The fastest way to dry it is to stack it up as a ‘face cord’ so it’s only one stack deep. Make sure it’s ~6 inches off the ground and cover the top with a tarp that doesn’t overhang the sides by more than a foot. To speed drying you need to expose as much surface area to the breeze as possible and keeping a small tarp on top will keep rain off of it without blocking airflow. If the wood is sizzling in your fireplace it’s too wet. Over time you will learn the sound and weight of dry wood versus wet. We’re on our 5th year with a wood stove and im still learning. Try to stay about one year ahead on your wood supply.