Writing Tips: How to write 5 Articles a day

My Friend saw a job alert that required her to write five articles a day and was quite flummoxed. Is that even possible Cecilia? I chuckled and told her I have written 10 articles a day and I know people who can do 15.

If you are just starting and wondering how that is possible. I will share my secret rituals.

    Take a bath

Writing would be so much easier If you could kidnap that dress for me

 It is easier to get up and go right to your computer, then have a shower in the afternoon. You are doing it wrong. If you are working dressed in your pajamas, you are not giving this writing the seriousness it deserves. Wear something cheerful..You will not be wasting time if you get up, have a shower, eat your breakfast, clean your desk and start to work. These little procedures are part of writing and incase a relative drops by, they won't think- unakaa tu kwa nyumba.

my 50% clean, cheerful desk

  Eat and Drink

breakfast in my house, mostly

When I have a lot to write, I bake a -whole grain pancake- This is a pancake mix with baking powder in it. I put in the entire mixture onto a heavy pan, cover it and let it rise until It starts to smell nice.  A pancake has protein, carbohydrates and fiber. Grate an apple or throw in some dried fruit for vitamins. This style also saves on time. All through the day I down several mugs of spiced tea and drink lots of water to keep hydrated. If you are hungry your brain will just give you reject articles. So eat and drink.

Notebooks and pens

It is easier to copy paste your research onto a word document and then refer from it for your online writing. But I find that writing down short notes of just what I need for the article gives me speed when I start to compose the article.

 Another problem with creating a word document for you research notes is, at the end of the day when your head is scrambled, you might end up attaching the research document as one of your articles. That will get you fired right away.

       Music

I have three playlists which I keep changing from time to time. As I am doing my research and don’t need to concentrate as much, I play soft rock (Alter Bridge, Train, The Killers, Nickleback). When I start to type out the online articles, I play House Music, or Techno. It makes me set fire to my key-board coz I feel like I’m in a spaceship.

When I take a break, I play instrumental music and Jazz. I don’t  play Bongo, One man guitar or Reggae when writing because I start to sing along but it is good for when I take a break.

Write other things

when lights go out, use your phone to search, write out your articles, run to a cyber, type and email before your deadline.

When doing online writing, it is very easy to lose your voice when you have been reading other people’s work the whole day. I find that, if I take a break and write something creative, something out of my own head and my blog gets done. It presses the refresh button and I can keep the pace in writing. Otherwise your last articles might start to sound like someone else’s. I remember one time a client telling me- You didn’t not write that article, I know your style-

Writers have different styles, so maintain yours, don’t try to copy another.

I a m sure you have your own rituals, you can share them. I will share some more tips later.