Writing FAST - Jeff Bollow 2012

The best demonstration
Make your idea specific
Focus

Different kinds of writing have different requirements.

Your job is to find the most effective way to say it. Not only for the idea you’re expressing, but also for the type of writing you’re targeting.

For example, if you’re writing a screenplay, the tangible shape of your idea is a “story.” In fact, when you’re writing fiction of any kind, you’re expressing your idea through story.

A screenplay requires a visual story. A story told through external action and dialogue.

On the other hand, a novel takes us inside the characters’ minds. It might use smells and the sense of touch in a way a screenplay never could. You might carefully weave dozens of characters through hundreds of story threads. There are a million different possibilities.

But to create a story of any kind, think of it this way. You have an idea. Your reader doesn’t understand it. You need to give her an example. That example is your story. The story is the idea personified.

Non-fiction’s shape is different. But the same principles apply.

If you’re writing a book like this one, it won’t be a story. Instead, it might be a system, or a metaphor, or a hook (or anything else you can come up with).

For example, my idea for this book (in one single sentence) is “How to write anything with lightning speed.” That’s the idea. But how do I express that idea? I’ve chosen to demonstrate each stage of the FAST System. When you (the reader) see the whole process, I believe my idea will be clear to you. (And if it’s not, good gawd, let me know immediately so I can revise this thing!)

Every form of writing is different.

A magazine article might need a hook or a gimmick. A news story might find an “angle.” An ad may need to present an overall benefit. A letter might use an event or a “lesson.” A business plan might try a “vision.” A review might explore an analogy.

Use your imagination. Be original. How you demonstrate your idea is the very essence of your writing. It’s you. It’s your voice. It’s the nature of your communication.

And the principle is always the same.

Demonstrate the idea. Make it tangible. Give the reader a way to understand.