Speed Writing

In a world where technology has accelerated the delivery of services, information, results, business—you name it—the word speed has become a buzz word for terms such as speed dating, speed dialing, speed skating, speed racing, speed testing, etc., but what about speed writing? Although speed-writing generally refers to shorthand, it can be used to describe a creative writing process.

Often, a writer hears advice to just “get the story down on paper.” Do not worry about anything but the basic story. In that sense, I call it speed-writing. Whatever pops into your head, transfer it to paper. For example, the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is the most impressive proponent of challenging writers to meet a 50,000-word goal during the month of November. 

The theory is, once the writer creates the bare-bones draft of his story, he can begin the real work through editing and revising—adding, deleting, embellishing, reworking, and rearranging—until the story is polished.

This may work for many writers, but what I have experienced in trying this method is short-changing my original vision. When I sit down to write a scene, I have a certain feel for the setting, how the action unfolds, my characters’ emotions, interactions, and reactions, the combined atmosphere and tone. With speed-writing and dependence on the rewrite, I have found I’ve forgotten or cannot recapture my initial picture once I go back. Therefore, my manuscript suffers.

When I write, I prefer the tedious method. It may take me longer, but my words have to fall on paper with a rhythm, a sequencing speed-writing doesn’t capture. My biggest fear?  Quickness can backfire. I risk losing my original vision, poetic prose, artistic style, and cohesiveness. Extensive revision doesn't always capture the authenticity.

Again, there are no concrete rules for writing, no set processes one must follow. Speed-writing may work spectacularly for some writers but not all. Others may chose a more deliberate approach. How a writer arrives at a creative product is as varied as the color wheel. In the end, creativity isn’t creativity if it’s subjected to rules.