You’re Not Broken—Your System Just Isn’t Yours
The Best Process Is the One You Build Yourself
What’s Inside:
Why the most effective productivity system is the one that works for you
How writing Demon Mode helped me stop forcing structure
Why the endless search for the “perfect” method can hold you back
What it looks like to build your own creative system—an N of 1
After years of obsessing over goals, productivity hacks, and the perfect creative process, I think I’ve finally landed on the answer: There’s no one right way to do this.
Not for writing. Not for building things. Not for managing time or chasing goals. The only system that works is the one that works for you.
That idea has a name: N of 1.
N of 1
In clinical research, “N” is the number of participants. Most studies rely on large sample sizes. But in an N of 1 study, you’re the only subject—and the only outcome. You’re the lab, the data, and the experiment all at once.
And over time, if you’re paying attention, you start to build something.
You test what works for others. You borrow their tools. You make up a few of your own. Some things click, others don’t. What you’re left with is a personal toolkit—messy from the outside, but dialed in perfectly to you.
How Demon Mode Changed My Process
This idea has been rattling around in my head for years, but it really solidified while I’ve been writing Demon Mode.
I’ve never really clicked with the traditional three-act structure. I understand it. I can diagram it. I’ve read the books, done the workshops, followed the beat sheets. But when it comes time to actually write, my brain just doesn’t work that way.
Still, when I started plotting Demon Mode, I gave the three-act framework one more try, convinced that I was still missing something. For the better part of a year, I bent and re-bent the story, trying to force it into a shape that wasn’t mine.
Then, about two months ago, I scrapped the whole structure and just started writing. No acts. No Save the Cat. Just me and the story.
When I stepped back and looked at what I had, I saw something familiar—not a three-act structure, but the shape of Dead End Kids, of No Heroine.
I saw my shape.
“Frank Structure”
I stopped forcing someone else’s structure and started embracing my own.
I took what made sense. I cherry-picked from writers I admire. I reverse-engineered what had worked in my past books. And what emerged was a rhythm that matched how I think, how I feel stories.
You can see it in GRIEF, Unborn, Dead End Kids, No Heroine, and now Demon Mode.
It shares aspects with other storytelling structures (I love a good midpoint twist or turn). But the way characters are built is uniquely me. Truth is, it’s a bit of a messy patchwork, but it works for me.
It’s my N of 1.
From Student to Builder
Here’s the trap: in the name of “getting better,” you can spend forever searching for the best way to do something. You read the next book. Watch the next video. Try the next tool. And while it feels productive, it’s often just procrastination wearing a smart disguise.
At some point, you have to stop studying and start building.
The shift happens when you stop being a student of the process and become its author. You go from mapping other people’s blueprints to drawing your own. And you only get there by doing the work.
The only metric that truly matters for me is the number of pages written. Every day I put off scripting to read another book about structure is a day I’m not being a writer. That’s not to say we shouldn’t continue to learn and grow, but that it’s dangerous when it’s done to avoid the work.
Start before you feel ready. Start before your system is perfect. Build as you go. That’s the work.
Build Your Own N of 1
I’m not saying ignore craft. I’m not saying don’t study the greats. But I am saying: test everything. Try it on. Live with it. See if it fits. And when it doesn’t, move on.
Whether you’re trying to get more done, tell better stories, or just get through your day—there’s no one-size-fits-all system. But if you stay curious, stay honest, and stay observant—you’ll build your own.
A toolkit of one. A rhythm that’s yours.
N of 1.
- Frank
I’m Frank Gogol, writer of comics such as Dead End Kids, No Heroine, Unborn, Power Rangers, and more. If this newsletter was interesting / helpful / entertaining…
After Credits Scene
I’ve always been kind of a picky reader when it comes to prose fiction. But lately I’ve been been enjoying Blake Crouch’s books.
They’re the perfect blend of high concept sci-fi, human stakes drama, and thriller storytelling — a real sweet spot for me. If that sounds like your cup of tea, I highly recommend Recursion and Dark Matter.