Six actions that helped me write faster
If you’re a freelance writer, your writing speed determines how much you pay yourself per hour. Your hourly earnings then impact your monthly income.
Many of us get paid per word by our clients. Otherwise, it’s according to a formula based on the total word count. So, the speed at which you write matters.
Writing more quickly means you free up more time. More time means you could take on more work. Or a rejuvenating break.
Also, creating content more easily suggests you’re getting better at your craft and topics of expertise. This could prompt you to make some bold career moves, like taking on new clients or going fully freelance. (Yup, I did both of those things.)
About 2 and a half years ago, when I started getting paid writing work, I didn’t give much thought to efficiency. I was learning the ropes.
But, gradually, I went from producing 500 to 4,000 words per week. During that time, I doubled my earnings per hour of writing — from about $17 to $34 an hour.
Partially, that’s to do with my rate per word increasing on average by about 25%. But, to a large degree, it’s because I’m a much faster writer. And this has improved my schedule, finances, and work opportunities.
Here’s how I did it.
- I improved my personal circumstances
Full disclosure. A couple of years ago, I was battling at least 5 different illnesses, from mental to physical.
I experienced recurring fatigue, mood swings, headaches, and even blood loss. These made concentrating really difficult and slowed down my writing.
Kudos to the writing agency I was and am still working with — they offered me flexible deadlines with the first few articles I delivered to their clients. They understood my circumstances.
However, I felt I wanted to do more. I was only writing a couple of thousand words a month. I was cashing in pocket money, a monthly average of $200.
Then, as my health issues gradually got resolved, I saw my output soar. It’s instagrammable, I know. But a…
