by Lisa Jordan, @lisajordan

As a writer, one of my biggest frustrations is how long it takes me to write a book. I write for Harlequin’s Love Inspired line, which is category romance, so my word count tops at 55K. In addition to writing, I do work during the day, so my time to get words on the page is limited to a couple of hours in the evenings. So, I’m always looking for ways to write smarter, which also enables me to write faster. 

Last November, I participated in NaNoWriMo with the intent of writing a free novella for my newsletter subscribers. However, due to other deadlines, I didn’t have much time to plan once November 1st arrived. I could’ve taken a day to figure out my characters and my plot, but instead, I jumped into writing that first scene to stay on track with my daily word count. Two-thirds of the way into the novel, I was stuck. I didn’t know what was going to happen next because I hadn’t planned ahead. But then I didn’t have a lot of time to focus on it because my editor had requested revisions on a contracted story. I ended up not meeting my NaNoWriMo goal. Honestly, I was fine with that because I knew I had to focus on a higher priority. I hadn’t been wasting writing time to binge on Netflix.

However, I realized I needed to write smarter in order to write faster. Over the past two months, I’ve gleaned three tips that will help me to do just that: 

1. Plan ahead: As a writer who likes to map out her stories, I need to know the general path my characters are going to take before I begin writing. I do this by planning ahead—I get to know my characters by figuring out their story equations, or SEQs. By understanding who my characters are and what they want, I can use their internal needs and desires to drive their external goals. Also, before I begin writing the next scene, I think about where I left off in the story. I figure out the best point-of-view character and determine if the new scene needs to be an action, reaction, or combo scene. Then I decide the setting and scene details so I can pull in storyworld to add layers and dimension to the scene. I don’t write polished scenes, but by planning ahead, my scenes are much cleaner than if I sat to write with no focused direction.

2. Speech to Text: Each writer has his or her favorite way of getting words on a page. During the rough draft process, I like to handwrite my scenes on my iPad using my Nebo handwriting to text app. This process allows my muse to flow more freely. After speaking with multi-published Amish suspense author, Dana R. Lynn, I learned how she gets many of her words on the page—dictating her scenes using Dragon software on her computer. I use Apple products, which have voice dictation features that allow me to tap a microphone so I can dictate into different apps on my devices. I decided to try it and see if it would work for me. While walking on the treadmill for forty-five minutes, I dictated into my phone and ended up with 3200 words, which is double the amount I could type in that short amount of time.
3. Writing Sprints: A couple of months ago, a writing friend asked if I’d participated in a writing sprint via Zoom. In the past, I’ve done timed writing challenges with a friend via texting. We set timers, wrote for a specific period of time, and when our time ended, we checked to see who had the most words written. Those timed writings helped me to get necessary words on the page. However, I hadn’t done one via Zoom. She explained how hers have worked in the past, so I decided to give it a try. Basically, four of us met together virtually at a specific time, wrote for forty-five minutes, then took a fifteen-minute break before doing the next session. Writing can be very solitary, so it was fun to write together with a small group of friends, then cheered each other for progress made. We muted our mics but kept our cameras on. Knowing others could see me and hold me accountable helped me to stay focused on what needed to be done—words on the page. I minimized distractions to maximize my word count. I had more words during our first session than I did during the next session, but at the end of our time together, I was pleased with my progress. 

Writing isn’t easy, but by planning ahead and finding different ways to get those words on the page, you can make progress toward meeting your writing goals and achieving your publishing dreams. 

Your Turn: What suggestions can you offer to help other writers to write smarter and to increase their word counts?

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A Love Redeemed

Just-for-now could become forever…

They agreed to help each other out.
No one mentioned falling in love.

Back home after losing her job, Isabella Bradley plans to stay only long enough to save her father’s diner, but she can’t do it alone. Her childhood friend Tucker Holland has the perfect solution—he will renovate the diner if she’ll be a nanny for his twins. But as Isabella and Tucker reconnect, their arrangement begins to feel a lot less temporary…

Heart, home, and faith have always been important to Lisa Jordan, so writing stories with those elements come naturally. Represented by Cynthia Ruchti of Books & Such Literary Management, Lisa is an award-winning author for Love Inspired, writing contemporary Christian romances that promise hope and happily ever after. Her latest book, A Love Redeemed, released in September 2020. She is the operations manager for Novel Academy, powered by My Book Therapy. Happily married to her own real-life hero for over thirty years, Lisa and her husband have two grown sons. When she isn’t writing, Lisa enjoys family time, good books, and being creative with her friends. Visit her at lisajordanbooks.com.