Writing Fast - The 10 Minute Brain Drain
Creating a large amount of text in a short time does not have to be a difficult process.
In this article I'll reveal a special technique to help you get your ideas down on paper faster than you ever thought possible.
It's called the 10 minute brain drain.
The idea for this originated in my high school speech class, where the teacher would sometimes request an instant 10 minute extemporaneous speech on a particular topic.
For example, he might say "Mr.
Franz, would you please speak to the class about trees?" And I would spend the next 10 minutes telling the class everything that I knew about trees.
It was an interesting experiment in thinking on your feet.
After a few tries, it became easier and easier to speak for long periods of time on obscure topics.
Today I use the same technique for writing my own sales letters and presentations.
Here's how the technique works: Let's say for example that you need to write 1000 words about your brand-new information product.
What you can do is open a new file, connect your microphone, and launch Dragon NaturallySpeaking -- a great piece of voice recognition software.
Then simply begin to speak.
Imagine one of your best friends sitting in front of you, and begin to tell him or her about the new product in a very conversational manner.
Try to think of it in this way: what would you say if your best friend asked about your new product while you were both sitting in a bar having a few beers? You would not try to dazzle him or her with statistics and flashy long sentences.
Instead you would tell him or her what the product is what it does and how it can help him.
Try to keep speaking for the full 10 minutes, even if it means repeating yourself or rambling off in a different direction.
You can always go back later and edit the words.
It is far easier to edit a 2000 word rambling essay than it is to stare at a blank piece of paper and try and come up with 1000 new words.
Of course if you don't have a microphone and aren't using voice recognition software you can still use this technique.
You will have to type your answer rather than speak your answer, but the technique is the same and the results will be the same.
The key is to keep speaking or typing for 10 full minutes or until you have completely "drained your brain" of all the facts you have.
Give it a try for yourself.
The next time you have a writing project where you need to put down a lot of facts in a short amount of time, set a timer for 10 minutes, imagine your best friend sitting in front of you, and tell him or her about your topic.
In this article I'll reveal a special technique to help you get your ideas down on paper faster than you ever thought possible.
It's called the 10 minute brain drain.
The idea for this originated in my high school speech class, where the teacher would sometimes request an instant 10 minute extemporaneous speech on a particular topic.
For example, he might say "Mr.
Franz, would you please speak to the class about trees?" And I would spend the next 10 minutes telling the class everything that I knew about trees.
It was an interesting experiment in thinking on your feet.
After a few tries, it became easier and easier to speak for long periods of time on obscure topics.
Today I use the same technique for writing my own sales letters and presentations.
Here's how the technique works: Let's say for example that you need to write 1000 words about your brand-new information product.
What you can do is open a new file, connect your microphone, and launch Dragon NaturallySpeaking -- a great piece of voice recognition software.
Then simply begin to speak.
Imagine one of your best friends sitting in front of you, and begin to tell him or her about the new product in a very conversational manner.
Try to think of it in this way: what would you say if your best friend asked about your new product while you were both sitting in a bar having a few beers? You would not try to dazzle him or her with statistics and flashy long sentences.
Instead you would tell him or her what the product is what it does and how it can help him.
Try to keep speaking for the full 10 minutes, even if it means repeating yourself or rambling off in a different direction.
You can always go back later and edit the words.
It is far easier to edit a 2000 word rambling essay than it is to stare at a blank piece of paper and try and come up with 1000 new words.
Of course if you don't have a microphone and aren't using voice recognition software you can still use this technique.
You will have to type your answer rather than speak your answer, but the technique is the same and the results will be the same.
The key is to keep speaking or typing for 10 full minutes or until you have completely "drained your brain" of all the facts you have.
Give it a try for yourself.
The next time you have a writing project where you need to put down a lot of facts in a short amount of time, set a timer for 10 minutes, imagine your best friend sitting in front of you, and tell him or her about your topic.
