Writing FAST - Jeff Bollow 2012

Grow the idea tree
Harness your idea overflow
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Now, depending on how well you stay on target, you might end up with a lot of ideas in your BIN.

The first thing you’ll notice is that many of these stray ideas are similar or related. Some have a natural progression, and some grow out of what you’ve already got on the page.

Think of them as being part of a tree. Connect the dots. Create branches for each of them, and link the ideas that are somehow connected.

In order to use them, you need to see how they connect.

If the connection is obvious, grow this Idea Tree as you drop ideas into the BIN. But if it’s not, come back and grow the tree later. Remember, you’re doing this as you’re blasting words onto the page. Don’t dwell on it. Stay focused on your original target.

My Idea Tree usually ends up as an outline, because for my brain, that seems to be the easiest way to organize these stray thoughts.

But maybe you’d rather draw a sketch on a piece of paper. (That’s how I discovered the Idea Tree in the first place.) You take the idea, and put it in the middle of the page. And then you branch connecting ideas off the main one. And smaller ideas off those. And so on. Until you have what looks exactly like a tree.

Gradually, you’ll train your mind to organize your stray ideas the instant they pop up. But always start slow. Take it nice and easy, and get comfortable with it.

The best way grow the Idea Tree is when you take breaks from your writing. You won’t distract yourself from your target. You can approach it with a clear head.

And you break the process of writing into manageable chunks (which is the whole point of the FAST System!).

When you take the extra time, you might find a theme growing out of this Idea Tree. Something you need in your writing. Maybe something you forgot to include in your Focus Plan.

It happens to me all the time. By harnessing it, you won’t forget to include it. And you help yourself strengthen your writing.

Your brain talks to you. It has all the answers you need.

It’s up to you to listen.