Is working on two projects better?

[2WayParadox]

Up until recently I haven't tried to make writing a daily activity. I feel that I run out of juice and it gets hard to achieve that flow. (although I have written decent stuff despite of this, so maybe I'm just being whiny)

Anyway, I have another WIP laying about. Very different, and I have a bunch of ideas for it as well. Do any of you work on two different (give this any meaning you like) projects at the same time? And what benefits/demerits does it bring you?

I feel that it might give me that distraction I need to make it easier to get back in the groove with the other story. That might also be because it's not my first novel in that genre and it uses characters I'm intimately familiar with already.

2Way

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

I used to be a one project at a time writer. Now, I have four writing projects in different stages, one writing contest that I run, a live crit group, and online crit partners I work with regularly.

It's a lot. Sometimes it can be a tad overwhelming and I have to step back and breathe deep. However, I don't get bored working on the same old thing anymore. If I get tired of editing a completed draft, I can switch to a project that's in planning. Get tired of that, move to a new draft I'm working on, or go read and review contest entries.

I think that approach works fine, as long as you're finishing projects. Some writers get stuck in the endless cycle of never ending WIPs. They get bored with one, start a new one, rinse, wash, and repeat...until all they have is a pile of incomplete stories.

You learn more from finishing work so your eye must always be focused on that result.

 

[2WayParadox]

That is true, I do want to respect the deadline I set for finishing my first draft. I'm taking Stephen King as a guideline "If you're serious about writing, you should be able to finish the first draft of a normal length book in 3 months." (or smt like that)

For a book of 120k words that's an average of 1340 words per day, with 90 days' time.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

Keep in mind though, King is a full-time writer. He can write for 8 hours a day & with 30 years of experience at his back.

The same won't hold true for everyone.

 

[Terry Greer]

What's important is that you finish what you're writing and don't use multiple projects as a way of avoiding that. Having 2 or 3 projects on the go simultaneously is fine and helps with block. BUT if you just start a new project every time you get stuck then its not helping you at all.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

Another thing to consider if you're thinking of multiple projects.

It might be helpful to work on shorter length pieces, which will give you the learning experience that comes with finishing, while plugging away at the larger piece.

If you're working on a big novel, have a short story in the works too....or maybe a novelette that deals with a minor character's backstory. There's lots of different choices, but having several large novels, in various stages of completion, might not help you much.

 

[Tom]

I'm working on my major project, a full-length novel, and two or three smaller projects on the side. I like doing more than one project at a time because if I'm having a rough time with the main project, I can focus on the smaller one and stop stressing about the other. Applying yourself to a different project can help you go back to the major one with fresh eyes and new ideas.

 

[Penpilot]

That is true, I do want to respect the deadline I set for finishing my first draft. I'm taking Stephen King as a guideline "If you're serious about writing, you should be able to finish the first draft of a normal length book in 3 months." (or smt like that)

I'd like to hear him say that to GRRM.

But seriously, it's about figuring out what you're comfortable with and what works for you. If all you ever do is start new projects, then that's a problem. As long as you're finishing what you start at a decent pace, then you're fine. I remember reading about an author, I think Asimov or Bradury, that kept multiple typewriters, each with a story in progress queued up, so if he ever got stuck on one, he'd move onto the next.

For myself, I'm usually doing these 4 things at the same time, writing a novel, editing/prepping a finished work to send out, planning the next novel, and if I'm moved to do so, writing a short story.

Now, it's not like I do all these things in one day. It's just what I have in the pile-o'-things to do. Mostly I'm writing, and when I need a break, I go do one of the other three.

I find that I like to focus on one major project because then I'm able to keep pretty much the entire story in my head. I just have to look at chapter headings to know exactly what happens in that section. If I'm having trouble, this lets me run lots of What-IF scenarios quickly through my head without having to refer back to things in much detail.

As for getting into a groove, from personal experience after an illness and falling out of it, the only way to get into a groove is to just write. It doesn't matter if it's multiple projects or just one. What matters is that you make writing part of your routine.

One of the tricks I use is I find a writing space. Sometimes that's the library, others it's McDonalds or the mall. The writing space is about getting your brain to associate those places with writing, so when you sit down the brain knows it's writing time. Home usually gets associated with relaxation time, so that makes it harder for your brain to get going when at home, that is unless you create a writing space at home.

I usually go to my writing space for a set amount of time. I don't leave until the time is up, so if I want to goof off I can, but regardless, I'm staying for X amount of time. So I might as well just write.

 

[Chessie]

You know, this depends on where you are in your writing journey and what your goals are. I also used to be a one project at a time writer, but as I've gotten faster from writing daily, this has changed for me. The perfect balance (for now) is writing one project while plotting another.

However, the project itself also determines my ability to focus. For example, the story I'm currently plotting right now demands more of my time. Its huge (bigger cast, etc than I'm used to writing). Its the next step in the learning curve for me. So I've been only working on fleshing that one out and have set the writing for my other story to the side for the moment (that's about to change though). I can't write two stories at once though. Its more productive for me to be in one story world at a time.

With more experience under our belts, I think we get faster, more productive and creative in that productivity.

 

[cupiscent]

I'm a one-story-at-a-time writer. So much of my good material comes out of my subconscious - as in, it just shows up in my conscious space as though it's arrived on a bolt of lightning, which just means my brain has been working on it in the background. Because of this, I achieve best results on a project when it's the only creative endeavour my subconscious has to chew on. I find when I'm working on just one project, and working on it every day (give or take an odd day off here and there) then I can get to a place where my brain is really working on it all the time, so that when I sit down to write, there's a lot of stuff already there that just comes out easily.

That's the carrot. The stick is that I have an inherently lazy brain that prefers to avoid hard work. Whenever I get to a tricky bit in my work - that pivotal scene, the crunchy point where all the plot has to come together, trying to figure out how to make the bank heist work - my brain will try to avoid it. If I have another project on the go, it's just too easy for my brain to go, "Hey, we could work on this other thing! That's still work!" I can't let myself have options to prevaricate.

 

[Helen]

What's important is that you finish what you're writing and don't use multiple projects as a way of avoiding that. Having 2 or 3 projects on the go simultaneously is fine and helps with block. BUT if you just start a new project every time you get stuck then its not helping you at all.

Completely agree.

 

[ThinkerX]

Alas, I am a one project at a time writer. Most I can manage is one story, plus minor editing or some such on one or two other tales.

 

[K.S. Crooks]

I work on one project at a time. I am currently writing the sequel to my first fantasy novel, but whenever an idea comes to me for book 3 or 4 or for another completely different series I have in mind, I add the information to the outlines have in progress. Never let ideas go, because you will never get them back. I think it also matters if the characters are new or you have told stories with them before. Because I am working on a sequel I already have a feel for how each of my main characters will speak and react in different situations. This makes the writing go a bit faster than before, though I have change from editing only at the end to editing each chapter when it is complete. This adds a days break in the writing a gets me charged to continue.

If working on two things at the same time works for you then do it or try it for a time and see how you like it. There is no right or wrong way to be creative as long as it stays fun for you. Good luck with your writing.

 

[GregTaylor]

Yes is the simple answer.

Being an artist by profession I usually try to be working on 2+ projects at the same time, flipping between them gives you the 'fresh eyes' more quickly and allows you to be way more efficient in general.

Another big tip, is to find a different creative output. For example I also compose music, for 3 days I may be fixated on making a track, then when I return to painting it feels like I've had a long break (much longer than 3 days) and fully recharged with creative enthusiasm.

Probably differs from person to person, but this is how it is for me and recommend anyone to try it .

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

I'm taking Stephen King as a guideline "If you're serious about writing, you should be able to finish the first draft of a normal length book in 3 months.".

I'd like to hear him say that to GRRM.

Great line!


I think you know whether you're a multi-project guy or not, as others said, based on whether you find yourself finishing projects or not. I definitely like the rush of finishing a short story as much as the one I got from finishing a novel, so maybe sticking to shorts is my best bet. (Especially with the nature of my job, the kids, etc.)

 

[CupofJoe]

Yes is the simple answer.
Being an artist by profession I usually try to be working on 2+ projects at the same time, flipping between them gives you the 'fresh eyes' more quickly and allows you to be way more efficient in general.
Another big tip, is to find a different creative output. For example I also compose music, for 3 days I may be fixated on making a track, then when I return to painting it feels like I've had a long break (much longer than 3 days) and fully recharged with creative enthusiasm.
Probably differs from person to person, but this is how it is for me and recommend anyone to try it .

I agree. Breaking out of writing to do something else for a day or 4 works wonders for my creativity in all projects.
Across media I can work on 2-3-4 projects at once. Even more than one writing project as long as only one is fiction/creative.
I would go crazy trying to hold two fantasy stories in my head a the same time. I have enough trouble confabulating ideas and stories from different worlds as it is... Doing it deliberately? - Ouch I can feel the migraine already...

 

[Jenurik Name]

Are you at an impasse because you already know what the next scene will be and are just having trouble getting through it? Or is it that you're not sure how to progress the storyline? They're different problems.

If the issue is a lull in creativity, I don't think working on two projects will help. What's to say you won't run out of steam for both of them? The culprit is usually that you are in a very "left-brain" headspace that's hindering your ability to let the words flow. You're conscious that you're stalled and you're dwelling on it in the moment, or you write a sentence and you stop to look and read it over, and it's too ordinary.

Sometimes these scene you're stuck on is inherently restrictive, but necessary for the plot to move forward. Not even George R. R. Martin can make every scene wondrous if it's really straightforward and ordinary.

 

[SugoiMe]

I'm a linear sort of person, but I know a bunch of people who seem to thrive working on several projects. I guess it's nice to have that option. If something isn't working out, then work on the other one. If that one starts to cause you trouble, then go back to the first. As long as progress is being made it's all fine and dandy.

 

[GregTaylor]

Good to try different things.. I'd consider myself a linear thinker too.... but you can easily get caught up in the work and start to miss very basic mistakes... for art you can flip the canvas which is a neat trick, all the mistakes hit you in the face right away.

 

[GregTaylor]

I'm not suggesting you read your book from the back page forward with that last post haha.