The Tiny Time Book Plan
A ten-minute cheat sheet for writing a book when your free time arrives in crumbs.
You do not need three clear hours, a clean desk, and woodland staff bringing berries on a leaf. You need ten minutes and one very small job.
1. Pick one tiny job
Do not sit down to “write the book.” That is how the book grows a hat and becomes mayor.
Pick one job you can finish fast:
1. Name the next scene.
2. Write 3 lines of talk.
3. List what the person wants.
4. Write the first bad choice.
5. Fix one messy line.
Example tiny job:
“Scene: Nora asks Uncle Pete for the spare key. He says no. She sees mud on his coat.”
That is enough. You now have a scene handle. Tomorrow you can pull it open.
2. Use the tiny scene box
A scene only needs three pieces to begin:
Someone wants something.
Something gets in the way.
Something changes.
Fill this in:
“_ wants . But __. So _____.”
Example:
“Jules wants to return the ring before dinner. But Gran locks the front door for ‘family time.’ So Jules hides the ring in the gravy boat.”
Now write 5 to 8 lines from that box:
Gran said, “No one leaves before pudding.”
Jules looked at the ring in her palm.
The gravy boat sat beside the peas.
For one mad second, it looked useful.
Tiny scene. Real progress. No trumpet needed.
3. Match the job to your brain
Your focus will change. Let it. Pick the job that fits the day.
Sharp brain: write new words.
Example: “Mara stepped into the lift and found her boss holding a shovel.”
Tired brain: make a list.
Example: “Things Mara can hide: shovel, torn sleeve, train ticket, lie about Tuesday.”
Jumpy brain: write questions.
Example: “Why does he have the shovel? Who saw him? Why Tuesday?”
Sad potato brain: read yesterday’s bit and mark one place to continue.
Example: “Next: Mara asks, ‘Is that soil?’”
Miss a day. Miss four. No bell tolls. Come back, set ten minutes, pick one small job, and add the next brick.
Write one tiny scene box at a time: want, block, change.