As an indie author coach with more than 2000 students learning how to successfully self-publish and manifest a millionaire author destiny, I get asked the question all the time, “How can I can I write my books faster?” 

Now, I’m not talking about rapid releasing here, either. (Though I teach a course on how to do just that.) 

I’m talking about indie authors who want to write their books, but instead of doing the thing (otherwise known as write), they make excuses as to why it can’t be done. 

Excuses like… 

1. Writing a book is hard.
2. Who am I to write this thing?
3. What if I can’t get it down on paper the way I see it in my head?
4. No one will read my books anyway.
5. Self-published authors make no money. 
6. I don’t have time.
7. I don’t have money to invest in being an author.
8. What if people hate what I write?

The list goes on and on.

However, when we dig down into their writing habits, the heart of the matter is:

They haven’t made the decision to prioritize their writing. 

Look, we are all busy. We all worry about our writing to a degree. We all have the same fears. 

But we all have the same 24 hour days, too. We all have the option to look at it differently and flip all of those limiting beliefs on their head… Because ultimately, none of them are true if you don’t believe they are. Shit you not. 

You’re the one making them hard. Your thoughts, your beliefs, your actions (or inactions) are bringing about the current reality in which you live. In other words, the fact that you’re not getting words on the page is a direct reflection of the thoughts you’re thinking. 

You can change those thoughts any time you want. 

Right now, today, you could make the decision that writing was easy. You could decide you’re the perfect person to write the book. You could decide it will be a perfect reflection of your vision and readers will fall over themselves to get to read it. You could even decide it will be wildly profitable. 

But first, whatever you do, you must decide. 

Everything we create is always a thought first and a thing second. Without the decision to write the book, it’s going to hang out in the back of your head waiting for its moment to shine.  

If you’re reading this post, you know the time is now.

The world needs your book. You need your book. 

5 Tips to Finish Your Book Fast

If you’re done with the BS and ready to make magic happen, these are my tried and true tips to write with way more easy and less drama. Ready?

1. Prioritize your butt in seat time. Yes, this means committing to your book, to your writing, and trusting the process. I personally don’t care if your butt is in that seat every single day or if you pick 2 days a week. Whatever you can commit to, stick to it, and stick with it. Go in knowing some days will feel harder than others. Go in knowing some days your words will flow fast and others like molasses. Just promise yourself that your decision is valid and your resolve is locked in.
2. Have a goal in mind (aka a deadline). If you want to be faster at writing and publishing, you need to be better at giving yourself deadlines. Are you wanting to publish a book a year? A book a quarter? Rapid release four at the end of the year? What is the end game, my friend? In my course Rapid Release Roadmap™, we talk a lot about sustainable rapid releasing and writing in a way that increases your backlist without driving you bonkers. You need to know what you’re capable of and what your goals are. Then, you can work backward from there. 
3. Plan your books. Sorry, my pantser friends, but if you want to increase your speed and lessen your confusion, you gotta go in with a plan. This is why I talk a lot about planning out a series of four books and rocking out a book a quarter. When you plan a series, a lot of the world-building only has to be done once. Then, you’re free to focus on characters, story arcs, plot, and scenes. Books unfold faster and your stress levels decline. 
4. Sprint it out. Many authors get stuck with their books because they don’t have that goal in mind, then they end up writing or editing forever. Consider Parkinson’s Law which states: work will expand or contract to fit the time allotted for it. So, with this in mind, let me introduce you to the sprint, my writerly friend. No, I’m not just talking about a writing session sprint (although those are valuable as well.) I’m talking about a 6-week writing sprint. Once your book (or series) is mapped out, you hit the keyboard hard for the next SIX WEEKS. Think of it like NaNoWriMo, but you can do it any time of the year. You plan out which days you can write (I recommend 5 days a week) and your book’s approximate wordcount goal. I typically go with 60K, so that means each week I need to write 10K words. When I break that down into daily goals, it’s 2K words, 5 days a week. (If you read that number and balked, remember – it’s only hard if you BELIEVE it is!) Then, for the next 6-weeks, my #1 goal is to hammer out the words. Not edit. Not worldbuild. Not fret. Not overthink. Not procrastinate. 
5. Repeat. You’ll notice I’m not going into editing, publishing, or marketing here. That’s because your job as a writer is to focus on the writing. Especially in the beginning. I want you to have plans to edit and publish and move on to the next book. But they shouldn’t take long. In fact, your editing process should take no more than a month and publish that sucker. (That goes for professionally edited or self-edited books alike.) In the modern era of indie authorship, authors without a large backlist will likely not earn the living they’re destined for or that they desire. The chances that your first book will be a unicorn and earn you millions is slim (not impossible, just improbable). So the way we overcome that is by writing more books. By having more entry points for our readers. By being so bold that readers are magnetized to our worlds and buy more of our books. 

So what are you waiting for? Did you decide? 

I sure as hell hope so. Because the world needs more stories like yours. 

Go forth and start your author revolution!