Writing FAST - Jeff Bollow 2012

Strengthen on 20 minutes a day
Amplify for maximum effect
Strengthen

As I began to rewrite this book, it took longer than I expected. The trouble was, I couldn’t hold the ideas as I rewrote.

For example, I’d read this chapter, and I’d see what needed to be fixed. I’d write down the Problems, and then create the plan to fix them.

But when I started fixing, ideas sparked ideas, and I’d quickly get lost. What point was I trying to make? What was my original impression of this chapter? How did I plan to fix it, again?

Just reading a chapter back would take half an hour. And the more work it needed, the easier it was to get overwhelmed.

My solution?

Do it in highly-focused 20-minute blocks.

Strengthen on 20-minutes a day.

Keep your BIN handy for stray ideas, and charge through your rewrites. For example, if I needed to Re-Focus a whole chapter, I’d sketch over it, sprinkling new ideas and detail into each section. I’d outline it in one furious 20-minute block.

Then I’d go back and spend 20 minutes on a segment. Then 20 minutes on the next. And so on.

It worked like a charm.

And as I thought about it, it made sense.

The entire FAST System is about taking this overwhelmingly complex job — writing — and breaking it down into bite-sized chunks. And then just doing one chunk at a time.

Rewrite in the same way. One... step... at... a... time.