5 Random Writing Tips to Make Your Writing Life More Efficient

by Lori Hatcher

Wouldn’t you love to write more efficiently? 

I would. 

Frankly, I’d like to do all of life more efficiently. Have you ever clicked on a social media post promising “10 Kitchen Tips to Save Time”? Twenty minutes later, you’re mourning the fact that you wasted those twenty minutes reading that article. Other times, you actually learn something. (Who knew you could use toothpaste to clean your foggy headlights?)

I promise I won’t waste your time. Today I’m sharing five random tips that will make your writing life more efficient. 

5 Ways to Make Your Writing More Efficient

Random Tip #1: You can try the latest editing softward for free. 

Have you heard about editGPT? For writers or editors who pay to use Grammarly or ProWritingAid (which now include or offer AI features), you might want to try it—for free. Thanks, Jane Friedman for sharing this.

Random Tip #2: Don’t submit until you do a First Lines test. 

Jesse Floria taught me this at Florida Christian Writers Conference, and I’ve added it to my pre-submission checklist. After I check grammar, punctuation, and spelling, I read the first line of each devotion or chapter aloud and ask, “Does this make me want to read on?” If the answer is no, rewrite it. 

Random Tip #3: Gather permissions as you go. 

If you include other people’s names or stories in your WIP, your publisher will ask you for permission forms. Do yourself a favor—gather them as you go, rather than scrambling a year or more later to track down and contact the people you mention in your book. If you can’t find them or they won’t grant you permission, it’s better to find out now so you can adapt your material.

Random Tip #4: Cite your sources as you go.

You’re reading an amazing devotional and a quote from the author resonates with you. It sparks an idea for a chapter in your WIP, and you use the quote as your hook. A year (or more) later, your editor asks you to cite your source. What was the name of that book? And what page was the quote on? To avoid spending hours combing through your bookshelf and thumbing through your books, capture all relevant information as you write. Then, when your editor asks for it, you’ll be ready.

Random Tip #5: Print your WIP and use both sides of the paper.

As a writer and freelance editor, I always print a hard copy of the manuscript I’m working on for one last edit before I submit it. Don’t skip this step. I’m always shocked at the errors I see in print that I miss on a computer screen. If you’re hesitant to waste paper, print on both sides (There’s setting on your Print Preview screen). If you’re worried about wasting ink, as Steven James said, “It’s not wasteful. It’s a tool of your trade.” 

If you’ve been writing for more than a week, you’ve discovered a few random tips of your own. Share them in the comment box below and join the conversation. If we can save someone else a few minutes, a few dollars, or a few brain cells, let’s do it! 

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5 Random Writing Tips to Make Your #Writing Life More Efficient from Lori Hatcher on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Lori Hatcher is a writing instructor, freelance editor, and author of six devotional books with Our Daily Bread Publishing. She loves to share tips and tricks that make authors’ lives easier with local writers groups and at conferences. One of her favorite workshops is “20 Writing Life Hacks, How to Write Better, Faster, Smarter.” Connect with her next at Carolina Christian Writers Conference and Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference.