Writing FAST - Jeff Bollow 2012

The idea is the key
Squeeze the most out of FAST
The payoff

And that’s the key. That’s how to squeeze the most out of this system. By keeping the point in front of you the whole time.

Throughout this book, I’ve been repeating a phrase.

I’ve even called attention to the fact that I’m repeating it.

You know what it is, right? Say it with me:

All writing is communication. All writing attempts to get an idea from your head into your reader’s head.

Why do I keep saying it?

Because the idea is the key.

It holds everything you ever need to know about your work. If your writing is flat, dull, boring or repetitive, the idea isn’t full enough. If your work is too far “out there,” the reader isn’t grasping your idea. If you’re struggling with a section in the middle, you haven’t completely nailed how it fits into the building of your idea — or how to express it.

The idea is the key to everything.

It’s the question and the answer.

The Focus phase makes it tangible. The Apply phase gets it out. The Strengthen phase makes it stronger. The Tweak phase makes it work.

Sometimes it hits you instantly. Sometimes you can only find it through the very process of writing it!

But the point to grasp is this:

You don’t need your idea at the start. But you do need your idea at the end. Without your idea, your communication is empty and pointless.

To squeeze the most out of the FAST System, it’s vital to hammer away at your idea. To nail it down, and give yourself a way to hold it up for your reader to see.

That’s the essence of writing. Communication.