Does your keyboard catch on fire because you type so fast or are you the such a slow writer that folks can count to 20 between each of your keystrokes? Hopefully, you’re somewhere in the middle or better. Being able to write faster is so important to capturing your thoughts, ideas, and emotions in a timely manner… before they float away forever!
Too many times I’ve let an idea or awesome thought slip away because I didn’t write it down or capture it in some way. No, I do not have a memory problem. Yes, I have learned how and now am better at writing faster. It’s definitely something you should look into before you lose the next big thought, right?
In this article, a gracious reader and champion for life-change was kind enough to do a little question and answer interview survey with me. I don’t claim to be the best interviewer in the world, but I do promise some good, raw, and honest answers from normal people like you and me. I do my best to NOT filter these answers, except for the bad words and hateful speech (which of course doesn’t happen often).
With that little blurb out of the way, let’s dive right into the content!
Today’s Topic: Writing Faster (Round 2)
‘R’ = Richard N. Stephenson (me!)
‘I’ = Interviewee (anonymous by request unless otherwise noted)
[This interview is inspired and fueled by research done for my book: Quick Content Formula.]
R: Describe what writing faster means to you.
I: Writing faster to me doesnt just mean just physically writing with more speed but having the ability to think and form complete ideas quicker. the faster you are thinking the quicker it gets done. of course physically increasing typing or script speed is important as well.
R: Describe how writing faster would be useful to people looking to change their lives/careers.
I: Writing faster would be quite a useful skill for people in this situation because it can increase productivity and would be a desirable trait for many careers. In addition, it would cut down on time needed to write resumes and cover letters. This would give an individual more time to focus on other aspects of their job hunt.
R: Give an example of writing faster being used that has inspired you (from either internet/mainstream media examples or personal examples).
I: A friend of mine writes extremely fast. She’s quite talented. It means that she finishes her projects much more quickly than others might, and has more time to edit, complete other non-writing parts of projects, or do something fun. She’s inspired me to work on better expressing myself so that I can be more productive with my own projects.
R: How do you think a better understanding of writing faster would help other people in their personal or professional life?
I: A better understanding of having to write faster would benefit people immensely. They could speed up production, and, in the case of worklife, it can also signal a leader that can effectively communite in a fast manner. At the personal level, it’s the same. Knowing how to write fast could free up that individual to do other things.
R: Give an example of how writing faster has helped you professionally or personally.
I: Writing faster has helped me a lot. especially when in college or school reports that are due in a short period of time can be done in a few hours as opposed to pulling all nighters. also in the office when the boss wants a report, being the first to hand it in usually is impressive.
R: Describe at least one way you think writing faster could cause trouble or hurt someone in their personal or professional life.
I: Writing fast, much like any task that is rushed, can often result in mediocre work. Mediocre work is harmful because it can often come off as unprofessional, especially in resumes and when talking to superiors. Mediocre writing can also result in your writing misrepresenting what you’re trying to say, causing unintentional emotional harm to someone else.
R: Give an example of how writing faster has hurt you or caused you trouble in the past.
I: If you write too fast you can make little mistakes. You can spell things wrong, use improper grammar or otherwise make yourself sound less intelligent than you are. This isn’t always intentional but can come from not paying attention or going to quickly.
R: How do you think writing faster could help you in a professional setting? Why is that?
I: Writing faster would help you be more efficient, employers would take note of your typing speed on your resume and consider it a plus. You can also get more work done the faster you type, potentially out preforming others in your same dept.
R: Give an example of how writing faster could be useful at work. Why do you think this?
I: If you can write fast you are more efficient. If you are more efficient you can get more work done. It allows you to communicate more quickly and that is particularly useful in a busy work environment.
R: How do you think writing faster could help you at home? Why is that?
I: I could get more accomplished quicker, although I don’t really write anything beyond some occasional fiction work to share with friends. It might help me in terms of getting correspondence out in a more timely manner. If I wrote faster though it might decrease the quality if I focus on speed.
R: Give an example of how writing faster could be useful at home or in family life. Why do you think this?
I: Being able to write faster decreases the time needed to complete handwritten projects. List making and letter writing are both examples of projects that could be improved by faster writing. I’ve found that personally, I know several people who hate writing letters, because it takes them a long time and they find it tedious. If it took less time, they would be more likely to do it – And that would certainly make some relatives happier. :)
R: How do you think writing faster could help you in a personal relationship? Why is that?
I: Communication is always a problem in any relationship. If you can type clear and fast and still get your point across it will help that relationship. We live in a culture of demand and immediate gratification, typing/writing faster will help fill that need as well.
R: Give an example of how writing faster could be useful in a personal relationship. Why do you think this?
I: Perhaps writing faster wont improve the relationship in a traditional sense. but it will improve other aspects of ones life and those who have a better overall life tend to be able to produce better relationships.
R: Describe at least one thing you would like to learn more about writing faster.
I: I’d like to learn how to better organize my thoughts. One of the things that slows me down when writing is that it can take a long time for me to organize my thoughts in a way that I’m sure will make sense to others. I’d like to learn how to make my writing flow naturally without having to spend a lot of time editing.
R: Give your number one piece of advice for someone looking to learn more about writing faster.
I: If you want to increase your writing speed the only thing you really must do is write more often. Write about things you don’t care about. Write about things you passionately despise. Write about the mundane but make it exciting. write about the stranger across from you on the bus from their point of view on how they perceive you. Write fan fiction. Spend more time writing than other hobbies. Only then will you be writing as fast as you possibly can.
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That’s it for now! I hope you enjoyed this interview conversation and found at least one useful bit of information you can immediately begin to apply in your life.
Also, if you’d like to figure out how to make a lot of great content for your own blog, website, school work, or email newsletters, then you might enjoy the Quick Content Formula. This is my own personal (and favorite!) method of creating highly engaging, fun, and useful information at a very quick pace. It’s a great way to beat that blinking cursor and write more awesome stuff. Click here to check it out.
Please share your thoughts, experiences, or your own interview answers and let’s share some real life wisdom, okay?