How I Write More Than 2000 Words a Day as a Part-Time Writer
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Everyday, I write over 2000 words on Medium. I’m a part-time writer. This isn’t my day job.
Writing is a craft that can only be mastered through deliberate practice. That’s not to say that I’m a master writer — I’m no Nicolas Cole, who writes over 10,000 words a day (that was back in 2017!). But I do know that to get better at writing, it helps to be writing a lot each day.
The routine I’ve developed over the past year has helped tremendously in my writing endeavors. I’ve been able to write over 2000 words a day, every day. Here’s how it works.
I stapled writing into my schedule
Every single morning, I wake up and try to knock out the 2000 words in 1 to 2 articles.
Since I began writing about 4 years ago, I’ve learned that I write best in the morning, shortly after I wake up. Once I shake off my sleepiness, I’m ready to go.
The morning is perfect because it’s before any of my other work has started. My head is fully clear and ready to write. No one is texting me or blowing up my phone with distractions — I’m usually up at 6AM or earlier when most people are still asleep, so it’s nice and quiet.
In the short time before work, I can usually bang out a ~1200 word draft in about an hour. That’s if it’s a topic I know about and have researched before. Other more technical subjects may take a little longer.
Writing is fully stapled into my schedule. Just like anything else that’s regular in my day like work, exercise, and dinner. These things always get done because they’re a part of my daily routine. Once I’m done my draft, I’ll go ahead with the rest of my day: WhatsApp message my girlfriend, have breakfast, and get ready for my commute to work.
Pre-planning
Part of the reason I’m able to write those ~1200 words per hour is preparation. I have a Google Keep note that has all of my blog article ideas.
Before I ever sit down to write any of the articles, I’ve already written down the title and main ideas of what I’m going to write about in that note.