I usually don't. I like to see things through, and I plan to see these three stories through. But there are three of them. Why did I start three stories? I am going to try and wrap all of these up over the weekend. That should mean at least one on them will be finished. But I'm not even sure which one to work on first. They are all at least halfway done. And I am pretty happy with all of them. It's not like I got bored or stuck. It's more like I got over ambitious. Has this happened to you guys? How do I keep this from happening in the future? I worry that juggling multiple stories will prevent them from being as good as they would be if I only had one that I was working on. How do I prevent that from happening?
Do you ever work on more than one story at a time?
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Novels? Yes, I've frequently found myself bouncing back and forth between projects before one grabs me and I see it through to the end.
Short stories? Never, that I can think of. For me, a story either works or it doesn't--I don't remember ever leaving one unfinished and going back to it later.
If there's nothing wrong with your stories, why don't you just pick one and commit to finishing it? Since you say you don't usually work on multiple stories at once, just remind yourself not to do it again in the future.
Short stories? Never, that I can think of. For me, a story either works or it doesn't--I don't remember ever leaving one unfinished and going back to it later.
If there's nothing wrong with your stories, why don't you just pick one and commit to finishing it? Since you say you don't usually work on multiple stories at once, just remind yourself not to do it again in the future.
This doesn't happen to me with novels, but it does with short stories, only because I move on to another chapter or section if I get stuck. With shorts, several times I've let them sit until I thought of the right ending for that story or scene that I only touched on briefly.
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I only write one at a time but it's not unusual for me to have several in different stages of revision.
Which one did you start first? I'd go with that one, personally.
Which one did you start first? I'd go with that one, personally.
Yes. There are times when something I'm working on hits a snag, and I find it useful to work on something else for a while, while it unsnags.
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For me, working on many projects at once is just the nature of the beast named "Earning a Living as a Writer".
I have deadlines on this, deadlines on that, an editor wants a short story, another wants an article, something hits the news that needs a timely article now, or that inspires a short story, etc.
If I could remove deadlines, or if I would stop writing anything that's isn't a deadline project, or if I'd stop accepting new deadlines while old ones are unfinished, I could work on one thing at a time, but as it is, I often have a dozen or more projects at different stages of completions.
I prefer writing short stories in one day, but I can't even do this, and still meet all my deadlines, so I do what I have to do.
I have deadlines on this, deadlines on that, an editor wants a short story, another wants an article, something hits the news that needs a timely article now, or that inspires a short story, etc.
If I could remove deadlines, or if I would stop writing anything that's isn't a deadline project, or if I'd stop accepting new deadlines while old ones are unfinished, I could work on one thing at a time, but as it is, I often have a dozen or more projects at different stages of completions.
I prefer writing short stories in one day, but I can't even do this, and still meet all my deadlines, so I do what I have to do.
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Yes, I have several projects on the go. I only ever work on one per sitting but can chop and change quite a bit between them. Sometimes one will grab me so much that I have to see it through and then I will go back to working on the others. But everyone is different. There are no hard and fast rules in this. 
Thanks for all the posts. I was starting to think I was crazy with three short stories in the works. I am going to be handing in my last workshop story and really want it to be a killer story. I'm hoping one of the three will pan out that way. Right now, it feels like anyone of these stories has the potential to be my best work. Okay, any advice on finishing three stories quickly? I know it's time to work on them one at a time and see them through at this point. Last night, I made a lot of progress on one of them and can probably wrap that one up today. But I want to have options. I want to have all three stories done, and then decide which will be the best to workshop.
However, I'm hoping not to juggle multiple short stories in the future. Or maybe I will do this again. I will probably end up doing something like this again. So, I really want to prove to myself that I can handle it, and the work still gets done. For those of you who write more than one story at a time, do you always finish your stories? Are there benefits to writing more than one story at a time? I'm feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment.
However, I'm hoping not to juggle multiple short stories in the future. Or maybe I will do this again. I will probably end up doing something like this again. So, I really want to prove to myself that I can handle it, and the work still gets done. For those of you who write more than one story at a time, do you always finish your stories? Are there benefits to writing more than one story at a time? I'm feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment.
Yeah, all my stories eventually get finished. I'd rather not have to take time away to finish them, but I guess the only advantage for me is that I always have something I am excited to work on, instead of forcing the story.
That's a good point. I am excited about all of my stories. But do you ever worry that they could suffer from not getting your full attention? And do you ever feel like you should just hurry up and finish everything so you can clear the slate?
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I used to have a major problem finishing projects (short stories OR novels), and I definitely have more than one project in the hopper at once. If I'm really focusing, it'll be on one main thing, but there are always, always side projects in my headspace.
It's a fun game I play sometimes, to open an unfinished story I have on my computer and try to figure out where the hell I was going with it, and finish it anyway.
It's a fun game I play sometimes, to open an unfinished story I have on my computer and try to figure out where the hell I was going with it, and finish it anyway.
No, I don't think they suffer by not getting finished right away. I wish I was a panster, I'm really jealous of people that are, but all of the stories that I forced an ending for, I wasn't happy enough with to submit.
I don't feel a need to clear the slate so to speak, I just set a goal to have a publishable novel a calendar year, but this year I'm working towards a collection so hopefully I'll get a story published that I can mention in a query. Once I hit my word count goal, if I'm out of story ideas, I will start one of the next two novels that I have ideas for or a screenplay.
I've worked on several different books simultaneously in the past. However, I find that I'm not good at maintaining focus on any one story when I have several that are being worked on at a time.
The way I've been doing it lately is just trying to be reasonable with myself and compartmentalize those books I want to write but can't write right now. It's more important for me to work on one thing I'm really passionate about, because I'm liable to see more of what needs to be done/what possibilities there are in a story I'm more intrigued by. I've gotten better at sort of creating a hierarchy of stories in my head and following that internal list of what I want done more.
The way I've been doing it lately is just trying to be reasonable with myself and compartmentalize those books I want to write but can't write right now. It's more important for me to work on one thing I'm really passionate about, because I'm liable to see more of what needs to be done/what possibilities there are in a story I'm more intrigued by. I've gotten better at sort of creating a hierarchy of stories in my head and following that internal list of what I want done more.
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Totally.
I have 6 in the hopper right now, in various states of doneness. If I try to work on one story straight through until it's ready to submit, I lose my edge. I have to break away, work on something else for a couple of days, and then come back.
I have 6 in the hopper right now, in various states of doneness. If I try to work on one story straight through until it's ready to submit, I lose my edge. I have to break away, work on something else for a couple of days, and then come back.
Everything I write receives my full attention, even if I have a dozen short stories, three novels, seven articles, and half a dozen poems all in various stages of completion, which is not all that uncommon.
I only think about writing when I'm writing, and when I sit down to write, my full attention is focused on the project at hand. My slate is never clear. Never. A clear slate would scare me to death.
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Well, my signature is the quick answer to the question!
The longer answer is that I always have stories at different points in their progress. For example, my short story was started because I wanted a bit more background on my MC in one of my novels.
I also have a bad habit of getting frustrated very easily with my projects. So I have others I can work on, get my mind away from whatever is causing my problems, and then I can go back with fresh eyes and mind.
The longer answer is that I always have stories at different points in their progress. For example, my short story was started because I wanted a bit more background on my MC in one of my novels.
I also have a bad habit of getting frustrated very easily with my projects. So I have others I can work on, get my mind away from whatever is causing my problems, and then I can go back with fresh eyes and mind.
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Nothing I ever do gets my "full attention."
Sorry, just being honest.
While I write this post, I'm waiting on two SQL queries to finish, listening for my phone to ring, watching out of the corner of my eye for a co-worker to turn on his office light so I can talk to him, and thinking in the back of my mind about the changes I need to make in my latest outline.
When I was reading Harry Potter to my son this morning, I had to remember every character's distinct voice, which sometimes requires scanning ahead to see who's talking while reading the current section aloud, while petting the dog with one hand and keeping track of the time so he wouldn't be late for school.
I haven't given anything in my life my "full attention" for as long as I can remember.
Sorry, just being honest.
While I write this post, I'm waiting on two SQL queries to finish, listening for my phone to ring, watching out of the corner of my eye for a co-worker to turn on his office light so I can talk to him, and thinking in the back of my mind about the changes I need to make in my latest outline.
When I was reading Harry Potter to my son this morning, I had to remember every character's distinct voice, which sometimes requires scanning ahead to see who's talking while reading the current section aloud, while petting the dog with one hand and keeping track of the time so he wouldn't be late for school.
I haven't given anything in my life my "full attention" for as long as I can remember.
I often have different project in different stages--I'm working on the first draft of a novel while two short stories are being edited and I'm already doing research for my next novel.
But I rarely WRITE several stories at the same time.
But I rarely WRITE several stories at the same time.
I do--I have a really hard time focusing on one piece at a time, whether that be novels or short stories. I also find that being able to project hop makes me write more, in general--on days that I'm feeling lost of stuck on one project, I work on something different. It works for me most of the time, but if I'm working with a character who has a particularly "voice-y" voice, it can take a bit of time to get out of that mode.
Are you sure? I can do five things at "once" and still give each my full attention. Though I admit that I seldom work this way. I zone in on everything important that I do. Most things throughout the day are mundane, ordinary, unimportant, and require no more attention than an ant crawling across a freeway. These don't use enough brain power to matter.
But I lock in on the important things, get in a zone where everything else is shut out completely. This does not mean my subconscious is not handling all those other mundane, low brain power problems.
I like working on a few novels at once, I use my ideas and dreams and fit them into one of the stories I am writing, or put them on hold for the next not, I try to limit my current work to three.
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I guess I'm a little ADHD in this respect. I probably have like 10 different fiction projects in the works at this very moment. I lose interest in stuff very quickly, and bounce from project to project. Eventually, something gets finished. Nice thing is, when I get a great plot idea, but it doesn't fit in with the characters I'm currently writing about, I can often insert it with another set of characters that have been on the back burner for awhile. I know it sounds a little nuts, but it works for me. Even my non-fiction stuff is a little scattered at the moment. The only stuff I sit down and write start to finish is the articles I get contracted (and paid) to write. Anything that will potentially be on spec is fair game depending on my mood.
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I'm a freelance writer, so I naturally find myself moving between projects over the course of a week or even a day. I just focus on what I'm writing now and worry about other things later.
For example, in addition to my client work I'm also working on two novels, and by working on two novels I mean that I have two in first draft stage and normally work on both in any given day. Both are sequels, so I have a handle on the majority of the characters, but I don't find it any more difficult than switching between different jobs for different clients in the same day.
It's my normal work writing pattern anyway, so why not follow the same pattern for my own writing?
For example, in addition to my client work I'm also working on two novels, and by working on two novels I mean that I have two in first draft stage and normally work on both in any given day. Both are sequels, so I have a handle on the majority of the characters, but I don't find it any more difficult than switching between different jobs for different clients in the same day.
It's my normal work writing pattern anyway, so why not follow the same pattern for my own writing?
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