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LM: #336: Micro-projects

October 06 2025 – 10:00am

If you want to do a big project, start with a small project.

To be clear, I am not saying you should “break a project down.” Instead, do an entire small project that in some way relates to the bigger project.

If you want to write a novel, write a short story.
If you want to make a feature film, make a video reel.
If you want to record an album, record a 30-second demo.

The problem with “break a project down” is, you don’t learn some of the most important skills of actually bringing your project into the world, such as allocating resources, preparing to ship, and standing there naked as the world reacts.

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When you break a project down, you think you’ve made bite-sized pieces. Without the skills required to swallow your pride and ship, you’ve only made chewing gum. You’ll keep going and going…

Your smaller project can be completely different from your bigger project. You’ll still learn the crucial skills of the domain.

But it doesn’t have to be. War and Peace was published serially in a magazine and only later made into a book, with plenty of changes. These newsletters are built from tweets, and I use them to work out ideas for my books.

Start with micro-projects, and build up. Recycle elements, collect reactions, stack skills, repeat.

Aphorism: “A book, in my opinion, should not be planned out beforehand, but as one writes it will form itself, subject, as I say, to the constant emotional promptings of one’s personality.” —James Joyce

Book: Chicago Homes (Amazon) is a portrait of the city’s everyday architecture.