Writing FAST - Jeff Bollow 2012

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I’m going to repeat something. You’ve heard it before, but we all keep forgetting it (me, too!), so I’ll repeat it again.

Focus on the target. And under no circumstances should you even think about re-reading your work until you’ve got everything on the page. Seriously! Don’t look back!!

Listen. Writing is a process. Writing is a process. Writing. What is it? That’s right. It’s a process! It’s not an activity. Typing is not writing. Writing is the process!

What does this mean?

It means that when you stop and re-read your work, you will always — always — slow yourself down. For absolutely no good reason whatsoever.

You can fix it later.

Writers get stuck when they forget that. And, let’s face it, it’s the best thing about writing — the fact that you can fix it later!

When you say something in person, you don’t have that luxury. There’s no time. Unless you’re quick on your feet and have sharp verbal communication skills, talking is always more hazardous than writing.

When you write something that reads poorly, you can fix it. Correct it. Change it. Modify it. Perfect it. Hone it. Sharpen it. Adjust it. Tweak it...

So for crying out loud, let yourself go! Do that stuff later in the process. Do that stuff when we get to the Tweak section.

Don’t do it now!

Keep your eyes on the target. Write as fast as you can. Get the words on the page. That’s this part of the process.

And when ideas pop into your mind, chuck them in the BIN!