Allie Pleiter Part Two ~ How To Write When Everything Goes Wrong!

Allie is back with her second amazing book 

How To Write When Everything Goes Wrong.  

And don't forget her first post, The Chunky Method, found here.  
Take it away, Allie.

  Crisis? Ask yourself these four powerful questions!

Hi L.A., thanks for having me back again! 
Life throws you curve balls, and my second book for writers, HOW TO WRITE WHEN EVERYTHING GOES WRONG, deals with survival tactics to keep your creative self alive and well when life’s chaos is giving you a beating.  Here’s one of my favorite coping tactics: the power of asking yourself the right four questions inspired by leadership guru Michael Hyatt.

Question #1.  What’s possible now?

When crisis hits, our brain kicks into totalitarian thinking, cataloging everything wrong about your situation and blinding your current possibilities.  After giving yourself a few minutes to react—shock, anger, annoyance, frustration are all natural and can’t be avoided— deliberately force a shift of thinking toward what IS possible now?  The good news is that the more you practice this shift, the easier it becomes.  Sure, I’ve asked “What’s possible now?” through gritted teeth.  Sometimes it is genuinely hard to drag my brain off the negative.  I’ve found, however, that even the tiniest possibilities make coping much more possible.

Question #2.  What’s not possible now?

Many of us get into trouble precisely because we refuse to recognize the true limitations of a given crisis.  If your spouse’s car accident injuries will pull your time and attention from your tight book deadline, own it now, not forty-eight hours before the book is due.  It’s not easy, and it often feels like surrender, but it’s far better than denial.

Question #3. What do I need right now?

The “right now” is the crucial part here.  At the start of a given crisis, you may need simply to get calm.  Or at least calmer.  You may need someone who understands the process ahead of you better than you do at the moment (especially true in medical crises).  Our “what if”writer's brains gallop off in a dozen long-term directions, churning today’s problems into tomorrow’s catastrophes.  Yes, the larger picture is important to consider.  If we can train our brains to focus on the next solvable step, however, survival comes more easily.

Question #4. What do I want right now?

We often think of crisis as “survival mode”—only needs not wants.  It’s not necessarily true.  You may need to eat, but you might also want someone to help you talk through your situation.  Resist the urge to cast aside what might feel like “luxuries” until life calms down.  Non-essentials that make you calmer, more comfortable, or a bit more cheerful are not selfish, but a wise form of self-care that can bolster your endurance or clarity at a time when you need it most.

These four questions can offer you the foothold you may need to get through the first hours or days of any crisis.  I find these questions work for any size dilemma—from missed flight to a parent in emergency surgery.  If you can shift your thinking from the knee-jerk of “EMERGENCY! PANIC!” to “What’s possible now?  What’s not possible now?  What do I need right now?  What do I want right now?”, you will discover your coping abilities can be far stronger.

Buy: Amazon

Bio:

Bestselling author Allie Pleiter has written over 30 novels and non-fiction works, selling over 1.2 million books worldwide.  Aside from teaching her popular Chunky Method of time management for writers, Allie works on as many as four books at a time.  How? By fitting small “chunks” of writing into a busy life—accompanied by coffee, knitting, and lemon meringue pie.

She is the author of The Chunky Method Handbook: Your Step-by-Step Plan to WRITE THAT BOOK Even When Life Gets in the Way. Visit her website for more information.

Find Allie:

Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | 
Pinterest | Goodreads

The Chunky Method ~ By Allie Pleiter

I was fortunate to meet Allie Pleiter at the #RWA2018 Conference in Denver this summer.  I've read her book and I use her method. Frankly, and I'm not overstating this, the Chunky Method changed my writing flow.

I'll share my consistent "chunk" in the comments :)

Discover Your “Chunk” To Get That Book Done

Hi, L.A. Thanks for inviting me to share my book and method on your blog. 

These days publishing has become as much about productivity as about product. Writers are expected to produce books faster than ever, while also handling a multitude of marketing (if not independent publishing) tasks.  How do you get those words out of your head to become the books you want to share with the world?

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 at how empowering this smaller goal can be.

Calculate how many chunks it takes you to reach your desired word count, then plot them out on a calendar to reach your desired deadline. 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, I’ve created a free Chunky Calculator you can download.  Simply text CHUNKY to 22828 or click here [link listed below].  You’ll be on your way to greater productivity and a sound plan in no time.

Buy Link: 

Amazon

Bio:

Bestselling author Allie Pleiter has written over 30 novels and non-fiction works, selling over 1.2 million books worldwide.  Aside from teaching her popular Chunky Method of time management for writers, Allie works on as many as four books at a time.  How? By fitting small “chunks” of writing into a busy life—accompanied by coffee, knitting, and lemon meringue pie.

She is the author of The Chunky Method Handbook: Your Step-by-Step Plan to WRITE THAT BOOK Even When Life Gets in the Way. Visit her website for more information.

Find Allie:

Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads