I am trying a new approach to ‘chunking’ work. Instead of having a go at 2500 words in one sitting, I am chunking it down to 250 or even 100. This is not the best approach for every project, but it can be helpful on projects that require multiple entries, perspectives, or have just become too difficult to lock in on. Always remember what Steinbeck said: “When I face the desolate impossibility of writing 500 pages a sick sense of failure falls on me and I know I can never do it. Then gradually, I write one page and then another. One day’s work is all I can permit myself to contemplate.”
Man wasn’t wrong there. The cut takes a similar approach. 500 words a day is not very much, but it can seem like more than is ever possible. So, I suggest another approach: Chunking. Write the 100. Write the 250 if that is where your heart takes you. Set aside a chunk of time to do a chunk of words and let it happen. It is alright if the words are bad. Most first drafts are terrible, in spite of how wonderful we want them to be and how good it feels to get that draft done. If you didn’t TLDR my link, think about what Rebecca Schuman had to offer on the subject.
The general rule here is to find a safe number and write to that. Find a natural break or chunk that you can work through, and build from that chunk. In fact, I’m going to go put my words into practice right now.
Some Thoughts:
- When I do finally sift through this blog and turn it into a banger of a book on writing (don’t worry, I’ll expand posts), I’ll start the process with a brief search of how many posts I called ‘On Writing’. My love for Stephen King is strong, obviously.
- I must be getting old. I feel old–especially in this household or in other places where I am surrounded by the young.