Writing FAST - Jeff Bollow 2012

The objective of this phase
Capture your idea
Focus

_“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up. _”

—A. A. Milne

4 Capture your idea

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been prone to leaping headlong into projects. An idea would spark in my mind, and my Oscar-winner would immediately hook his claws into it. I’d be whipped into a frenzy, and convinced I’d found my Holy Grail.

And I’d jump.

I’d race like a bat outta hell, furiously scrambling to finish the project in record time. Didn’t matter what it was. I’d do it with movie projects, business projects, writing projects, everything.

But invariably, I’d get halfway through the project before I discovered its true scope. It would always happen the same way. I’d encounter a problem I wasn’t expecting. Or a level of difficulty I couldn’t see at the start. Or a dozen other complications.

And suddenly, the project becomes painful. The weight of the world falls on your shoulders. And it crushes you.

It ain’t pretty.

It’s dispiriting to work so hard on a project and feel nothing but a sense of obligation. Projects should carry a sense of excitement and anticipation. Not despair!

That’s why this section of the book holds the most meaning and importance for me, personally. This was my revelation.

Listen, I’d heard it all before. I knew all about “outlining” and “mapping” and “blueprinting” and “planning” your work. I’d heard it all from all the best sources. In a dozen different ways. But I continued to run the other way.

I didn’t want to “stifle my creativity.” Writing is magic, I said, and you just have to tap into it. Besides, I don’t want to waste all that time planning my writing. (Recognize that?)

But here’s the jaw-dropper.

I discovered a secret.

When you take the time to Focus your idea first, you actually allow yourself to write faster. You tap into that magic more directly. And you don’t get lost halfway through.

It’s ten times more valuable than we ever imagined.

The objective of this phase

F is for Focus.

The Focus phase is about one thing: Turning Your Idea into a Plan. And “Focus” is the perfect word for it. Because it’s all about focusing your intentions.

And here’s the best part. The more effort you put into this phase, the easier the next phases become. Why? Because each builds on the one before. And it all starts with an idea.

The Focus phase has three distinct steps.

Step One: Capture your idea.

Before you start, you’ve either got a hundred ideas swirling inside your brain, or you’ve got none. Either way, we need to capture the exact idea you’re going to communicate. We don’t want it to get muddy, or slip through your fingers mid-stream.

Step Two: Make your idea specific.

Once you’ve got the idea, it could take any one of a million different shapes. Movies are a great example of that. How many times do we see the same basic idea told in very different ways? (Remember the animated movies Antz and A Bug’s Life? Virtually identical ideas told in different ways.)

Step Three: Turn that idea into a specific plan that will guide you as you write.

This one is the clincher. Once you’ve nailed your idea, you’ll stretch it out over your canvas like form-fitting elastic. You’ll give yourself a step-by-step guide to finishing. Finishing your way.

And the more detail you include in your plan, the better. It’s a paradox. The more you nail it down, the more flexibility you have. (And, oh man, was that a massive revelation for me.)

If you want to write fast, the Focus phase is the secret!

You’ll grab your ideas (or create them if you don’t have any), and design a roadmap. That’s what this phase is all about.

Don’t start writing — not even a single word! — until you’ve finished this phase. It’ll save you a lot of unnecessary work. And you’ll really tap into the magic of writing.