Working on Multiple Books at the Same Time

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Spy_on_the_Inside

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I pretty much HAVE to work on more than one story at once. I'll get super inspired to work on one story, so much that I'll get completely sick of it and never want to see it again.

Having more than one story at a time may take longer, but it is necessary for both my sanity and career.
 

Jehhillenberg

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I'm always working on multiples projects from scripts to manuscripts/novels. Gotta stay busy. Always getting inspired for new ideas.
 

Mark G

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The great thing about not being published yet is that I can still do revisions on the 2 novels I've finished while I'm writing the 3rd. Having a full time job is definitely getting in the way of my writing though.
 

sekime

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I've got three WIPs; writing one, revising another, outlining the third.

I find that the very act of writing lets me come up with more things to write about. I'll be working on one story, I'll hit a dead end and the process of deciding where I want to go next creates alternative ideas. These ideas often broil together into entirely new plot ideas or story premises.

This is close to how I work too. I think it helps to have a system and be systematic.
 

randi.lee

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I focus on one project at a time ensuring I make it at least through draft two before I start on another. I only do research for my next project maybe a little bit of outlining, just while I let my first project sit for a bit.

I do this as well. Once I'm finished with a first draft I'll work on other things too, but I want that first draft under my belt first.
 

sadbeautifultragic

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A lot of times I'll outline for one while writing the first or second draft of another, or I'll work on the first draft of one while in the second bout of rewrites for another (that's what I'm doing now.)

Generally I like having more than one to work on. More to be excited about. :D
 

rwm4768

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I've always worked on one at a time. I might try to work on multiple, though, when I have enough ideas.
 

CharlieAnn

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One book about writing novels I read suggested that you should have at least three projects going at any one time. Ideally, once you've been working for awhile, one should be querying for an agent or with an agent; another in the revision stages; and a third in the rough draft/first draft stages. Now I don't know how that looks in practical life; I'm not that far along yet. I've got just one in revision stages, and another in first draft stages. For me, the big advantage right now is just that I have a variety of things to work on.

I feel like I just got punched in the face by life. Don't you hate it when your mind convinces your heart that something possible is impossible? Well, I'm off to go and outline another book because I just realized it's do able. Aha....weirdest day, really. This has been happening a lot lately.
 

dennis7490

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I have three screenplays and one novel in the works. I will kick around between them until one gets really rolling and then I stay with it until it's finished.
 

Pinkclaw

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I have to do this so I don't go insane, beside help me to keep interested in the story and when I get a block I can keep working in another. Beside I have too many ideas and just keeping them inside my head make me go more insane than normal.
 

victoriakmartin

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I'm a very scattered person when it comes to most things (I always have multiple books on the go, multiple video games, etc...) and I've decided to embrace that when it comes to my writing lately. And so I've got a multitude of projects on the go, though admittedly only one novel. And often when I work on them I'll pull everything out and try to do a little bit for each, which often ends up with me finding one that I want to work on more than the others.

The key thing I am trying now though is to prioritize a few of the projects over others and give them deadlines of when I want the current draft to be finished. So far it has been working okay, though I still have to find better ways of combating days when I do not feel like writing at all, since they always put me behind.
 

Persei

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I have multiple works, yes. I have to keep writing, write everyday and such, and sometimes when I lack inspiration/motivation to one of my projects, I switch it to another. I also grade them by priority -- what I want to finish faster, and those I don't even have an end in mind and it really works for me.
 

Michael_T

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I've got two novels that I'm working on. One in revisions and the other in the draft stage. I am also working on having a couple short stories coming along in the same fashion so I'll have one ready to submit on average of once a month or so.
 
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