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Writing Faster FTW
Writing faster, for the win!
Frustrated with your writing output? Looking for ways to get the words moving?
L.A. Witt has written and published over 70 romance novels and novellas since 2008, and in Writing Faster For The Win, she shares some techniques for getting the words out of your head and onto the screen faster than before. Whether it’s shaking off insecurities and self-doubt, streamlining the research process, or writing out of sequence, you may just find the advice you’ve been looking for.
Approx 20,000 words.
Frustrated with your writing output? Looking for ways to get the words moving?
L.A. Witt has written and published over 70 romance novels and novellas since 2008, and in Writing Faster For The Win, she shares some techniques for getting the words out of your head and onto the screen faster than before. Whether it’s shaking off insecurities and self-doubt, streamlining the research process, or writing out of sequence, you may just find the advice you’ve been looking for.
Approx 20,000 words.
- GenresWritingNonfiction
110 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 14, 2015
28 people are currently reading
138 people want to read
About the author
L.A. Witt
219 books2,727 followersL.A. Witt and her husband have been exiled from Spain and sent to live in Maine because rhymes are fun. She now divides her time between writing, assuring people she is aware that Maine is cold, wondering where to put her next tattoo, and trying to reason with a surly Maine coon. Rumor has it her arch nemesis, Lauren Gallagher, is also somewhere in the wilds of New England, which is why L.A. is also spending a portion of her time training a team of spec ops lobsters.
Authors Ann Gallagher and Lori A. Witt have been asked to assist in lobster training, but they "have books to write" and "need to focus on our careers" and "don't you think this rivalry has gotten a little out of hand?" They're probably just helping Lauren raise her army of squirrels trained to ride moose into battle.
Visit her website at http://www.gallagherwitt.com/.
Authors Ann Gallagher and Lori A. Witt have been asked to assist in lobster training, but they "have books to write" and "need to focus on our careers" and "don't you think this rivalry has gotten a little out of hand?" They're probably just helping Lauren raise her army of squirrels trained to ride moose into battle.
Visit her website at http://www.gallagherwitt.com/.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
September 5, 2015
This is an excellent tool for analyzing your current productivity, and taking steps to ramp it up a bit. Excellent for both the full-time writer, and the one struggling to find the time to get a few words here or there.
Recommended.
Recommended.
August 30, 2021
Schneller schreiben lernen? Das klingt nach einem Traum für alle Autoren. Aber im Grunde erklärt L.A. Witt in ihrem Ratgeber eher, wie man produktiver beim Schreiben wird - und hin und wieder seine eigene Schreibgeschwindigkeit erhöht, ohne einen Burnout zu bekommen.
Das Buch ist mit gerade mal 80 Seiten recht kurz und anekdotenhaft geschrieben und viele Lektionen weiß ich inzwischen schon aus eigener (schmerzhafter) Erfahrung. Dennoch fand ich das Buch sehr unterhaltsam und gut geschrieben, nicht nur wegen der "Dumb things I learned the hard way so you don't have to", über die ich immer wieder schmunzeln musste aufgrund der Selbstironie der Autorin. Besonders spannend fand ich es zu lesen, WIE andere Autoren schreiben und wie sehr sich die Methoden von meiner eigenen unterscheiden können. Besonders beim nicht-chronologischem Schreiben wusste ich sofort, dass ich das nie machen werde, dass das nichts für mich ist - und das obwohl ich viel intensiver plotte und es mir eigentlich viel leichter fallen müsste als L.A. Witt. Aber jede/r schreibt anders und obwohl ich gewiss nicht alles ausprobieren werde, so war doch das ein oder andere bei, das ich mir gut auch für mich vorstellen kann. Am Ende habe ich weniger Methoden aus der Lektüre mitgenommen als Unterhaltung, neue Motivation zum Schreiben und ein wenig Inspiration.
Das Buch ist mit gerade mal 80 Seiten recht kurz und anekdotenhaft geschrieben und viele Lektionen weiß ich inzwischen schon aus eigener (schmerzhafter) Erfahrung. Dennoch fand ich das Buch sehr unterhaltsam und gut geschrieben, nicht nur wegen der "Dumb things I learned the hard way so you don't have to", über die ich immer wieder schmunzeln musste aufgrund der Selbstironie der Autorin. Besonders spannend fand ich es zu lesen, WIE andere Autoren schreiben und wie sehr sich die Methoden von meiner eigenen unterscheiden können. Besonders beim nicht-chronologischem Schreiben wusste ich sofort, dass ich das nie machen werde, dass das nichts für mich ist - und das obwohl ich viel intensiver plotte und es mir eigentlich viel leichter fallen müsste als L.A. Witt. Aber jede/r schreibt anders und obwohl ich gewiss nicht alles ausprobieren werde, so war doch das ein oder andere bei, das ich mir gut auch für mich vorstellen kann. Am Ende habe ich weniger Methoden aus der Lektüre mitgenommen als Unterhaltung, neue Motivation zum Schreiben und ein wenig Inspiration.
July 27, 2020
Un libro chiaro e comprensibile. Dà ottimi spunti che non vedo l’ora di provare a implementare nel mio flusso di scrittura.
July 16, 2018
Ottimo libro se si cercano spunti e consigli da leggere in fretta!
La Witt è coincisa e va dritta al punto, senza sprecare parole o girare intorno a questioni più o meno soggettive. Se avete letto molti libri sulla scrittura probabilmente alcuni punti non vi risulteranno nuovi, comunque la sua prospettiva risulta fresca e interessante :)
Di certo seguirò alcuni suoi consigli, sperando che abbiano l'effetto desiderato.
(Rimarrò sempre in lutto per il fatto che la versione ITA non esiste in cartaceo!)
La Witt è coincisa e va dritta al punto, senza sprecare parole o girare intorno a questioni più o meno soggettive. Se avete letto molti libri sulla scrittura probabilmente alcuni punti non vi risulteranno nuovi, comunque la sua prospettiva risulta fresca e interessante :)
Di certo seguirò alcuni suoi consigli, sperando che abbiano l'effetto desiderato.
(Rimarrò sempre in lutto per il fatto che la versione ITA non esiste in cartaceo!)
Read
July 19, 2015Available July 2015 on Amazon.
October 16, 2022
4.5
An interesting book, easy to read, with nice, ironical undertone. It's not a miraculous solution to write fast and without effort, nor does it want to be, it's a mix of common sense, tactics I found out I'm already adopting and good tips.
The Batman reference was brilliant.
An interesting book, easy to read, with nice, ironical undertone. It's not a miraculous solution to write fast and without effort, nor does it want to be, it's a mix of common sense, tactics I found out I'm already adopting and good tips.
The Batman reference was brilliant.
January 6, 2019
I stumbled on this book awhile back, and I'm always interested in anything that might help me improve my process in some way, I decided today was a good time to give it a quick read, and grabbed it on Kindle Unlimited.
This book was particularly interesting to me because even though I don't, and *cant*, use outlines, I do write **massively** out of sequence. Sometimes I'll write the closing paragraph of a scene before I write the first, and sometimes I write the middle of a book before I ever finish writing the beginning or the end. At any given time, my manuscript will be a sea of little fragments: partial scenes, paragraphs of description, dialogue passages without any context. It can be a mess, but it allows my imagination to flow freely, and sometimes it keeps me from getting stuck.
L.A. Witt has some good tips on this sort of writing that I think will help me build up a little more speed. Or maybe a lot more. Most of her tips are geared towards outliners, but I can already see how I might be able to modify them to work with my process.
This is a short book, full of useful information, easy to read, never dry.
This book was particularly interesting to me because even though I don't, and *cant*, use outlines, I do write **massively** out of sequence. Sometimes I'll write the closing paragraph of a scene before I write the first, and sometimes I write the middle of a book before I ever finish writing the beginning or the end. At any given time, my manuscript will be a sea of little fragments: partial scenes, paragraphs of description, dialogue passages without any context. It can be a mess, but it allows my imagination to flow freely, and sometimes it keeps me from getting stuck.
L.A. Witt has some good tips on this sort of writing that I think will help me build up a little more speed. Or maybe a lot more. Most of her tips are geared towards outliners, but I can already see how I might be able to modify them to work with my process.
This is a short book, full of useful information, easy to read, never dry.
September 7, 2015
Genuinely useful, particularly the section on writing out of order, which I've always been reluctant to do because OMG WHAT DO I DO NOW WHAT DID I DO THEN HEEEEELP! It's not just about writing faster, either. If you're a slow/false starter, you'll find useful info in here too.
February 19, 2016
Nice short book with some good tips. I'm already doing a lot of them, but there are some definite opportunities for me to expand the ones I'm doing and try some new things, so that's good. I'm determined to finish at least one book before I die.
Read
April 23, 2017A really nice and short book with some good advice. Probably a great resource for a new writer-- straightforward and entertaining.
October 19, 2015
Looks like it might be useful. However, I need to stop reading how to and just do it. After awhile they are pretty similar.
May 16, 2018
Excellent solid advice for new writers and old hands as well.
August 1, 2015
Short book (20,000 words according to the author), but packed full of useful advice presented in an entertaining manner. The most important piece of advice is right up front: not all techniques work for every writer, so take and use what works for you personally.
This isn't about how to type faster. It's about how to be more productive with your writing time, and that includes protecting yourself from burnout. A lot of it is stuff that should be obvious, but isn't until somebody points it out to you; other techniques are ones that all too often writers have been told they shouldn't do, by a writer/editor/agent who thinks that if it doesn't work for them, it's bad for everyone. Some are things that are much less obvious, and which you could go for years without working it out by yourself.
Even if you already know everything in this book, it can help to have the positive reinforcement from another writer who learnt it the hard way. And besides, I know everything in this book already, and I still found it an entertaining read, well worth the £1.26 I paid. This matters - you're more likely to remember and follow advice if it was fun to read.
Very much recommended for writers, and even non-writers who are interested in the nuts and bolts of writing.
This isn't about how to type faster. It's about how to be more productive with your writing time, and that includes protecting yourself from burnout. A lot of it is stuff that should be obvious, but isn't until somebody points it out to you; other techniques are ones that all too often writers have been told they shouldn't do, by a writer/editor/agent who thinks that if it doesn't work for them, it's bad for everyone. Some are things that are much less obvious, and which you could go for years without working it out by yourself.
Even if you already know everything in this book, it can help to have the positive reinforcement from another writer who learnt it the hard way. And besides, I know everything in this book already, and I still found it an entertaining read, well worth the £1.26 I paid. This matters - you're more likely to remember and follow advice if it was fun to read.
Very much recommended for writers, and even non-writers who are interested in the nuts and bolts of writing.
October 4, 2015
I keep reading these damn "How to Write Faster" books. I can't seem to get enough of them! This one included lots of practical advice, including a section on avoiding burnout -- even as a book-a-month writer.
Now, I will probably never be a book-a-month writer, but thanks to innumerable KBoards posts and this book, I can see how it's done. Most of the content was somewhat familiar (avoid spending too much time on social media, ergonomics, track your progress, etc.), but the sections on how to write out of sequence and bite-sized writing were new to me. I'd never understood how this out-of-sequence approach worked before, but now I can see the sense in it and might even give it a try some time. Maybe.
Now, I will probably never be a book-a-month writer, but thanks to innumerable KBoards posts and this book, I can see how it's done. Most of the content was somewhat familiar (avoid spending too much time on social media, ergonomics, track your progress, etc.), but the sections on how to write out of sequence and bite-sized writing were new to me. I'd never understood how this out-of-sequence approach worked before, but now I can see the sense in it and might even give it a try some time. Maybe.
September 11, 2015
I read a lot of writing books. A LOT of them. Seriously, a lot. Many of them never get finished because it's the same old information repackaged over and over again. That isn't the case with Witt's Writing Faster FTW. It's short, gets right to the point, and is easy to read. I even learned a new trick or two that never occurred to me in the last ten+ years of writing. Definitely worth a read if you have an hour and a little spare pocket change.
February 7, 2017
Good advice on how to write faster, though to be honest, the thought of writing out of sequence terrifies me. I guess if I outlined, it wouldn't be so difficult to know what goes where, but my mind doesn't work that way. Most of the time I don't even know where the story is going myself!
Still, practical advice mingled with cautionary tales drawn from the author's own experience. Well worth the read.
Still, practical advice mingled with cautionary tales drawn from the author's own experience. Well worth the read.
June 19, 2019
Short, To The Point and Encouraging
A short, to the point, book on increasing your writing speed - or, just make your writing easier, especially if you haven’t tried the writing-out-of-sequence method. I know people who do write this way. I haven’t tried it. I might, now. And while the bracket advice isn’t *new*, it’s one of those OMG WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT things you’ll be slapping your forehead in a Simpson’s moment. And I’m gonna try it.
A short, to the point, book on increasing your writing speed - or, just make your writing easier, especially if you haven’t tried the writing-out-of-sequence method. I know people who do write this way. I haven’t tried it. I might, now. And while the bracket advice isn’t *new*, it’s one of those OMG WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT things you’ll be slapping your forehead in a Simpson’s moment. And I’m gonna try it.
December 7, 2015
Along the same lines as Rachel Aaron's 2k to 10k which I also found really useful, L.A. Witt's Writing Faster FTW takes the same basic premise but fleshes it out with a lot of personal examples and anecdotes. I've e-mailed L.A. for a copy of her spreadsheet and am looking forward to putting it to use!
March 13, 2016
The focus of this book is more on getting rid of distractions and being smart about managing your time, rather than planning and plotting, but I think it's still useful to think about how to optimize writing time as opposed to trying to carve more time out of an already hectic schedule. Recommended.
October 23, 2017
A quick, helpful, and often hilarious read for any writer opting to up their (good) word count. Devour it. Take its advice. Or don't. This book is about simple, useful tips for finding what works for you, not tying you up in knots with pointless exercises. And it manages to be entertaining, in a way crying over writer's block isn't!
June 29, 2018
Good stuff
There are quite a few good chips in this book. I especially like her attitude that this isn't the be-all-end-all book on how to write. She specifically says this worked really well for her, but it might not work for everyone else.
And I think it's a really good sign that I had an epiphany about a pot Point I've been struggling with while I was reading this book.
There are quite a few good chips in this book. I especially like her attitude that this isn't the be-all-end-all book on how to write. She specifically says this worked really well for her, but it might not work for everyone else.
And I think it's a really good sign that I had an epiphany about a pot Point I've been struggling with while I was reading this book.
December 4, 2016
Useful, nice, clear. I need an internal drill sergeant, now I know it.
Ready to write faster :)
My best rules: a) OUTLINES ARE NOT WRITTEN IN BLOOD; b) IF THE OUTLINE AND THE CHARACTERS DISAGREE, THE CHARACTERS ALWAYS WIN.
Ready to write faster :)
My best rules: a) OUTLINES ARE NOT WRITTEN IN BLOOD; b) IF THE OUTLINE AND THE CHARACTERS DISAGREE, THE CHARACTERS ALWAYS WIN.
September 28, 2017
Great advice, good tips and a enjoyable writing style (the Batman references and the footnotes were quite funny). Not all works for me, but it's a good reminder what one has to consider to crank out words repeatedly and all the time while having fun doing it.
December 27, 2015
** Free on Amazon 9/4/15 **
October 12, 2019
Simple, succinct, but an excellent reminder of how to make time and trick my brain into moving forward, not cycling over the same passage forever.
September 28, 2021
From One Writer To Another, I Really Appreciate The Advice Offered In This Book
I have been writing since my pre-teens though I have never written a book, (At least not yet) I have spent twenty-five years writing about/covering combat sports, mostly Boxing. Though I have spent a lot of those years working for outlets, both online and print, there have been times that I struggle both with getting things done as well as the struggle of getting paid consistently for my work. In recent years, I have not been doing much work for outlets and have instead devoted my time to developing and trying to build my own outlet. Though I have come a long way, I'm still not at a point where I can say that I am able to make a comfortable living off my work, despite countless hours and relentless effort.
As I am focused on building my own outlet/platform, it is all on me to get things done and I am a company of one. With that in mind, I am always looking to do more and more and pushing my limits. This led me to seek this book in an effort to hopefully adapt some techniques that would help me accomplish the goal of doing more in less time, but also finding a balance that would allow me some time for myself.
Although the author is in a different gene than I in that I've never written a book, even though I have toyed with the idea of writing a book for years going back to my early days as a writer, I can definitely relate to a lot of the things she discusses in the book from wanting to increase output, but not compromise quality in the process, to hitting creative walls, (Writer's block is a nemesis of mine), to the "I Don't Wanna" days as she put it, finally to the toll that being a writer can take.
While every situation and individual is different, I particularly related to what she says in the final chapter about the pressure of deadlines and how it ultimately took a toll on her. I won't get into my own story, but years ago, one outlet that I worked for was run by a man who was extremely demanding and frankly difficult to work for. While in a way I will always be grateful to him as he gave me my first opportunity to be in print magazines, I would get calls from him at all hours and when he transitioned to an online outlet, those demands only increased where his mantra was "Sleep is for the weak." As demanding as he was, he was not willing to pay writers for the work we were doing using the line of "We're giving you valuable exposure." While I kept working for him for what ended up being a five year run and also working for other outlets as well in the process, some of which did pay me for my work when I would be used, eventually the combination of stress, lack of rest, and dealing with his nonsense took a toll on me and I ended up spending the majority of a year dealing with high blood pressure, which made me finally reduce the amount of work I was doing at the time.
Though I still keep odd hours and do much more than I was doing back then now that I'm running my own platform and the fact is, if I don't do it, no one will, I am always trying to find a way to balance things where I can give myself needed downtime and I can completely understand where she is coming from. Hopefully, my years and years of hard work finally manifest in my being able to make a comfortable if not good living off my work. All I can do is keep going, but I really do appreciate the tips offered in this book and have already tried implementing some techniques in some columns I have written. Fortunately, most of my long-form feature columns that are not full coverage of a full Boxing card consists of anywhere from 1500-2000 words. Sometimes depending on the subject I can go as far as 3000-3500, but I like what she says about word counts as it is a constant thing for me as when things are normal, I like to do three or four pieces of content per week between long-form features and card coverage, which I call short-form.
Though I do plan to eventually sit down and try my hand at fiction and/or write my own story provided I have both time and energy to do it, I certainly intend to try and use some of these techniques when that time comes and in my work going forward. I have not tried the writing out of sequence technique yet, but I plan on giving it a go as what I learned about breaking writing sessions into word counts has already been a help to me. I highly recommend this book to any writer. Thank you for the insight, tips, and the advice.
I have been writing since my pre-teens though I have never written a book, (At least not yet) I have spent twenty-five years writing about/covering combat sports, mostly Boxing. Though I have spent a lot of those years working for outlets, both online and print, there have been times that I struggle both with getting things done as well as the struggle of getting paid consistently for my work. In recent years, I have not been doing much work for outlets and have instead devoted my time to developing and trying to build my own outlet. Though I have come a long way, I'm still not at a point where I can say that I am able to make a comfortable living off my work, despite countless hours and relentless effort.
As I am focused on building my own outlet/platform, it is all on me to get things done and I am a company of one. With that in mind, I am always looking to do more and more and pushing my limits. This led me to seek this book in an effort to hopefully adapt some techniques that would help me accomplish the goal of doing more in less time, but also finding a balance that would allow me some time for myself.
Although the author is in a different gene than I in that I've never written a book, even though I have toyed with the idea of writing a book for years going back to my early days as a writer, I can definitely relate to a lot of the things she discusses in the book from wanting to increase output, but not compromise quality in the process, to hitting creative walls, (Writer's block is a nemesis of mine), to the "I Don't Wanna" days as she put it, finally to the toll that being a writer can take.
While every situation and individual is different, I particularly related to what she says in the final chapter about the pressure of deadlines and how it ultimately took a toll on her. I won't get into my own story, but years ago, one outlet that I worked for was run by a man who was extremely demanding and frankly difficult to work for. While in a way I will always be grateful to him as he gave me my first opportunity to be in print magazines, I would get calls from him at all hours and when he transitioned to an online outlet, those demands only increased where his mantra was "Sleep is for the weak." As demanding as he was, he was not willing to pay writers for the work we were doing using the line of "We're giving you valuable exposure." While I kept working for him for what ended up being a five year run and also working for other outlets as well in the process, some of which did pay me for my work when I would be used, eventually the combination of stress, lack of rest, and dealing with his nonsense took a toll on me and I ended up spending the majority of a year dealing with high blood pressure, which made me finally reduce the amount of work I was doing at the time.
Though I still keep odd hours and do much more than I was doing back then now that I'm running my own platform and the fact is, if I don't do it, no one will, I am always trying to find a way to balance things where I can give myself needed downtime and I can completely understand where she is coming from. Hopefully, my years and years of hard work finally manifest in my being able to make a comfortable if not good living off my work. All I can do is keep going, but I really do appreciate the tips offered in this book and have already tried implementing some techniques in some columns I have written. Fortunately, most of my long-form feature columns that are not full coverage of a full Boxing card consists of anywhere from 1500-2000 words. Sometimes depending on the subject I can go as far as 3000-3500, but I like what she says about word counts as it is a constant thing for me as when things are normal, I like to do three or four pieces of content per week between long-form features and card coverage, which I call short-form.
Though I do plan to eventually sit down and try my hand at fiction and/or write my own story provided I have both time and energy to do it, I certainly intend to try and use some of these techniques when that time comes and in my work going forward. I have not tried the writing out of sequence technique yet, but I plan on giving it a go as what I learned about breaking writing sessions into word counts has already been a help to me. I highly recommend this book to any writer. Thank you for the insight, tips, and the advice.
December 30, 2023
She has updated and reworked this and released a second edition in 2023. I grabbed it on Kobo.
Also listed as having 208 works on GR. I do like it when the how to book is written by someone who IS doing the how to thing, you know?
And thank god, a craft book written by a person who outlines roughly, then writes all over the place. We need more craft books from people who do not follow ‘the rules’ - they are so rare.
Big warning caveat over burnout, which is the thing affecting everyone at the moment.
Lots of good advice.
4 stars
Also listed as having 208 works on GR. I do like it when the how to book is written by someone who IS doing the how to thing, you know?
And thank god, a craft book written by a person who outlines roughly, then writes all over the place. We need more craft books from people who do not follow ‘the rules’ - they are so rare.
Big warning caveat over burnout, which is the thing affecting everyone at the moment.
Lots of good advice.
4 stars
July 21, 2020
This was a great read. There is a lot of very practical "how-to" advice, plus personal anecdotes and motivational phrases. I have a lot of takeaways and new methods to try that I have not heard before. I'm very glad I read this!
November 8, 2023
Actionable steps with great examples
Shorter than I expected, but it was Jock full of great information and easy steps okay, backed by the author's reward experience in building this system. I certainly can put these into practice right away.
Shorter than I expected, but it was Jock full of great information and easy steps okay, backed by the author's reward experience in building this system. I certainly can put these into practice right away.
December 30, 2019
Le idee sembrano interessanti, ma come dice bene l'autrice bisogna vedere se funzionano per tutti...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews