Is writing too slow for your thoughts?


The world is moving at a faster and faster pace – I don’t mean that in terms of hurry, it can be the opposite – the idea of Slow Time means doing more in less time with less effort, creating a magical sensation of floating through life.

For some people, the idea of writing a book is enticing, but getting their ideas down on the page doesn’t flow well.

My sense is that the reason for this may be simpler than it first appears.

My sense is that 100 years ago, thought moved at the speed of the pen. Great thinkers would get together and discuss their ideas, but often those ideas had been developed beforehand, alone at their desks, or on walks through the countryside.

Now, ideas are conceived, encapsulated and disseminated in real time. The new media support and encourage this: Facebook, Twitter, blogs and short audios take new and vital ideas and send them out instantly into the world.

But what if what you have to say takes longer than a sound-bite? By the time your thoughts are captured, the nature of new knowledge is that structure may have slipped away during that time.

Natural writers overcome this. For me, I move into another state of consciousness; words flow from my fingers in perfect time and rhythm.

For others, there are more natural ways of communicating, and for these, the process of “writing” a book may ideally not involve direct writing at all.

In my work I have many conversations with experts in various fields, and from these conversations, a new process has spontaneously evolved.

Professional speakers, practitioners of various processes – these people often think at the speed of speech or faster, not at the speed of writing. Their thoughts structure in the moment; they respond in real time to their audience for the direction of the next thought.

For these people, a book-by-interview process can be a miraculous gift. They pre-agree some level of structure with the interviewer, and the interviewer guides them to reveal their thought-content within that structure, while they simply think and speak in the moment. It works brilliantly, producing Flow and inspiration, connection and engagement. They are speaking aloud to a sympathetic, fascinated audience, and they reveal themselves at their best.

The content is captured. After that, the process of transcribing and editing takes them on another journey to knowing themselves more deeply. There is something transformational about hearing oneself speak one’s best thoughts aloud.

In an amazingly short time, the book can be done. It takes a little bit of adjustment, but in hindsight, it is consistent with our exciting, fast-changing world.

If you’d like to know more about my inspiring Book-by-Interview service, email me. I’ll add you to my mailing list, and send you information about how the process works.

And if you know someone else whose message needs to reach a wider audience, please pass on this link. I’d love to hear from them, too.

My best wishes for your getting your best thoughts out into the world,

Jennifer Manson.

P.S. The Slow Time concept is explored in depth in my novel of the same name. It is available in ebook format from all major ebook sites, and in print from amazon.com and bookdepository.co.uk.

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