When I started blogging way back in 2018, I could only manage writing one blog post per week, sometimes not even that. And now here we are, five years later, and I can easily publish 3+. (I counted 12 max.)

That sounds too simple, doesn’t it? But sometimes that’s what it takes: Practice. Lots of practice.

But let’s dig a little deeper, shall we?

Situations where writing “fast” is not an option

Not all writing is the same. Some writing takes longer to finish than others for a variety of reasons. Let’s look at a few scenarios:

• You’re a new writer. As I was saying earlier, it used to take me forever to write a blog post. I’m a lot faster now because I’ve been writing for a few years. Give yourself time, you’ll get faster too. It won’t happen overnight, and that’s fine. We have to start somewhere.
• Subject matters. I’ve been writing the same types of stories these past few years — content marketing how-to posts, lists, tutorials, etc. For my blogs, anyway. These are not hard to write if you know the topic well. The challenge is in structuring the content in a digestible manner (for the benefit of the reader,) and that comes with practice. If, however, you ask me to write an essay about climate casualties, I assure you, it’ll take me weeks, if not months, to write.
• Length (and scope) matters. When I say I can write 3+ posts, not all of them are made equal. Some of these blog posts are longer in length and/or more complex in nature while others are not so much. I remember writing a 10k+ word blog post last year, and it took me the better part of a week, from planning, organizing, writing, editing, and then some… I believe I only published that one post that week.

Here’s a little anecdote to make you feel better about writing slowly… Last year, I took a flash essay writing class with the amazing Alysia Sawchyn. Someone in the class had asked her how long it took her to finish an essay, to which Alysia said, wait for it, a few months.

A few months! To write one essay! By a seasoned, published writer!!!

What I’m trying to say is that don’t beat yourself up about not being able to write and publish at someone else’s pace.

Typically, when asked this question during a workshop or a 1 on 1, I say that new bloggers should aim to publish one post per week. While that’s the goal, it’s perfectly normal for new bloggers and writers to take some time getting there.

Quantity is important, but so is quality. While your posts need not be perfect, they should be good enough so that your readers actually enjoy reading and benefit from them.

That level of writing comes from practice. Be kind to yourself and be patient. You’ll get there.

And now, if you must, some tips for writing faster… relatively speaking.

Tips for writing faster

These tips won’t necessarily help you write and publish twice every week right off the bat, but if you practice them, in time, you’ll start writing faster and faster.

• Know your topic well. Writing fast comes from having sufficient knowledge of what you’re writing. Often I’d be stumped in the middle of writing, and always, always I go back to my research. I read more about the subject, I try to get a better understanding, and often I’d find something new or something I might have forgotten, and that’d unclog the block.
• Content writers, get into the habit of outlining. Think through your topic and what it is that you want your readers to take away from your blog post. Ask yourself: where is your reader before reading your post, and where will they be after reading it? Then map out that journey; break down your content into digestible steps to take your reader on that trip. Each item in your outline should be a section header or subheader. Then, simply fill them in.
• Practice writing every day. or as often as possible. This is especially important for newer writers. Practice is how you get better and faster too.
• Remember: quality is important, but perfection is unnecessary. As long as you’ve written something good enough, it’s good enough. Give yourself permission to hit that publish button.

I know these are not concrete steps to suddenly writing and publishing 4x faster, but if it’s taking you two weeks to write one post now, it’s unfair to want to suddenly go from that to publishing 2x per week.

Learn to walk before running, and I say that with my utmost respect to all writers and creators. Pace yourself. And stop comparing your output with someone else’s. We all have our unique journies. If you keep writing, your pace will improve over time for sure.

Good luck!