Double Your Writing Output in 1 Easy Step

I haven’t posted anything on the blog in a while, so I hope my four followers haven’t decided to ditch me in the past week. It’s Friday, and I really want to get something up for you all to enjoy. A nice easy read to take home this weekend. Today the goal is pure speed. It’s my own little free-writing challenge.

What’s free-writing you ask? I’m not talking about pro-bono work for a non-profit. (although I do offer that.) No, Free-writing means simply writing. No editing, no re-reading, just banging on the keyboard.


I cover my computer monitor and write. That’s it. That means turning off my inner editor, rolling with my mistakes and letting the ideas flow out. After I’m done, I let it marinate for a few hours, then come back in and edit.

Covering the monitor is great way to get the creative juices flowing. The idea is to get a really strong stream of consciousness going. You’ll end up with oodles of ideas to work with. Then it’s just a matter of laying it out in a way that makes sense.

It forces me to make spelling mistakes and formatting errors while writing long, run-on sentences. But you know what? That’s okay. I’ve been writing most of my life. I’ve learned to trust my inner writer.  He really gets going when I let him work alone. But to do that I have to give my inner editor the morning off.

That’s been the toughest thing for me as a writer. It seems every fiber in my body wants to procrastinate and put off actual work, but not my inner editor. He’s always on the clock. I’m not sure why. He hardly ever shows up after one too many cocktails. Then I’m on my own. But if I try to write so much as a grocery list he’s right there, ready to slow me down.

So the goal is to get him used to relaxing, grabbing a cup of coffee and taking the morning off. The editor should only show up after the writer has done his (or her) job.  It’s amazing how quickly I’m able to get words on paper when I’m stopping every sentence to fix a spelling mistake or insert a missed comma.

So give it a try next time you need to really get down to business and write. Turn off your monitor. It may take a few times to get used to it, but that’s part off the process. Your editor will kick and scream, but the technique really works You’ll be amazed at how fast your word count climbs. I’ve nearly doubled my hourly output. 

I’d love to know what you think. Can you turn off your inner editor? Give it a try and let me know how it goes.