Finding the "one"

[Nihilium 7th]

I have been struggling with the choice of choosing between juggling stories fro awhile now and I would like to know how you guys deal with this dilemma. I am currently working on the completely different stories all of which I have invested a good amount of time into. At first I thought I could pull off this task (foolish me) but of course I was wrong. So now I am left with a looming question, which story to focus on and which ones to put on hold.

 

[ThinkerX]

How long are the stories?

At least with longer works, once you have a passable draft, the 'recommended procedure' is to stick it in a drawer for a month or two and do other things before coming back to it. In your case, might those other things include picking one of these other tales and working on it?

In the meantime, go through the stories in question. DON"T abandon them 'as is', instead tack on notes and 'quick and dirty fixes' so you'll have some idea later what you hoped to accomplish now. Then pick the one that grabs you the most and go with it.

 

[MadMadys]

I had something like 10 outlines/synopsis/ideas written down and had a few friends read them and tell me which one they liked. Since I liked each ideas, and couldn't choose which one did it for me, might as well let some outside opinions in.

 

[Anders Ämting]

I guess I'd pick the one that seems the most clear and easy to write.

In fact, that's kinda what I ended up doing. I figured if nothing else, it would be good practice for the more complex ones.

 

[writeshiek33]

this still happens to me i try to focus on main project but whatever ideas for certain stories i need to jot down

 

[Addison]

Story of my life. I have several folders full of ideas, a few outlines and other story material. Several of them are roughly started on my word docs. Keeping up with them was a challenge at first. But one day I closed my computer, went out for a lunch, went to the library and read a few books. Each book similar to the ones I was working on. As I walked home, about a mile, I let my mind wander to think about each story. I jotted down notes and thoughts on each one. When I was in my room I didn't have to look at the notebook to know which one my mind was truly most focused on.

Whenever my brain starts on fumes for that story I step away from the computer and go to another story for a while. Then I'm recharged. This way my main story gets all the attention it needs and the others stories aren't left in the dust.

 

[Zero Angel]

I have been struggling with the choice of choosing between juggling stories fro awhile now and I would like to know how you guys deal with this dilemma. I am currently working on the completely different stories all of which I have invested a good amount of time into. At first I thought I could pull off this task (foolish me) but of course I was wrong. So now I am left with a looming question, which story to focus on and which ones to put on hold.

I presently have 7 in-progress, and 39 planned/outlined. What's your goal? Have you published anything already? Here's what I recommend in general.

First, you need a "baby". For me, this is the main series of War of the Ages (WotA). I've released the first novel of it (because I wasn't thinking about writing being a sustainable business when I got into it, I do not recommend releasing your baby first).

If you don't know how to pick your baby, then it's basically the dream story that you want to tell. It's the one that calls to you, that beckons to you, and it's the one that interferes with your everyday life.

Now that we have the baby, table it.

You need to do some things:
(1) Provide some shelter for your baby. That is, create 1-2 prequels, shorts, day-in-the-life, novellas or whatever that are directly related to your baby. These should be created and scheduled for release 1-6 months before your baby.

(2) Decide what sort of story your baby is going to be. Is it a trilogy? Is it an ongoing series? Are there any unresolved plots? Are there things that can be tied to this baby for readers after they're done? (read another short, not the sequel).

(3) Diversify. You do not want to be a one-trick pony. Chances are you have other stories you want to tell, and you want people to be able to come to you from different outlets. Create more shorts and novellas to market yourself to others.

Now, it's a question of release dates. How long will each take you and when should you release things? I recommend releasing at least one short/novella 1-6 months before your baby, with a follow-up short/novella released within 1-6 months after your baby. This makes your baby not just a standalone, but a living story with other materials associated with it. (Remember that these other stories, although they can involve main characters of your baby, should not be "required reading". They're more like bonuses).

After the release of your baby, I recommend 2 or more diverse stories to build up your author platform. This should be done within the first 12 months of your baby's release.

Now it's a question of deciding which stories are going to make the cut / be feasible, and which will help develop your platform. Hopefully this makes it a little easier to decide. The use of deadlines and goals is very helpful to me, personally.

Note, I was a bit foolish when I first released *my* baby. I had no platform to speak of and have been playing catch up since then. I'm just now getting to the point where I will be releasing the "prequel" assist stories, and have only two diversification options. It's been ~8 months, so I'm two months behind releasing the follow-up "reward" stories to fans.

Oh, and if it's not clear, the prequel/diversification/reward stories should be cheaper than your baby.

 

[wordwalker]

Impressive, Zero! Creative exploration and publicity in one system.

Anyone else have any models or experiences about building a set of works like this? Should we start a new thread (the title of this doesn't quite cover it)?

 

[Addison]

I recently went through all my folders and documents and boxes to sort, organize and count how many story ideas I have either in progress or waiting to go beyond a sketch. I'll be a grandma before they're all written. :-(

 

[Penpilot]

I recently went through all my folders and documents and boxes to sort, organize and count how many story ideas I have either in progress or waiting to go beyond a sketch. I'll be a grandma before they're all written. :-(

Right there with you. I will die by being crushed by the weight of all my ideas... ahhah.

As for which story to write, my advice would be to maybe start off small. If you have unfinished short stories, finish a few of those first. If they're all novels, pick the one you're furthest along on, and which you have the most passion for and finish that one. Once you've chosen, stick to your guns and finish. Finish that first one, and things will look a lot easier in terms of finishing the next.

 

[Zero Angel]

Impressive, Zero! Creative exploration and publicity in one system.

Anyone else have any models or experiences about building a set of works like this? Should we start a new thread (the title of this doesn't quite cover it)?

I adjusted my advice to make it a little more general and posted here: mythicscribes.com/forums/marketing/7431-publishing-set-works-marketing.html#post94853. Looking forward to hearing other thoughts, models and experiences and critiques of my model.