Aaaaaaaiiiieeeeeeee! This is the ‘war cry’ that Bruce Lee emits before performing a series of moves that incapacitate his opponents perfectly.
In the same way that Lee disciplines his mind to execute the moves that categorically put his opponents ‘out of business,’ we need to discipline our minds before writing.
Economy of speech
Although it’s tempting to use a multitude of words to say something, we should be sparse in our speech. In the same way that Lee uses economy of movement–to produce best effect–we should do the same with the written word.
Best effect
The best effect results when there is harmony between thought and word.
Remember your goal
Your goal is to express an idea in the simplest and most elegant way. Your aim is to immediately convey something powerful to your audience.
Keywords
In the same way that Lee strikes selectively, we should ‘precision strike’ with keywords. Keywords are the action words that make our story come to life. They are the punchline.
A constant state of awareness
In order to maintain the effect of suspense, our writing must mirror our constant state of awareness. This is our commitment to remaining alert to the details of our lives. As we purposefully pay attention to what surrounds us by disciplining our minds, this will invariably reflect in the quality of our writing. As we become better and better at acting when we must and speaking when needed, our writing will reflect our state of mind.
Mind creates words
Our thinking creates what we write. How and what we think are intimately tied to what we write. They cannot be separated.
Let the fight begin
We begin the fight–to produce the perfect story–by developing techniques that help us discipline our minds so that the product we produce is a reflection of what we’ve achieved.
The outside mirrors the inside
What we write mirrors what we think. For best effect, we must have the ‘best’ thinking, so to speak.
Take your time
In the same way that it took years for Bruce Lee to attain the level he did, it will take you years in the field of writing.
Remember, the secret to perfect writing is perfect mind discipline.
LUBA RASCHEFF 