When you read other peoples’ blogs, you might feel motivated to write more. Some of these bloggers churn out between 5-6 posts a week, maybe even more. Meanwhile, you might be generating 1-2 pieces of short content a week and feeling meh about the whole process.
Learning how to write more can be a difficult process. You might feel obligated to set an unrealistic goal for yourself and feel disappointed when you can’t reach it, or you might reduce your content quality in favor of more word quantity.
Any way you put it, learning how to write more is essential for all writers. Read our article below to learn more!
What You’ll Need To Write More
Like I said, the motivation to write more may typically last you a few days. It’s difficult to churn out content as frequently as some blog writers do. However, if you follow these ten tips, you’ll be on your way to writing more content. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Timer
- Calendar for scheduling (or a calendar app like Google Calendar)
- Notebook for planning and jotting down ideas
- A list of things you’re passionate about (you’ll learn more about this one later!)
- A stereo system, noise-canceling headphones, or something else to play music
- Something to write with (laptop, a pen with paper, typewriter, etc.)
Tips for Writing More
Follow these tips for writing more, and you’ll find yourself writing high-quality content more consistently.
1. Time Yourself
Timing yourself while writing is one way to ensure that you’re writing more. How many times have you said you’re going to write an entire 1800-word blog post by starting 1 hour before it’s due, only to find out that you have no idea what to write and you end up missing your deadline? You need to learn about yourself and your writing habits first, and that includes setting up blocks of time to write as much as you can.
- Figure out a predetermined amount of time before writing. For instance, if you have an 1800-word blog post due at 7 PM, start at noon.
- Set a timer for a half-hour and write as much as you can within that half-hour without any breaks.
- Take a 30-minute break and get right back into it for the next stint. After a few hours, you’ll have your 1800 words with some time left over for editing.
Writing for a predetermined amount of time accomplishes two goals: One, it keeps your attention span focused on the task at hand. Two, it motivates you to be as productive as possible in a relatively short period of time. Something as simple as a timer can help you stay motivated!
2. Form Habits
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve put off writing a technical blog or guest post until the last minute because I have no motivation after not writing for a few days. Even if you have no scheduled posts or deadlines to meet, you need to continue writing every day. Make it part of your routine so that writing for deadlines feels natural, not stressful.
You can start by scheduling extra writing assignments around your deadlines. These are simply extra self-assigned posts that you write for practice, and won’t necessarily be posted on your blog. If you do them, that’s great!
It’s extra practice, and you’re forming a habit of writing every day, so you’re never out of practice. If you don’t do the extra writing, hold yourself accountable, and get to them as soon as you get all of your other deadline work finished.
3. Write When You’re Feeling Productive
Without a deadline, I often feel that it’s easier to be lazy. Feeling productive can be something that’s hard to come by. As a freelance writer, it’s important to learn what motivates you and understand what work conditions make you most productive
Personally, I’m motivated by deadlines and find myself to be most productive when I’m staring down a stopwatch. I also know that I write my best content when I’m under pressure and feeling in the flow. Some people might dislike pressure and be more likely to create poorly written content as a result.
Know yourself.
Another thing to think about is that most people do their best work during certain times of the day (although this varies by person). Pay attention to the times of day when you’re feeling most productive. Then write during that time.
You might also try writing early in the day or late at night when you have no other plans or obligations. This way, you’ll have fewer distractions, and you’re more likely to write better content.
4. Create a Plan
You should never go into the writing process without having a plan. This is a great way to start rambling in your content, which is a hassle to go back and edit, especially if you’re trying to meet a word count. Create a plan of action before you start writing.
- Determine what your headers will be and make a bulleted list of each main point within those paragraphs.
- Think about any photos, videos, or other media forms you’d like to put in your content and add those to your bullet points.
- Once you’ve figured out your plan of action, you can start writing.
5. Have a List of Ideas
This goes hand-in-hand with point #4: Keep a notebook on your person or a note open in your phone, so you can jot down any writing ideas that may pop into your head throughout the day. This way, you can always have a list of ideas for things to write about.
This can benefit you in two ways. One, if you’re looking to write casually (no deadlines), there’s always something to write about. Two, if you are writing for deadlines and can’t figure out what to write about, you can go about your day casually without thinking too much about what you need to write.
If you’re like me, your best ideas will come to you when you’re busy doing something unrelated. Make sure you write them down when they do!
6. Write About What You Like
Remember that list of things you’re passionate about? Here’s where it comes in handy.
Spend some of your time writing about topics you find exciting (even if you’re not getting paid). If you’re passionate about science fiction, but you have a gardening blog and can never figure out why you have no inspiration, I can guarantee that’s one of the sources of your problem. Finding something that you’re passionate about can actually help you write about the things you’re not as passionate about.
It’s natural that you’ll be able to write about what you love much more easily than what you don’t care about. If you’re passionate about science fiction, start a blog about your favorite sci-fi movies and books. Even if you need to write about gardening, writing about science fiction can help you learn to plan and list ideas, which are valuable skills you can apply to write about gardening. Find what you love and write about it!
7. Learn To Say No
This is a difficult lesson to learn, but an important one nonetheless. Learning to say no is an important life lesson regardless of the industry you’re in. If you’re a freelance writer who is uncomfortable writing about a particular subject, you need to know that it’s okay to say no.
Let’s say you’re a freelance writer who writes technical blogs, press releases, and guest posts. You’ve tried to write press releases a few times, but you’ve found that it’s not your best work, and you’re not a fan of them. It’s okay to pass up on the press releases in favor of other kinds of content! Don’t write in formats you don’t like because it will only slow you down.
Write only about what you like and how you like (if you can afford to).
8. Hide Distractions
We all know the struggle of sitting down to write, but then getting a notification from social media or from a friend wanting to talk. Writing more requires that you hold yourself accountable and keep yourself from getting distracted—at all costs.
- Put your phone in a drawer and close any distracting tabs on your laptop.
- Use an app like StayFocusd that hides desktop notifications and limits the time you’re allowed to spend on distracting sites.
- Do any other tasks that need to be done (laundry, cleaning the kitchen, bathing your three dogs) before you sit down to write or plan to do them all afterward.
There are always going to be distractions and things that are out of your control. The point is, don’t let yourself get distracted during the time you carve out to write each day (see Tip #1).
9. Use Music to Concentrate
This tip may not apply to everyone, so take it as more of a suggestion than a rule of thumb. Some people concentrate better when there is calming music in the background. For some, it’s just background noise that cancels out anything else that might be happening while they write. For others, it helps them maximize their focus and get in their own writing bubble.
I say this doesn’t apply to everyone because some others, myself included, just find it distracting. However, it’s up to you to find out if having music in the background can help you write more. If music isn’t your thing, you can try listening to white or brown noise or just use noise-canceling headphones to cancel out ambient noise.
Here’s a great playlist on Spotify that can help you focus.
10. Get a Writing Job
If you’re a freelancer who doesn’t already have an “official” job writing, look into writing for an established company. Most big companies have blog sections on their websites that need blog posts on a semi-regular basis; you can contact these companies and ask if they need a contracted writer to create these posts for them.
You can also look into working for an SEO company. SEO, or search engine optimization, is when you write intending to make that particular page or company appear higher in search engine rankings. This involves things like proper use of header tags, optimizing keywords, and placing strategic links and calls-to-action throughout the text. SEO is a great way to earn money while learning how to write tailored content.
Conclusion
Learning how to write more seems like a complicated process, but it’s actually quite straightforward. You just need a plan (see #4!) to learn step-by-step what you need to do to produce more, better content. By following these ten tips, you’ll be a better and more motivated content creator.
We hope you enjoyed reading our tips for learning how to write more. Let us know what you think about our article in the comments and feel free to share our article with other writers if you enjoyed it. Remember, learning how to write more is as simple as making a plan and sticking to it!