns much more often than others.

   • Symbols should be memorable, if you plan on writing notes for yourself. Draw from your mental gallery of pictures to come up with symbols. For example, use the symbol "θ" from the Greek alphabet to represent "cell" or "cellular" in your notes. It's a circle, like a cell, but it has a horizontal line, which reminds one of cell division.
   • Symbols are like alphabets. They should be fast to write. Generally, if the making of the symbol takes more than half of the time it would take to write the word, you need to simplify it.
   • A great way to get symbols from the alphabets of other languages. Look at them, and store them in your mental gallery for later on. Who knows? Maybe they'll be useful someday!
   • Symbols should be easy to read, if you are taking notes that will be used by others. An arrow to demonstrate the verb "is" is easy to understand. A circle with a diagonal slash like "/" going through it will usually mean "no," "not," or "impossible."
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   Learn a shorthand writing system. This is by far the best way to write faster. Using shorthand, your written speed may be able to, if you work hard at it, reach 200 wpm – the speed of a court stenographer! Gregg shorthand is the fastest and most popular system in use in the United States; if you do not have enough time to learn a non-symbolic shorthand, however, a symbolic shorthand like Speedwriting can still increase your speed to 60-100 wpm.

   • Gregg shorthand is somewhat phonetic based and somewhat spelling based. It uses differently squiggly lines to designate words. It is often considered better than Pitman for taking dictation.^[2]
   • Pitman shorthand is a line based shorthand technique that uses the sounds of speech rather than the spelling. For instance the sound "f" is going to be written the same whether it's in "elephant," "find," or "tough." Pitman relies on a series of slashes, curves, and dots to stand in for the sounds of the language.^[3]
   • Speedwriting is also a phonetic system which condenses words so that you don't write out the silent letters. It uses certain symbols and letters to stand in for sounds (a "." for "the" or a "+" for "and"). Speedwriting is considered to be more than twice as fast than longhand writing.
   • Keyscript shorthand is also phonetic. It uses only the lowercase letters of the alphabet, and allows you to write 2½ times as fast as longhand.
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   Learn boustrophedon. Boustrophedon^[4] is when you write from left to right for line 1, right to left for line 2, and you repeat that for each line. If you can learn to effectively read and write in boustrophedon, you can eliminate the time it takes for your hand to reach the next line--something that really adds up over time.
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   Practice. Practice makes perfect! Write about anything that you think of, all the time. Write in prose and poetry, long- and short-hand, in "note-taking" and "official document" form. (Practice is one of the few ways that you can increase longhand speed, too, as well as shorthand speed.)

   • Shorthand is only useful if you have it memorized. Otherwise you're taking more time to recall the shorthand than you would be simply writing in longhand.

Method 2

Writing Documents Faster

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   Research beforehand. This is incredibly important if you've got a deadline coming up. You won't have anything to write if you haven't already done your research before it's time to write. Once you have the research out of the way, the writing part is actually really easy.
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   Create an outline. Think about what you want to write and what you're trying to get across. This can be as messy and vague as you need it to be as long as it helps you format your writing before you start. Remember, this is only your first draft, so the outline and the draft can change once it's written.^[5]

   • If you're writing an essay, map out your thesis statement, and provide keywords for each topic you're covering, or each paragraph.
   • For an article, you could map out your writing by subheadings.
   • For a novel, you could outline your writing by chapter or by plot, depending on how in-depth you need it to be.
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   Minimize distractions. You're not going to get anything written if you're constantly being interrupted, or you keep getting distracted by people watching. You know what works best for you. If you work best with a bunch of people around you go to a cafe, or the library. If you need some background music, put on something that either inspires you, or doesn't distract you (music without vocals is usually best for this).

   • Use a program like RescueTime^[6] to minimize your time spent on Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, etc. If you can't constantly mess around online, you'll have more time to spend writing.
   • Turn your phone off. It's incredibly unlikely that you're going to have an emergency in the couple hours you're going to spend writing. Get that distraction out of the way!
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   Set a timer. While this can be incredibly irritating and stressful it will help you get finished with your writing and do so quickly. You probably have a good idea how long it will take you to write an article, essay, or chapter without distractions.

   • You don't even have to use an actual timer. If you've made a batch of cookies, your timer is the cookies. That way you'll get a treat at the end of your writing.
   • If you can, write while on the bus or the metro. This way you'll have to have something written by the time you get to your stop.
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   Write for clarity not quality. When you're trying to get something written quickly, you need to stop worrying about the quality of it. Focus on getting it written before you focus on cleaning it up. It's easier to edit something when you actually have something written.^[7]

   • Turn off spellcheck while you write. You can turn it back on once you've finished, but while you're just getting words on the page, it will only slow you down.
   • Don't worry about your own personal voice (even if you're writing a story or poem). All that will come through when you polish it. Or, if you're writing a news story or essay, you don't particularly need a personal style as long as it is clear what you're writing.
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   Get a writing buddy. Especially get someone who has to write something, too. For instance, if you're both participating in National Novel Writing Month, or you both have the same class. Having someone else paying attention to how quickly you're churning out words will hold you accountable and it will keep you motivated.

   • Make sure that your writing buddy won't just distract you. You need to pick someone who is as dedicated to getting it done as you are.

Tips

• Try becoming ambidextrous. This way when one hand gets tired, you can simply switch to the other hand.
• Use a pen instead of a pencil. Pencils tend to drag on the paper and get dull the more you write.
  • It is better to use a fountain pen because with fountain pens there is less friction which helps you write fast. If fountain pens are unavailable, use a gel or rollerball pen because both friction and coat are medium.

  Warnings

  • Remember to keep the hand a bit relaxed while writing, otherwise you could get carpal tunnel syndrome.
  • If you write fast, you need to be sure that you are still legible. It doesn't matter how fast you wrote if you can't decipher your notes afterwards.