JL Foxfire asked Claire Farrell:

Hi Claire, do you have any tips on writing so fast? 42 books is a bit intimidating as someone just starting out.

Claire Farrell Hi. Firstly, don't let anyone else's progress intimidate you - everyone is different. There's nothing at all wrong with that. And when you break it down, I don't have so many novels, plus, I've been publishing for almost six years, so it averages out to a more manageable amount. :) I'm writing full-time, I'm a relatively fast typist, and I write standard length novels that are not overly complicated. And while I can write fast, editing takes a lot longer, so a published book has often been written months if not years before it was actually published, so keep all of those things in mind when you see writers with huge backlists. Nobody has the exact same life as you, so don't waste your time comparing. Just do *your* best.

That aside, my only advice is to write regularly and prioritise writing and reading. If you wanted to learn a language, you'd have to prioritise learning and immerse yourself as much as possible to get the best results, and it's kind of like that with writing. When you understand how other stories work, your own get faster to figure out.

Personally, I find it easier to stay in the flow of a story if I write the entire first draft as quickly as possible. I don't really outline properly, but I have a general idea of what I want from a chapter before I sit down to write it which usually helps. I don't sit staring at a blank screen very often - if I get stuck, I handwrite ideas until I figure out where I'm going.

And I am a lot faster than I was six years ago. I don't write every single day, but it's a good habit to get into, if only to see how well a long streak can further you into a story. If you wrote 1,000 words a day, you'd have at least three full-length novels on your hands at the end of the year, even with days off and editing taking up time. I think anyone who truly wants to write can squeeze that out (even if it means sacrificing something else), and with practice, it's surprising how fast someone can get through 1k words. At my fastest, I've written 3k an hour (after a LOT of practice and the occasional sore wrist), but that's with the perfect circumstances, and nobody has those very often, so don't beat yourself up about it. Writing fast isn't better for everyone, so just experiment and find your own method. It's not a race. I wait a very long time for my favourite authors to come out with another release, and it doesn't put me off. :)

I don't know where you are in terms of words/books written, and it doesn't really matter. If you're prepared to put in the hard work, then you've no reason to worry. The hardest part is often actually sitting in a chair and getting words onto a page, but that gets easier, too.

Also, this book has been recommended to me a few times. I have read it myself. It's about writing faster so might be a lot more useful than my ramblings. :)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

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