Writing Tips

Focus-changers are questions you ask yourself on paper, which require you to comment on something you've just written.

Focus-changers have endless numbers or forms. Here's a partial list of some helpful ones:
• What was I thinking here?
• How else can I say that?
• How can I make this exciting?
• How can I add value?
• What else can I say about this subject?
• why am I stuck at this partocular point?
• How can I get unstuck?
• what am I missing here?
• What am I wrong about here?
• Why?
• How can I prove that?
• How can I disprove that?
• what do I think about that?
• what line of thinking led me to that conclusion?
• If I continue to think that way, what might happen?
• What other problems like this one have I experienced?
• What solutions can I borrow from past problems that can be applied to this current one?
• What does this remind me of
• What's the best case scenario?
• What's the worst case scenario?
• What am I doing right?
• what am I doing brilliantly?
• How can jump the track?
• Which strengths of mine {or my company's) can I apply?
• Which weaknesses need to be compensated for?
• Where's the proof that that statement is true?
• How am I the wrong person for this project?
• How am I the right person for this project?
• How would an arbitrator judge that?
• If I wanted to make a big mistake here, what would /do?
• What data do I need that I don't yet have?
• How can I better use the data I already have?
• How would I describe it to the CEO?
• How would I describe the situation to my mother?
• How would I describe it to my most supportive friend?
• How would I describe it to a disinterested stranger?

Bibliographical Information

Accidental Genius: Revolutionize Your Thinking Through Private Writing
by Mark Levy

United States : Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2010.

Writing in detail about anything elevates the subject our of the abstract into the real world

Start your writing at the spot in the problem that most befuddles you. Ask yourself, why is there blockage here?

Record your current thoughts about the situation, as well as, your thoughts when the situation first arose. How do they differ and why?

Mentally peruse the situation and see if you-ve included everyone who belongs in it.

When you're trying to analyze the behaviour of others, sitck with writing about their observale behaviour; although we often believe we know what others are thinking, we, in fact, don't.

If you're having trouble reliving the situation on paper, pur yourself into the experience as vivid as possible. What counts is that you see, hear, touch, smell, and taste the situations you're visitng, and that you render those with strong experience the most vivid, concreate language you have.