Multitasking Verses Stretching One's Self Too Thin
When I first started writing I always finished one story project before moving onto the next one. Even if the next story idea came to me before or during the process of writing a different story I still waited 'til I at least finished the first rough draft of the previous project before moving on to a different one. I did this because I wanted to make sure my writing of one story didn't influence the other. Each author has their own writing style which means they have their own writing voice. If a reader reads enough of their work they begin to recognize the authors voice easily. Which can be a good thing and a bad thing. Good when the readers love the way you write so much they buy your books as soon as they see you're the author, and bad when the reader begins to feel as if your stories are all the same.
I've read books like that. Sure the characters names, and other things like that may vary from book to book, but the general theme is exactly the same. And if you've read enough from this author then you also know how this new book will most likely end. They start to get predictable. I didn't want my books to ever be that. I see clear differences when I see the stories in my head, and I want my readers to see the clear difference as well. True all of my stories usually have a happy ending so far, but I avoid predictability as much as possible. And finishing one project before moving onto another was much easier to accomplish when I first started writing and was working on only short stories. Now that certainly isn't the case.
My ultimate goal has always been to write novel length erotica stories of my own as well as my short stories. And as expected writing a novel takes a lot more time to create than a 4,000 or 5,000 word short story. Which wouldn't be a problem if I had all the time in the world to finish one novel then a short story than another novel. However, most of my short stories I create are inspired by open call submissions and as most of you other authors know those always have a deadline. Which means I have to stop whatever I was doing in one project to start and finish a whole new project in order to get my stories in on time. Then get back into my original mindset so I can resume the previous project I've been working on. As each story is different, my mindset as I create them will be different. One I am a narrator and another I am in the mindset of the main character and another I am in the mindset of multiple main characters. Just as situations are different so are personalities. One character is outgoing and domineering so the way they act and talk could be totally different from the quiet reserved main character in the other story I'm working on.
I quickly learned that though my preference maybe to work on one project at a time that isn't how I'm going to succeed. I need to not only be able to juggle writing, editing, and promotion, but I also need to juggle multiple stories in the works. Making especially sure to meet deadlines and conform with the many different submission guidelines. I know in order to be successful I need to know how to multitask and have great time management skills. The only thing is how does one know when they're just multitasking and when they're spreading themselves too thin? I mean sure I can pump out a 4,000 word count story in two days or less, but am I giving that story all the attention it deserves while my mind tries to jump back to the previous work in progress. I wonder am I concentrating enough to make each scene the best that they can be as I find myself trying to brain storm on more ways to promote my previous book or trying to decided what topic my next blog article should be on.
If someone is spreading themselves too thin then what do they cut out when everything is important? Is it best to put off the blog appearances for a while so you can concentrate fully on your story? Is it better to let an open call submission pass you by because you haven't finished that novel you've been working on? When everything is important how do you know when you just need to step up your game and improve your time management skills or you're being over ambitious and am trying to manage too many pots in the kitchen? As any good cook will tell you having your hands on too many pots at the same time isn't good. Something is bound to get undercooked, overcooked, or burned. How I see that analogy applying to writing is when working on too many stories at once, one or more are bound to suffer. No one wants to create a rush story that ends up getting bad reviews, ruining the reputation they worked so hard to build, and causing them to loose readers. But then if you take too much time trying to make sure each story is perfect, even before you submit it for publishing, you'll end up missing deadlines, you'll never get anything published, you'll miss out on other golden opportunities, and they'll be nothing out there for your readers to read. As a new author myself I am still trying to figure out the difference between multitasking and spreading myself too thin, but one thing I do know is that the difference between the two is very slim.
I've read books like that. Sure the characters names, and other things like that may vary from book to book, but the general theme is exactly the same. And if you've read enough from this author then you also know how this new book will most likely end. They start to get predictable. I didn't want my books to ever be that. I see clear differences when I see the stories in my head, and I want my readers to see the clear difference as well. True all of my stories usually have a happy ending so far, but I avoid predictability as much as possible. And finishing one project before moving onto another was much easier to accomplish when I first started writing and was working on only short stories. Now that certainly isn't the case.
My ultimate goal has always been to write novel length erotica stories of my own as well as my short stories. And as expected writing a novel takes a lot more time to create than a 4,000 or 5,000 word short story. Which wouldn't be a problem if I had all the time in the world to finish one novel then a short story than another novel. However, most of my short stories I create are inspired by open call submissions and as most of you other authors know those always have a deadline. Which means I have to stop whatever I was doing in one project to start and finish a whole new project in order to get my stories in on time. Then get back into my original mindset so I can resume the previous project I've been working on. As each story is different, my mindset as I create them will be different. One I am a narrator and another I am in the mindset of the main character and another I am in the mindset of multiple main characters. Just as situations are different so are personalities. One character is outgoing and domineering so the way they act and talk could be totally different from the quiet reserved main character in the other story I'm working on.
I quickly learned that though my preference maybe to work on one project at a time that isn't how I'm going to succeed. I need to not only be able to juggle writing, editing, and promotion, but I also need to juggle multiple stories in the works. Making especially sure to meet deadlines and conform with the many different submission guidelines. I know in order to be successful I need to know how to multitask and have great time management skills. The only thing is how does one know when they're just multitasking and when they're spreading themselves too thin? I mean sure I can pump out a 4,000 word count story in two days or less, but am I giving that story all the attention it deserves while my mind tries to jump back to the previous work in progress. I wonder am I concentrating enough to make each scene the best that they can be as I find myself trying to brain storm on more ways to promote my previous book or trying to decided what topic my next blog article should be on.
If someone is spreading themselves too thin then what do they cut out when everything is important? Is it best to put off the blog appearances for a while so you can concentrate fully on your story? Is it better to let an open call submission pass you by because you haven't finished that novel you've been working on? When everything is important how do you know when you just need to step up your game and improve your time management skills or you're being over ambitious and am trying to manage too many pots in the kitchen? As any good cook will tell you having your hands on too many pots at the same time isn't good. Something is bound to get undercooked, overcooked, or burned. How I see that analogy applying to writing is when working on too many stories at once, one or more are bound to suffer. No one wants to create a rush story that ends up getting bad reviews, ruining the reputation they worked so hard to build, and causing them to loose readers. But then if you take too much time trying to make sure each story is perfect, even before you submit it for publishing, you'll end up missing deadlines, you'll never get anything published, you'll miss out on other golden opportunities, and they'll be nothing out there for your readers to read. As a new author myself I am still trying to figure out the difference between multitasking and spreading myself too thin, but one thing I do know is that the difference between the two is very slim.
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