Show Notes:

Episode #36: Why Writers Need Five Fat Files

Years ago, I heard about author Elizabeth George’s five fat files.

Her idea is to pick five areas you’d like to grow in and even develop into an expert in, and focus your resources on those five areas. They could be five ideas, topics, themes, or skills, and they are five areas you can live with for a long, long time. Because you’re investing in them in a way that invests in yourself as a writer, and as a person, over time.

Already you might find yourself starting to sort through what you might make your main five files.

To try to figure yours out, I suggest you begin by asking a few questions:

First, where does your curiosity consistently carry you? Last week we talked about following the spark of interest and letting curiosity make us more creative writers. What sparks your interest? Over the years have you seen a trend?

Another obvious question to ask is what do you already know a lot about? And...do you want to go deeper with it?

An article at Path of Life Christian Coaching asks two more profound questions that can take it to the next level. They ask:

What would you like to be known for? 

What would you like your name to be associated with?

These questions can help you sort that through and figure out what your five fat files will be. As we review the questions, answer them in your head:

Where does curiosity tend to lead you?

What do you already know a lot about, and would you like to go deeper with it?

What would you like to be known for?

What would you like your name to be associated with?

With these questions, you can begin homing in on your five main themes, your five favorite topics of interest, your five skills and areas of expertise you’d like to explore.

You don’t have to have five, but it’s an effective number. If you get too many, it’s harder to go deep with any of them. If you have too few, you might get bored.

As soon as you’ve identified one of the five, you can begin the process of gathering material to read, to absorb, to own. You can create physical files or digital files to store them in. Whatever you choose, you want to make it easy to access, easy to organize, easy to keep track of all the citation information so you can go back and figure out your original sources, so set up a simple system that you can tweak as you go.

But most importantly, start learning. Start practicing. Start increasing the depth of your understanding.

Read books and peer-reviewed studies

Attend lectures and seminars and conferences

Meet other experts and talk with them or interview them

Take classes

Visit locations.

Write about the topics, ideas, knowledge, or skills you’re acquiring--and the more you know, the more you’ll be able to write about it.

By focusing on five areas of interest, knowledge or skills, you make decisions more easily. Because you know what you’re focusing on in life and as a writer, you can easily skim an article and realize it isn’t contributing to your bank of knowledge or ability.

Your five files will grow fat over time, and you’ll begin to dive deep. As you continue to let curiosity lead the way, you’re funneling it to these topics. You'll gain information that raises still more questions. When you’ve hit on the five areas that are right for you, you’ll find that the more you know, the more you want to know.

Writers need five fat files to have a boundless supply of ideas and material for the work they're doing, and to grow into an expert people turn to. Five fat files means you aren’t limited to just one thing, so you aren’t necessarily pigeon-holed or typecast.