Writing FAST - Jeff Bollow 2012

The long-form writing problem
The FAST system in the real world
The payoff

This is what FAST was developed for. Long-form writing.

But long-form writing is a bigger challenge than short-form. And the main difference between the two is that long-form writing takes more time to complete.

Obvious, right? I thought so, too.

But it’s not quite as clear-cut as it seems.

See, it’s not just that there’s more to do. It’s that suddenly you have to factor in the time it takes to do it.

For example, take a book like this.

It’s just not possible to write it in a day — I don’t care how fast you write! It’s gonna take days, weeks, or even months. So you’ve got to incorporate the project into your daily life.

But now you’ve got two things to manage: The content of your project (what you’re writing) and the timeframe for its completion (when you’re writing it).

With short-form writing, you can keep the whole thing in your head. But long-form writing is too big for that.

Take the letter you just wrote to Uncle Bob. It’s short. You can start and finish in one sitting. As you’re writing, you can see the end. You know where you are the whole time. You know you’re ten minutes into it, and you’ve got ten minutes to go.

Mentally, each phase (F, A, S, or T) has a timeframe — it has it’s own block of time. And it’s got a completion time!

But with long-form writing, it’s different. You know you’re in the Focus phase, or the Strengthen phase, or whatever. But the time gets warped. How long will you be in the Strengthen phase? How long will it take to Tweak?

It’s anybody’s guess! And there’s no set answer!

And it will be a problem for you. I guarantee it.

So be prepared. You need to know where you are in the process. And that means mapping out the time, too!

How? Determine how long the process takes you. Work on short-form projects to get a feel for it. Everyone’s different. But expect the learning curve, so it won’t surprise you.

For example, I’ve found that my fastest speed is actually slower than I thought. I write long-form projects faster when I allow more time for them. If I don’t take enough time, I have to repeat the cycles (like the Strengthen phase) more often.

So by not planning properly, I go slower going faster! (How’s that for a brain teaser?)

But I don’t want you to get lost. So here’s the way around it:

Set time aside for your writing. Every single day. Even if it’s only twenty minutes. Get to know your optimal writing speed. Determine how long each phase takes you.

Then, once you know, you can assign the clock. You can give two weeks to the Focus phase, or eight weeks to the Strengthen phase, or whatever’s best. That way, you’ll know where you are in the process as you’re writing it. And when you’re six weeks into an eight-week Strengthen phase, you’ll know if you’re on target or not.

And if you’re not, you’ll be able to adjust.

Without getting lost.

Otherwise, life has a way of getting in the way.