Tested writing tips: testing Chris Fox « 5,000 Words Per Hour » technique

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: This is not an affiliate post.

My opinions are my own. « 5,000 Words Per Hour » is available at Kobo and Amazon/Audible. On to the tested writing tip stuff!

My goal trying out this writing technique was, as usual, to improve my writing process.

Since I want to earn a living as a writer (dream-on girl, I know, I know, I know), I need to be able to achieve more writing projects in a shorter length of time.

Writing 5,000 words per hour involves a serious amount of re-writes and editing. That is simply killing my writing mojo.

Nevertheless, I kept an open mind and worked my way through Chris Fox’s approach.

First things first: how I currently do the writing process thing

I am working from home. Everyday weekday, I dedicate time for creative writing. Every weeknight, I write at least an hour after I put my most wonderful kiddo to bed.
To the core, I am a planster.
While writing, I meet many characters and through the characters, the story evolves.
When I reach a cross-road of possibilities, then I outline, then I go back to writing.
At every new cross-road of possibilities, I either go back to the outline, or start fresh.

Plus, I love to write, period. I love pretty words, funny turn of phrase, and so on and so forth. Writing just for the sake of producing words: not interested.

Now, on with the Chris Fox technique, which actually advocate the exact opposite.

Are you ready?

Be prepared to change your routine. And be ready to work. Real hard.

In that book, Chris Fox approach on writing is focused on one thing: writing more words, every day. Which is what you are supposed to want to be doing since you bought the book, right?

The method is explained, swiftly, clearly, then time to put the words into practice. All the exercises provided by this book are aiming in a single one direction: writing more words.

Let’s take some and leave some, shall we?

Some exercises, I had to kick my butt hard to do.

I tend to research while I write, a thing that is strictly forbidden by the successful indie author.
I also stop to look up some words definition or re-write a sentence until the words I’ve been crutching on vanish. Also forbidden.

So I ended leaving many, many, too many red notes behind (oh no! they sure cannot be added to your word-count).

Tracking it down

Word count was a definitive game changer for me. It was reassuring in a way to see a successful indie author using the same method.

The writing hack I was not ready for was: join the herd. A.K.A socializing. True, one cannot create in a vacuum.

Now, about the thing you all really wanna know : does it work? Did I successfully wrote 5,000 words in an hour?

Tested writing tip: the results

First: this book was a good buy as well as a good read. An interesting craft book for sure.

I certainly picked up loads of good tips and tricks but nope, I did not succeed in writing 5,000 words per hour. I did increase my writing speed… a little.
The book provided me with many useful writing tips but the writing technique explained there is just not for me.

I do believe it is possible to get there, but not if you’re more on the pantser than the plotter spectrum (every writer is a little bit of both, in my humble opinion) I think.

Implementing a new process writing takes time, of course. I personally got discouraged half-way through the process. Too many red notes and the projected near-endless revision/research to go back to.

Also, as I previously stated, writing a novel as fast as one can possibly do, because of everything good reason one can think of, is not my thing.

I do recommend reading that book. It gives you many good tips, especially if you are a indie author.

Thanks for reading this post. Feel free to show your support by buying me a ko-fi to this crazy full-time Writer on a Quest, it is always very very much appreciated.

Until next time!