The #1 Thing That Drives Your Writing Productivity

The Chunky Method Handbook

These days publication has become as much about productivity as about quality. But how do you get those words out of your head to become the book that can further your career?

Here’s a powerful system for tackling this issue:  The Chunky Method.

What is your Chunk?

Your “Chunk” is simply how many words you write in a single sitting before you run out of creative energy. Most of us have a consistent chunk, and that can be the basis of some very effective planning.  Once you give yourself a few experimental sessions and average the output, you’ll know your Chunk—and that’s half the data you need.

Are you a Big Chunk writer or a Small Chunk writer?

This distinction is the other half of the information you need.  Based on my experience, if your chunk is 1000 words or greater, you are probably a Big Chunk writer.  If it is less than that, you are likely a Small Chunk writer.  Their needs are different.

Big Chunk writers, who must totally immerse themselves in the words to make progress, need:

-a dedicated space to work. Banging out your passages at the dining room table annoys you.

- a specific environment. You require silence or a certain kind of music around you when you write. A shared, messy, or a make-do office won’t do.

- an extended period in which to write. You need a big block of time to find your rhythm. It’s frustrating to find a large enough span of time to write every day.

- proper ergonomics. Long sessions mean you need a chair, desk, keyboard, mouse, monitor and lighting that helps your body rather than hurts it.

Small Chunk writers tend to be more adaptable…but prone to distraction. They take life, work, and writing in smaller bites and often juggle multiple projects. You can:

- write anytime, anywhere. Coffee bars, park benches, libraries, airplanes—any setting works for you.

- easily tune out distractions. You don’t need pleasing music (or silence)—you can tune out and crawl inside a project anywhere.

- write often. Small spurts fit your writing into a busy life. A daily word count works for you, but cramming for a deadline probably won’t.

- use any tools. Tablets, notepads, laptops, even index cards or cell phones —ergonomics don’t make much difference, so you’ve got lots of possibilities.

Big Chunk Writers aren’t better or more committed than Small Chunk writers, they’re just different.  But both need a plan that takes their styles into account, one chunk at a time. After all, you don’t have to write the whole thing right now, just the next chunk of it. You’ll be amazed how empowering this smaller goal can be. Any spreadsheet or even a simple calculator can help you plan, but if you’d like help formulating your Chunk and the path to a completed project.

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