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PLAN N for writers and doers…
Practitioners fondly refer to Plan N as the “Nero’s Daughter” plan.
Claudia Augusta, the only daughter of Emperor Nero, lived for less than five months. Despite her short life, she was deified in Nero’s Rome, with golden statues gracing temples and even making appearances at the Roman Circus games.
Writers and creators who embrace Plan N draw inspiration from Claudia Augusta’s fleeting existence. The rule is simple: match her lifespan to your project’s timeline.
If you’re tackling a major writing endeavor, give yourself five months or less to complete it. For shorter assignments, aim for five days. And if you just need to get started, grant yourself five minutes to jot down ideas and set the wheels in motion.
But Plan N isn’t limited to time constraints. It pairs beautifully with Plan M, where you could, for instance, reimagine Claudia Augusta’s life had she survived into adulthood. Would she have altered the course of Roman history? There’s only one way to find out — write it.
Another interpretation of Plan N is all about naming.
