Writing FAST - Jeff Bollow 2012

Amplify your writing in 5 easy steps
Amplify for maximum effect
Strengthen

Now that you know how to improve your work, it’s time to do it. Blast through with these five easy steps.

1. Prepare to work quickly.

The faster you cycle through the rewrites, the better. Don’t spend days on the same chunk. Move through them quickly, and come back to them later. Ideas spark ideas, and your Factory’s got plenty of them. First up, you’ll:

2. Re-Focus for clarity.

Anything that got a Re-Focus grade goes back through the Focus & Apply phases again. Exactly as you did before. When you’re done, grade it again. Repeat this as often as necessary, until the grade improves. When it does, then:

3. Research for detail.

Take anything that got a Research grade, and learn more about it. Go to the library, the internet, or whatever source is appropriate. Shape your work with these new discoveries. Rewrite, re-read, and grade again. If it doesn’t improve, research more. If it does, then:

4. Edit for impact.

Take anything that has an Edit grade (should be all but the Tweak chunks now), and cut, blend and rearrange. Go for maximum effectiveness. When you’re done, grade it again. Repeat the cycle until each element effectively builds your idea. And always remember:

5. One notch at a time.

Don’t try to jump from Re-Focus to Tweak. Easy does it. Every time you repeat a cycle, you get closer to your idea. Improve in small doses, and keep pushing forward.

Rewriting is simple. You have the ideas, and the solutions are inside you. Let them out. Don’t try for perfection — that’s the Tweak phase. For now, just make your ideas clearer.

Work quickly, fix, and move on. It’s better to repeat each each cycle than to get stuck on any single element.