The Ultimate System for Writing FASTer

In Writing FAST, Jeff Bollow speaks to his readers as friends. He provides a systematic approach to writing that works! And he tested it himself as he wrote his first book. His book is sprinkled with positive affirmations, such as "when you're done this this book, you'll write ten times faster than you did before." That's the kind of promise that keeps me reading. Even now I'm writing faster than I normally do because he told me to. "Don't let yourself get stuck," he says. "You can always change it later." I love this advice. It frees me to keep writing.

He tells his writing readers to begin with a central idea, something that can be stated in one sentence or less. And simple is better. This is essential before beginning the process of writing. He explains how to break your writing down into manageable chunks and then you move FAST.

From here he goes on to explain the details of the FAST system. He describes a method which he calls "talktation--taking your words onto the page, your fingers in sync with your thoughts." He encourages writers to smile while they write--to enjoy the writing process. The reader will be able to see the smile on your face.

"There is no right or wrong," he says when talking about writing. There's only clear or unclear. Effective or ineffective. Every idea and every word transfers to the reader's head, and that's what we need to be concerned about--that we're getting our ideas from the page to the reader. He reminds us that reading words about pictures makes them pop into the reader's head, so in the last phases of writing, we can evaluate whether or not all the pictures are the ones that we really want to give the reader.

"Completion means exposing ourselves to criticism," he says. And that's one reason why writers get a little scared at the end, even after conquering hardest part--the getting started part of writing. The writing is a reflection of the writer so it's difficult to not take criticism personally. He reminds us to expect that some will love our writing, some will hate it, and most won't care.

"I want you to become a writing machine," he says. Wow! Me too! It's like he's reading my mind. I'm so impressed when a writer can do that. Jeff tells us to conquer time by working with it, by riding it like a horse. And with the FAST system, he gives us a methodical way to move our process of writing through time quicker. He delivers what he promises. He gives us a means to write FASTer.

He describes our brains as "idea factories," reminding us that we need to write down ideas as soon as they come to us. He suggests collecting them in a BIN (Big Idea Notebook)or on a page or somewhere, anywhere. If we don't capture the slippery things immediately, they escape from us, and we may never get them back.

Jeff reminds readers that it's up to writers to put time into their writing every day to be sure it gets done. He describes a detailed process of how to break writing down into small chunks and provides strategies to get them done as quickly as possible. He insists that we create self-imposed deadlines and that we train ourselves to complete the projects we start. It's usually easier to get started than to complete things.

We each have a unique voice and he encourages writers to forget about comparing ourselves to other writers. Instead he tells us to "Fall in love with words." They're our tools and we need to befriend them. It's a love affair with great rewards, he promises.

Jeff's final advice to writers is that we write every day. Yes, every day, including holidays and weekends! Every day we must write something.

If you're someone who keeps talking about writing, Jeff says you're really just a thinker. Ouch! But if you want to transition from thinking about writing to actually writing, then I highly recommend this book. The FAST system provides a writing method to get you going. Or if you're a writer who just wants to write FASTer, this book provides a method to help you reach your goal. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to write more or write FASTer. Time is running out. Read it NOW. Set deadlines. Write NOW!