Clarity and impact - Amplify for maximum effect - Strengthen

Writing FAST - Jeff Bollow 2012

Clarity and impact
Amplify for maximum effect
Strengthen

To put your idea into someone else’s mind, that idea needs to be clear and direct. And have just the right impact.

When you graded your Problem List, you instinctively spotted clarity and impact problems. The steeper the grade (Re-Focus and Research), the less clarity and impact.

Now, as you rewrite, make it clear. Get your meaning across. Avoid confusion. Hunt for things that might be misunderstood.

And don’t lose sight of where you’re going.

In writing, everything is connected. Every idea, every word, puts an idea in your reader’s head. If every word isn’t working together, that idea gets confused. Jumbled. Garbled.

For example, as I’m Strengthening this book, I’m struggling. The reason is this: Every time I read back a chapter, I see a different level of it. The “overview” might work fine. But the segment goes off on a tangent.

But then the next time I read the chapter back, I have the opposite feeling. The “overview” feels disjointed to me. But the segment works fine on its own.

What’s going on here?!

You’re trying to juggle each of the levels in your head at the same time. Stop it! Focus on one at a time.

Keep it simple.

During the Re-Focus stage, focus on creating a new approach that simplifies your idea. Don’t be clever. Be clearer. Look for a new approach that clarifies your idea.

Then, during the Research stage, explore what you’ve written. Look for new details and depth to pinpoint your idea. As you research, find specifics that nail it. Specifics that make it clear and give it extra punch.

And then during the Edit stage, look for ways to chop and shift and rearrange to heighten that impact. Always making the idea clear. Always serving the underlying idea of your project.

Be active. Consciously watch (and fix!) the clarity and impact of your writing. If you do, you won’t get stuck.