6 ways to speed up writing your first draft

There is a point during the writing of many first novel drafts where it seems as though you will never reach the end. The fun of writing your novel has started to wear off slightly as you find yourself mired in plot conundrums and awkward scenes that sound rubbish no matter what you do, but you’re not yet close enough to the end to get a final wind to help you down the home straight.

Sadly, this is the point where a lot of novels are abandoned. There are, however, things you can do to help you get through to the end of the draft. With this in mind, here are six ways you can speed up the writing of the first draft of your novel.

Write when there’s nothing else on your mind

Writing first thing in the morning might not always seem like the most appealing of things, especially when you’ve yet to have your breakfast and your eyes are still full of sleep. Likewise, writing when you get home from work after a long day can be all too easy to avoid.

However, these can be the best times of the day to write – when there’s nothing else on your mind. At the start of the day, you’ve not yet had time to fill your mind with the day’s clutter and tasks to do, leaving you with plenty of mental space to writing. And at the end of the day, all of your tasks should be done and there’s (hopefully) nothing to worry about until the next day, meaning that you have time free to dedicate to your writing. Don’t think about it, just do it.

Set a shared deadline

Deadlines can be useful for giving you a boost to the end of your first draft, but they can be even more useful when you’re not the only one aiming for the same deadline. If someone else you know is also writing a novel, give yourselves a deadline to work to – letting someone else down can be even worse than letting yourself down, so with any luck, having someone else in the same boat as you should spur you on.

Turn off your inner editor

This isn’t always easy, but if you want to get to the end of your first draft before the end of the century, you need to learn how to switch off your inner editor. It’s a great sign that you can spot ways to make your work better as you’re going along, but if you stop to fix everything, it’ll take forever to get to the end. Don’t worry about what you’re writing; as long as you’re writing, at this stage in the process it’s enough.

And if you have to, turn off your computer spellcheck until you’ve finished the draft so you can focus entirely on moving forwards rather than worrying about a couple of misspellings.

Take time off (from work)

Time off from your day job might not always be possible, but if it is, it could help you with your novel. A week off from your usual routine can give you the time and space you need to get things done, especially if you treat it like you would a work day – sit down to write at a reasonable time and keep going until the end of the day.

Sketch out problem scenes

I think every novel has at least a couple of problem scenes that are, for reasons largely unknown, pretty darn hard to write. Don’t worry about it during your first draft. If all you can manage is a brief sketch or few lines about what you want to include, don’t worry. You can fill in the blanks later.

Plan, plan, plan

Impulsive writing works for some people, but for many others, planning is essential to get to the end of a first draft. Knowing what you want to write can be hugely beneficial when it comes to getting words on the page, and the satisfaction of seeing your plan come to life is great for giving you the motivation you need to get to the end.