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A few weeks ago, when I introduced the idea of how we can decide what to write next, I proposed several ways a writer can approach that decision. One was to write whatever\u2019s next in sequence.\nWrite What\u2019s Next in Sequence\nIf you\u2019re writing a novel, tackle the next chapter.\n\nYour short story will need the next scene.\n\nA poem grows with the next line leading to the next stanza.\n\nAn article will expand with another paragraph or section.\n\nIf you write DIY tutorials, you write in sequence to show the viewer or reader what to do next in order, one step after another.\n\nThe sequential approach can be a logical way to decide within an existing project what to write next. In those cases, the answer is often right in front of us.\nWhat\u2019s the Next Action?\nA simple way to keep those projects moving along is to ask the question \u201cWhat's the next action?\u201d Answer that, and you often realize right away you must simply write the next line, the next stanza, and so on.\n\nThis question is an essential element in David Allen's Getting Things Done system, also known as GTD. When you think of a project you\u2019re currently working on or one that you\u2019re considering, try asking \u201cWhat\u2019s the next action?\u201d Answer it with a statement that begins with a verb.\n\nBecause we\u2019re talking about writing, the statement will probably begin with \u201cwrite\u201d:\n\n \tWrite chapter 17\n \tWrite the last stanza in the poem \u201cChase the Sun\u201d\n \tWrite the promo video script\n \tWrite about the puke-y flight from Brussels for the travel article (yeah\u2026I won\u2019t on it elaborate here)\n\n\u201cWhat\u2019s the next action?\u201d helps break down big projects into manageable actions so you know what to write next.\n\nInstead of scheduling a writing block on the calendar and labeling it \u201cBlog post,\u201d you can add the specific action, like, \u201cWrite the last two paragraphs for blog post.\u201d With this approach, you know precisely what to write next.\n\nThis focusing question works best when the projects offer obvious answers.\nWhy Not Write a Series?\nBut when you\u2019ve closed out a project and you\u2019re deciding what\u2019s the next big undertaking, it\u2019s not always so clear what to write next.\n\nYou can still think in terms of sequences, though. In fact, you could even have some fun creating a sequence\u2014how about a series?\n\nYou could introduce a serial format to something you weren\u2019t originally visualizing that way. It can hold your own creative interest as a writer as well as the interest of the busy, easily distracted reader.\n\nWriting and publishing short-form work in sequence\u2014in a series\u2014can work well for short attention spans while encouraging people to return for more.\n\nA series gives you a means to dive deeper into a topic, or explore it more widely in its applications, or look at it from many angles.\n\nPublishing novels in a series creates multiple entry points for readers who can dig in and read the entire collection.\n\n\nSeries Ideas\nWant some ideas?\nShort Stories\nOn your website, what if you release a series of short stories linked in some way? Maybe they\u2019re all set in the same town or feature an ensemble of characters who alternate getting center stage from story to story.\nNovel\nWrite and release a novel in serial form on your website. This should be a novel you didn\u2019t intend to pitch to agents or publish traditionally; it would be something you just want to share with the world. You\u2019ll be following in Charles Dickens\u2019 footsteps, who his books in serial format in newspapers.\n\nOr, as I mentioned, you could write and publish novels in a series\u2014anything from a detective series or sci-fi trilogy, to a realistic world peopled with characters like Father Tim in Jan Karon's Mitford series.\nSocial Media\nA lot of ideas you might publish on a website could be serialized in even shorter format and pushed out via social media. You could do this with a story told in segments. Or you could implement a visual theme with applicable captions that link a series of updates all together.