I do it occasionally one always gets neglected, though. I prefer to work on a novel and a short. Two novels it feels like you're rowing two yachts across the ocean. With a novel and a short it feels like the short is a dingy that you can skim to an island and celebrate your success at getting somewhere. But it might be easier if you're used to writing novels - or quickie novels. Certain genres or types can be easier for people to write. Ann M Martin, Babysitter's club fame, I think she was writing a novel a month.
Alright, so I have like for works in the.. uh.. work, at any given time. Is that too many, few, or unimportant as long as I just write?
There isn't one set way that works for everyone. Some people can only focus on one project at a time, while others can work on multiple. I have five stories in the works: one still I'm world building, two I'm outlining, and two I'm writing. I'm almost halfway through writing one though so the other four are on the backburner.
Lemme check... 28 WiPs. Keep in mind that this includes manuscripts that are set up and ready for typing but aren't yet, manuscripts that have alternate versions because they can't make up their own minds, and a few that I'm either plotting out or writing out. The moment I come up with a story idea, I prepare the manuscript layout and its notes for the time when I decide to get going on it.
I did for at the beginning and 'just wright' at the end... I honestly don't know what's wrong with me.
Two: one nearing completion, one fleshed out in a detailed draft and one I'm not counting that is in the planning stage.
Four or five, all of which are expected to be short story length. One of these (my main WIP) is nearly done, the others are all uncompleted first drafts of varying lengths.
I tried to count them, but I got confused because some manuscripts have several parts, 100,000-200,000 words in length. For example, a series dubbed "On the Run" has five parts even though basically it's one fat WIP. So I would say 15-20 WIPs (DIPs, more like, drafts-in-process)... They're all "finished" but not edited, most of them nearing 200k because of their extreme draftiness. But only 1 WIP (a duology right now) has been seriously edited (like about umpteen times, I'm seriously sick of it ). It should be noted I write with my hubby (@T.Trian here), so it's not like I'm this productive on my own. Plus, I only consider the main WIP the only real, serious effort while the rest of the manuscrips are really crude, like from the deepest pits of shitty drafts, and like 85 % of them have to be rewritten.
Only two, with two more potential ones in my head. One, my first novel, is currently being formatted for self-publication on Kindle and in paperback. The other is a sequel, for which I've written about 4 chapters. I am also doing ongoing research into a different locale for this new WIP. I'm afraid, when it come to actually writing, I work better when I concentrate on one project. I don't like scattering my energies, and I do stick with a project till it's done. If I have a 'bad' writing day, I can always hare off and do research, but it's always focused on the same project. I've learned TONS about creative writing during the fashioning of my first novel—from reading how-to books and articles, studying other pieces of writing, and most importantly, from the excellent feedback I've received from so many betas. I do hope that my increased knowledge of the craft means my second novel won't take nearly so long to write in first draft, or require quite so many re-writes afterwards. However, I'm glad I stuck with my original, because I'm happy with it now. It says what I wanted to say. I am NOT a believer in the idea that a first novel is always crap and should be discarded. A first draft is probably always crap, but it should be improved instead. From the ground up, if necessary. Abandoning projects because they are 'crap,' can get to be a habit. Seeing flaws and correcting them is the key to success, in my opinion. Even if your original idea no longer appeals to you, twist the story around until the idea DOES appeal. If you wrote it in a fever of adolescent angst and now you're an adult and the whole premise seems stupid, try making it into an adult story instead. Or a coming-of-age story. Or even a satire on adolescence. Use what you know now, to improve it. There is no story that's so bad that it can't be fixed. That's my motto, anyway.
One. And one festering in my head which I'm not sure I could pull off anyway as I don't know enough about the setting's industry.
Three; "Teslageist: Amber Wasp" is the second volume in the "Legends of the 23rd Century" series. I've started writing the first draft. "Stranded Aeliens Need Technical Assistance", or S.A.N.T.A is about a crew of beings from the planet Ael who are the basis of the Santa Claus myth. I've started to write ideas down for this. "Hospital on the Allotment" is a comedy about vegetables. It's full of bad puns and is high in vitamin silly. Again, not much more than a handful of notes, including a team of police potatoes appealing for information about a cereal killer.
One. I haven't written on it in a good month though. I don't really think I the whole "writer" thing in me.
Tons on the backburner, it's like a friggin queue in my head of characters waving and calling - yoo-hoo don't forget me. I can't focus on too much at once. Especially not the pace I've got going with my first draft. It shuts everything out - so 1 book ( thought it was going to be a novella. ) Still trying to polish up Not Pink - the cover art is really giving me issues.
One. I'm actually worrying about what I'm going to write when it's finished, because I have no other good ideas at the moment. I'm about 1/4 through the final edit so I need to get a spark soon.
60 give or take. I've got a DWIP though. Too keep track of all the little critters. My process consists of writing down an opening sypnosis or opening paragraph of how the story would start, so when I come back to it eventually I can get a taste of the theme and feel I was trying to achieve when the idea was initially spawned. Then I go to my directory which is Alphabetized haha. It looks like this: Story 1 (short story) My incredible sypnosis about this idea. Story 2 (novel) The sypnosis behind this novel. And so on. Helps me keep some semblance of order to the multitude of ideas I have. Because honestly, we're all smacking our heads about the "idea that got away", "if only I'd written that idea down!" and so on lol
So i have recently got into writing more and i am currently about a month into the project im working on. But the problem is i have new idea and i really like it , i feel it is blocking my creativity on my other project and will till I start it. But I really want to keep doing my current project as well. My question is working in two projects at once with limited time feasable?
Lots of people have multiple works in progress and I know some authors who usually have a few things going on at the same time. It just depends how much time you have, if there are deadlines, and if you can handle the workload.
Not so much a question of if it's feasible. I have the same problem. I start one and I was so excited because my current main project just got past 13K words. It's more so a question of if you can do it. Lots of people do more than one work at a time. anime companies and movie makers have dozens of projects going on at any one time, but some if not most fall through. that's more so due to money and paying people for their time, but what you need to understand is some of your projects will never finish, but you need practice at least finishing one of your projects whether it's number 1 or number 277
It works for some people, doesn't work for others. You may as well try it and see how it goes for you!
Thanks for the input guys. Well I'm going to start the other and try and keep up with both at once and see how it goes.
