The Push to Produce: Are We Writing Too Fast?

Join the conversation: How do productivity pressures shape your writing experience?

Photo by Shiro hatori on Unsplash

I’m pretty confident—and usually pretty content—with my writing style, routines, and goals. I believe quality matters, there are no shortcuts, and taking my time is more important than rushing.

Still, if I poke around online for too long, The Message absolutely slaughters my creative instincts.

If you’ve followed me for a while, you know I believe we are our own best creative advisors. We—and yes, I’m including you in this—all have creative genius inside, if only we:

1. Listen to our intuition.

2. Practice living our way and learn to trust that inner voice.

3. Stop shaming ourselves for not following the herd.

I’m 100% serious. I believe we’d all be much happier and feel more fulfilled if we followed our instincts and used mentors, peers, and other influencers as nothing more than a sounding board to test our own beliefs.

But just because I believe it doesn’t make it easy to live that way.

Case in point: I’m currently 12,000 words into a new novel I’m writing. I set out to let it grow organically, no matter how long it takes, which is good because that’s how I produce my best work.

This week, however, I’ve been inundated with The Message that if I’m not publishing four novels a year, I’m doing it wrong.

The pressure has mounted all week, and last night, I found myself not only chastising myself for not writing fast enough but also mapping out a plan to squeeze in two additional novels this year.

That plan was soulless, joyless, and completely unrealistic, but at least it matched what random people spouted online.

Sigh.

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I was talking with a friend about the level of support and encouragement he gets from others. His response eventually segued into admitting that he feels a sort of pressure when he sees another writer finish a draft and publish it two months later.

For my friend, quality trumps quantity, but he still feels a hint of shame or feels like an outsider when so many others say quantity is more important.

And yes, I am suggesting that, for most of us, you can write fast or you can write well. Most of us don’t have the skills or experience to do both.

I’m almost ashamed to admit it, but a few months ago, I got stuck scrolling through one of Reddit’s writing subs. In one thread, writers shared thoughts on how important it was to publish quickly. One fast writer admitted that a reader pointed out a huge error the author had made: a character that appeared in book three had already been killed in book one.

The author didn’t use the post as a cautionary tale but instead expressed how wonderful it was to have readers whose comments helped improve the story…a story that was already published!

To me, that’s unacceptable.

Yes, that’s an extreme example, but I see plot holes and loose storytelling in way too many self-published stories I read.

We can’t keep expecting readers to buy the books we rush to publish. How long will those readers stick around, buying release after release, hoping our skills improve? (I’m talking about paying customers here, not friends and family or a peer group who help us improve through constructive criticism.)

I could argue for using editors, finding better beta readers, or slowing down your revision process, but if speed is so important that you’re already missing those crucial steps, such arguments will be ineffective.

Instead, I want to hear from you.

I know social media and the internet can easily become echo chambers. If I read a post about the need to write faster, the algorithm will likely filter my feed to give me similar topics to churn on.

So, instead of assuming you sense that same pressure, I want to hear what you have to say.

Do you feel pressure to write faster? Where does it come from?

Do you feel the need to publish your novels or comics before they're ready?

If so, how does that impact your enjoyment when writing?

Or maybe you don’t succumb to that pressure. If not, what strategies help you stay focused on your own creative intuition?

Let me know by leaving a comment.

Or, if you prefer the anonymity of a survey, I’ve created a short, 9-question survey about pressure and productivity that’ll help me gauge how important this topic is to you.

Or, if you’re a subscriber, respond to this email and let me hear from you directly.

Heck, if you really want to be vocal, do all three.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts!