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How to Write a 5-minute Article in One Hour: Your Medium Article Checklist
The Medium community loves articles between 1,100 words and 2,000 words.
The Medium gremlins (aka staff) assume a reading speed of about 275 words per minute, so articles of this length will display as taking between 4 and 7 minutes to read.
So I set a target (a 5-minute read), tried to hit it every day for 31 days, and discovered something that shocked me: I actually could write a brief, high-quality piece in as little as one hour. (Without AI, lol).
Can I always guarantee that target? No. But variability is part of making art.
But the key to consistency is having a repeatable, clear process that guides my wild mind and limits the kinds of variability that get in the way.
This article is about that process. Feel free to use it as a template for your own!
(1) Print out a step-by-step process that you can follow every time you write.
Your brain is already juggling too much. When it’s writing time, you want to write. The last thing you need is extra browser tabs, so ditch one by going analog with your organizational system.