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32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As dynamic in print as he is in person, September 17, 2004
This review is from: Writing FAST: How to Write Anything with Lightning Speed (Paperback)
As anyone who has attended Jeff's screenwriting workshops can attest, his style is personal, dynamic and passionate. I was pleased to discover that he carries over this attitude into his book, and not only presents a simple approach to writing, but he does it in a way that gets you excited about putting it into practice.
The book is meant to help writers (like me) who struggle with writing. Although the title makes it sound like it's some kind of speed-writing book, the truth is that it's more about the physical process of writing, and getting you past the barriers that get in your way. When I attended Jeff's workshop (a couple years ago, now), he used to say that writing is a four-part process: Write, Re-Write, Edit, Polish. It seems to me he has taken this idea much much further, and turned it into the F.A.S.T. acronym. FAST stands for Focus, Apply, Strengthen, Tweak, and in fact it's much more detailed that the earlier explanation. The Focus section was like a revelation to me. It helps you take a rough idea and shape it in a way that you can write it quickly. But more important than that, you can make it READ fast, too, and that seems to be the real key to this book. Effective writing READS fast.
The central metaphor is the lightning bolt. Jeff suggests that our brains generate an endless stream of ideas, and that "all writing is communication". As writers, our goal is to take the "lighting bolt" (the idea spark) from our own mind, and turn it into words on the page, so that it sparks a lightning bolt in the reader's mind. Thus, ideas are transferred from one person to the next. And by doing it FAST (both quickly AND with the FAST System), we tap into those ideas more effectively, and help put them across to the reader more effectively, too.
I've read a lot of books on writing, and there's nothing quite like this one. It's partly a systematic approach to writing, partly an attempt to convince you that you SHOULD write, and partly a welcome dose of encouragement at every step of the way. It claims to be applicable to any form of writing (and he even includes a long list of different types of writing, in case you were wondering), but it does seem skewed toward what Jeff calls "long-form" writing, like screenplays and books and such.
I would highly recommend it as a powerful approach to the writing process, and because the excitement and enthusiasm of the author is nothing short of contagious.
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Writing Fast, May 9, 2005
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Writing FAST: How to Write Anything with Lightning Speed (Paperback)
For me, writing has always been a sort of struggle. I bought LOADS of "how to" books on writing, among them the most lauded and critically acclaimed classics(i'm not going to mention names, but you know what I mean). None of these books have actually grabbed me as much as this one. The title suggests some sort of speed writing promise, but it really isn't. Speed writing covers some part of it, but in a way I've never seen. It addresses a writing format so flexible you could actually twist it according to your creative needs, and still be organized enough to finish whatever writing project you might have in mind: novels, screenplays, or other wise. It's inpirational in a practical way. Basically it's divided into four sections:
1) Focus: in which you effectively harness those stray ideas and place them into proper context, chunking them into bearable formats.
2) Apply: writing the words on paper, without editing.
3) Strengthen: making your written words clearer and more authentic.
4) Tweak: Editing, checking for errors in words, punctuations, making sentences flow.
Bollow, the author, takes you deep into each of these phases, pointing out problems encountered in each and how to go about them, not to mention giving suprisingly good and innovating strategies for tackling each phase. And the good part: his system is so flexible, yet so organized, you can't help but love it. His tone is far from patronizing. It's as though he's there, talking to you.
Immediately after a first read I jumped straight into my writing project (I wrote over 2000 words on my first day of reading--the first day in months!). The book did something those otheer books couldn't do. This is a kick-in-the-pants read. It's charming and funny. You can FEEL the author's excitement. The book goads, I mean, really goads one into actually writing something. Wish I discovered this earlier--but I discovered it, nonetheless, and that, for me, is something auspicious for my writing future.
I hope to meet the author someday. Wish I could give this 10 stars!
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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pros & Cons, October 4, 2005
This review is from: Writing FAST: How to Write Anything with Lightning Speed (Paperback)
Review of:
WRITING FAST: How to Write Anything with Lightning Speed.
***
Pros:
WRITING FAST is a concise step by step method of outlining and writing, written in a chatty style.
Jeff Bollow has you Think (Focus), Write (Apply), Rewrite (Strengthen), & Edit (Tweak).
The difference between Rewrite/Strengthen & Edit/Tweak is the former concentrates on ideas. The latter on words.
He recommends getting a "clear, concise" idea of what you are going to write. Not the general idea that's so easy to think about.
His idea of reviewing for "macro," "micro," & "sentences" is excellent.
Such "small" things as these (and many others) are what make this an excellent book.
***
Cons:
He leaves out a lot of steps that needs to be done in the Thinking/Focusing phase. Nowhere does he mention building characters. Or worldbuilding/setting.
He implies (though there is a sentence or two "unimplying") that you need only rewrite a novel once.
A few of his sections could have been "re-focused" better. I still don't understand the Stack Test.
A few of his section could have been cut without any harm.
***
Overall: Yes, this will speed up your writing, regardless if you Speed Write your first draft (as he recommends) or not. Just having a systematic, step-by-step plan, to follow through the rough days will help.
Those "write-by-the-seat-of-your-pants" can ignore the "Focus" part, or do it A.F.S.T.
***
He even has a CD out now, 11 Mistakes that Slow You Down.
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