The Heisig Study Method Is Not A "Crutch"

Short cuts are not the answer. Heisig makes this point clear from the start of Lesson 11. If I study from the key word to the kanji, the reverse will take care of itself. The following are the steps Heisig outlines which should be followed when confronting each new frame along with a few variations, additions and negations of my own:

1. Read the key word and take note of the particular connotation. Consider that most words have multiple meanings and associations. Think on that particular connotation and repeat it (aloud if needed, you may be surprized at how useful hearing your own voice can be to the learning process). Keep an online dictionary readily accessible.
2. Read the story related to the key work (aloud) and allow it to establish a clear picture in your head.
3. Close your eyes. Focus on the images that the story brings to mind, along with the key word and the primitive elements and let go of the controls. Allow your imagination time to do its job. You will know your work is done when you have succeeded in creating a memorable image that is both succinct and complete, faithful to the key word. Remember! At all times the key word should remain fixed. This is important because you do not wish to change a key word to fit your version of the kanji's definition, only to discover in lessons down the road that Heisig has already used that key word in another, more suitable definition. However, it is perfectly acceptable to change the story to fit you. I often find many of Heisig's references out dated and irrelevant in terms of my cultural references. In such cases, I always opt for simplification of all stories, but I always maintain the key word and include a reference to all relevant elements.
4. Open your eyes and repeat the key word and primitive elements, keeping the image in your mind. Clear away the fog and give it all time to stick in your mind.
5. Juxtapose the elements relative to one another in line with your image or the way they normally appear in the characters.
6. Take a pencil and write the characters once, retelling the story as you go.
7. Finally, create the flash card.

The most important thing in this review is not really to see whether you are remembering the characters, but to learn how to locate problems and deal with them. If you are having trouble remembering the locations of elements within a kanji, look for clues in the story. If there are none, revise the story until it works for you. If you are confusing one kanji for another, return to the key word and re-clarify one single connotation for that key word.

One final note, once you start making exceptions for the characters you "know" or "have no trouble with" or "do not need to run through all the steps with", you are headed for frustration that will take a great deal of trouble to dig yourself out of. In other words, if you start using the method as a "crutch" to help you only with the kanji you have trouble with, you will quickly be limping along worse than ever. What Heisig is offering here is not a crutch, but a different way of walking.