Customer Reviews

Writing FAST: How to Write Anything with Lightning Speed

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

I'm a writer by trade and have been for over 20 years. The content of this book is excellent. It is laid out for easy retrieval and an exciting (motivational) read.

I'm not sure that all within its covers can be claimed to be unique but, there is a healthy mixture of the old and new.
The benefit is in it's step-by-step approach and I believe most readers, if they can maintain the discipline, will get profit from this package.

I've taught or at least mentored technical writers, marketing writer, screen, Sci-Fi and Romance writers and I believe all could benefit from this book.

If you want a book to motivate your writing that actually includes solid usable material - this I would highly recommend.

I particularly liked how he prioritizes the editing process: Refocus (go back and do it over), Research (need more details), Edit (good, but needs rewording), Tweak (put some zing into it). You categorize each of your smallest sections (chapters, scenes, or paragraphs, etc.) Then re-write all the Refocus ones before moving on to the next priority, Research, etc.

I also liked his idea of keeping a "bin" for scraps of material you edited out of your draft.

The discussion on the preparation and writing phase could only be described as a 30,000 feet view. But that may be a moot point because each type of writing has different requirements. The author succeeds in giving the reader an overall view of the process. His tone is motivational (heavy copywriter; but wait, there's more) and I think that helped because most writers need a kick-start.

I caught myself a bit of writers block recently, and needed to get back into the game. After some searching, I came upon Jeff Bollow's book "Writing FAST" and bought it at face value. And I have to say I'm glad I did. I read it in two days and the approach which he dubs FAST, is easily understood and the whole book is kept in an easily understood language.

That being said, though it is a quick and motivational read, you have to get past the sometimes almost maniacally phrased chapters, as Jeff almost trips himself over in exhileration with the technique.

A bit too overenthuatic perhaps, but still a good read. Recommended.

Bollows provides motivating tips to turn writing into a pleasurable task. This method has encouraged me to go ahead with unfinished projects that once I've found to be a burden.

By freewriting you write faster and better because your writing tends to become more natural and authentic. Bollows, as a result, writes in plain English and conveys his ideas as he was talking to the reader--an essence for clear writing.

In addition, this is the first writing guide I know that presents a step-by-step system. Most of writing guides only provide a list of dos don'ts.

Before applying the FS, the author urges the reader to become a proficient typist. By combing skillful touch typing with the FS you will be able to write faster and improve your logical thinking.

This system, however, is not revolutionary as mentioned in the book description. Similar methods have been used by writing professors in undergraduate and graduate curriculums. During my master's academic writing course in 1993, for example, I learned the following method; very similar to the FAST SYSTEM (FS):

1) Idea generation entails discussing a topic in pairs or groups. After that, students brainstorm the topic, or note down the various elements that come to mind as they reflect on the topic.

2. H.D. Brown (1994) in his book -- "Teaching by Principles" -- defines freewriting as "an initial exploration of the ideas that you have about a topic". At this point, students begin to develop their ideas and establish a viewpoint about an issue. According to Brown (1994), students should freewrite by writing whatever comes to mind about a topic for ten minutes without stopping; judging ideas; worrying about spelling and grammar.

3. Drafting requires students to begin structuring their writing and making it coherent.

4. The final draft is produced after successive stages of drafting, editing, revising.

Finally, in my opinion, the two best books on dynamic writing are:(1)."Writing with Power" by Peter Elbow, for those suffering from writer's block and interested in writing faster; and "If you can Talk, you can Write" by Joel Saltzman. The latter demystifies the writing experience and motivates you to keep going.

This is an extraordinary book, much like the Artist Way it gets you to focus on the "quantity and not quality," of you work. Mr. Bollow teaches you techniques that get you to do the actual act of writing. This may seem simple and obvious yet I know many writers of all levels including myself who struggle with this action.

However I'm proud to announce that since I bought this book in June I have already written two screenplays. This book changed my life, and now I can write at the speed of light. It saved me years of misery and frustration. I credit Mr. Bollow for accelerating my career in light years.

Brilliant writing is achieved through the process of rewriting. Mr. Bollow does address the need to "Tweak," one's work once you're done using the FAST system. Although I'm sure somewhere out there in the world there are naturally gifted writers who can nail the perfect script in one sitting. My hat goes off to them, and they are the types we read about in the trades that become a part of Hollywood Folklore. The envy of all screenwriters, but for those of us who are less fortunate it is essential to spend time developing our craft.

For this book will not teach you the craft of screenwriting. Meaning it doesn't teach you structure, character development, or rhythm of dialogue. There are no short cuts to becoming a prolific writer. However, the tools put forth in this book only serve to enhance your writing skills, and provide you with an efficient way of writing

I have just about EVERY writing how-to book out there and, I have to say, this is on my TOP 3 list. This is an AWESOME WRITING SYSTEM for ANYONE who is interested in writing anything quickly from screenplays, novels, non-fiction books, articles, to anything else that requires long, structured technique.

Some of the book caused me to be bogged down with information that I will have to go over again, and possibly a few times after that. And I had to read a couple of the chapters a couple of times to fully understand the system (just to make sure I was getting it) so it's not as "user friendly" as I would have liked it to be. When reading this book, make sure that you are fully focused.

I recommend this book to ANYONE who currently writes, is aspiring to become a writer, and even those who need to write for work (like lengthy reports, business letters, etc.) This system helps you quickly break any writing project down to a non-intimidating size and tackle it with lightning speed.

I love this book and would buy a copy for EVERY writer I knew (except that I don't know any other writers other than myself).

This book should be read by EVERY writer out there and this writing system should be used by everyone. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that this book should be covered in high school freshman English and/or college freshman English. It would save any overloaded student time on writing papers, compositions, structured notes, and reports.

AWESOME BOOK! A MUST HAVE...SO GET IT! NOW!

This is a really great book - quick read, too. I had the pleasure of helping the author with the conversion from print to ebook form. Usually, I do the conversions and don't have the time to really read the book, but for this one I found myself reading as I converted it. I am now going through it a second time as I prepare my first book.

What I really like about this book is that Jeff structured it in a way that it's easy to understand. You can run step-by-step through the writing process in a logical way - he has you set up a plan before you start the actual writing that guides you along the process. You don't have the chance to get stuck in any particular spot - you just continue to build out the details.

He advocates really good writing, too - much of the hardest work is not really in the writing but in the editing and revising process. By the time you're done with his whole system, you will have created a book/screenplay/essay, etc. that is well done and worth sharing.

Highly recommend this book - Jeff's given me the courage to start my first book. Thanks so much!!