If I could, I’d spend an entire day writing a 500 word article. But would I get the most bang for my buck? No; I’d have a flop of a business on my hands.
So how can you craft a killer article in as little as 30 minutes, without compromising on the quality and the outcome? Check out these seven steps on how to do exactly that.
DON’T think you can come up with the perfect idea on the spot
Deciding on what to write about unfortunately doesn’t fit in within the timeframe. This is something you need to do beforehand – and preferably on an ongoing basis.
I cheat by not classifying thinking time within my 30-minute allocation. Let’s say I have to write on a Thursday. I’ll start the mulling process on the Tuesday so my mind can just familiarise itself with the topic. By the time the Thursday rolls around, I’ve already loosely shaped the article without even realising it.
DO pick up your crayons and a piece of paper
If you’re not a visual person, then it might not be for you. But I find that taking a piece of paper, filling in with three big boxes, and then jotting my points in the intro, body and conclusion is a great way to tackle blocks of copy.
If you want to do the lot on the computer, then do so by putting in loose heading and then filling in the blanks.
DON’T write in order
Unless you feel inclined to do so naturally. If you want to start with the conclusion, then knock yourself out. The most important thing is to start – and keep – those words flowing. It doesn’t matter in which order they flow out.
DO write as you speak
This is not the time to show off your vocab prowess. You’re here to deliver a message, so deliver it as you would if you were speaking with me on the bus.
DON’T edit as you write
It’s so very tempting. But don’t give in to one of the biggest time sappers.
Rather, just get everything out of your head, mistakes and all. You’ll be far more efficient if you leave all the editing to the end of the process.
DO aim for 600 words or fewer
Any longer, and you’d be hard-pressed to finish it on time. Without compromising on the quality.
Which brings me to the last and most important point…
DON’T go for perfection
It’s blasphemous, isn’t it? How dare I say it’s OK to present something that’s less than perfect?!
Well, I’ve got news. Perfection will stop you from achieving what you want to achieve. We’re not talking about anaesthesia here; we’re talking about producing a killer piece of copy within a limited time frame.
Ask yourself: Will spending another few minutes on that sentence increase the power proportionately? If the answer is no, then leave it. If you end up with time at the end, knock yourself out. Or go and relax!
This newsletter took me exactly 27 minutes to craft. Could it be improved? Of course it could. But would it improve proportionately to the time I’ve spent on it? I daresay it wouldn’t. Aim for the sweet spot.
Hi Amanda,
All great tips. I’ve never used the crayon method but I’ll keep it in mind for future.
I keep lists, lists and more lists. Last night I whipped out a blog post in 45 minutes – start to publication. I used a list compiled during the past week with little notes, bullet-points of details, and a few full-blown sentences I’d rummaged up. It made the actually writing super quick.
Cheers,
Sarah
If you give me a subject I can write an article “on the fly” and really had to give myself permission to do this. I thought I had to laboriously pore over ideas, outlines, themes etc. and then I did some short articles for a magazine and they would give me a focus subject and number of words.
I would literally sit at the computer and start typing and amazed myself with some of the copy I wrote, rarely editing it. The whole thing would take “no time”. I think the trick here is to know your subject ( or opinion) very well, be passionate about it and allow the process.
When I first started to do this I would edit and mess around with it and actually ruin the flow entirely so I stopped doing that and created much better “from the heart” copy and as you say Amanda, perfection isn’t necessary.
Sarah: Let loose with the crayon colours!
Lists are excellent to keep on hand, aren’t they? I find them particularly helpful for headline ideas. I’ve simply got a selection in a text document I look up for inspiration.
I love the idea of adding whole sentences to use, too. I’ll be adding that to my own lists of things to do, so thank you for the great idea.
Joan: Thank you for sharing your experience on letting the words flow. Knowing your subject well is absolute key, isn’t it?
I’ve also found that writing for pleasure (mostly on my personal blog) has also helped me just let the words flow. It’s writing without the pressure to achieve something that has been my crucial factor. I know we don’t all feel inclined to do so, but it’s certainly helped shedding inhibitions.
I’m definitely going to have to buy some shackles to keep my inner editor at bay… he really is a P.I.T.A. when it comes to letting me write freely ;D
Some other great advice too! *furiously taking notes*
Great tips! I still struggle though. I think I struggle most with the perfection bit. If it’s a simple concept, I can bang out an article in half an hour, but if it’s something complex (a thought-leadership sort of post), I can spend a day, easy.