Bisky's Twitterling's Scribbles! discussion
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Sticking to one project
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I have split my time between writing for Wattpad and writing what I plan to publish on Amazon. If anything I write becomes popular on wattpad then I'll have to look into editing it and publishing it as well. Splitting time between two stories helps keep me from getting burnt out on my novel. I'm still getting ideas for other stories. I just write them down and move on. I have a lot of story ideas screaming for attention in my head. The voices aren't as loud if I split time between 2 stories. When I am writing, I have to put it all aside and focus!
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I always come up with new ideas for projects, and no matter how badly I just want to drop everything and start that project I force myself to write out all the details and put it in my idea folder for later.
But I was thinking about how on earth I'm going to pick which project to work on after I finish writing ReiHana xp I'll be so lost! *cries*
I am working on a mystery novel rewrite but also have three short story ideas and am working on writing flash fiction, not to mention blogs to keep up with my promotion and visibility. I know if the time I spend on these "other things" takes away from the novel, but my mind just can't convince me to finish one project before starting another. Add to this the constant flow of new ideas for stories makes the 24-hour day simply not long enough! But I do what makes me feel right so I don't think too much about it (anymore).
I have a tendency to get really excited about one thing, go at it really hard for a few days/weeks/months, and then get bored and not finish. This goes for everything--reading a book, writing, playing video games, watching television series, etc. Anything that takes awhile. Part of it is because I get sad when something is ending. When I was a little girl, I would cry at the end of movies because I was sad I was losing all my new wonderful friends!Anyway, because I know this, I force myself to stick to stuff. I have a notebook with story ideas that I write down, and sometimes I'll let myself brainstorm. But mostly, I have a schedule that I stick to. And I say, "OK, by the end of January, I'm going to have finished all the edits my developmental editor sent me." Most of the time, I finish ahead of time, which is awesome because I get to start new things sooner. But even if I don't, since I'm forcing myself to focus, I at least finish.
Bisky, I think there is a point of the writing process when you get to a certain stage of your book that your brain starts flooding you with ideas that would be so much fun to write. I don't if it is hyper-creativity or self-sabotage. but it has happened with every novel I've worked on.That said, I'm usually working on more than one project at a time. Part of it is to diversify my attention, so I don't grow fatigued with the book I'm focusing on. And part of it is to make up for all that lost time I spent not writing. Although there are times when life gets in the way and I have to drop everything but main project.
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I followed a Twitter discussion on this subject not so far back. General agreement was you had to force yourself to focus on your main project or nothing would ever get done! Seems discipline is required :/
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When I come up with a new idea for a project, I sit down and start writing. That's the only way I can get my focus back on the book I am supposed to be working on. Exception is when I'm near a deadline and then I schedule the time to work on the new project.I do have a list of the order books are being released in but I'm flexible. Raven's Blood was not supposed to be my next book. It was actually really far down the list because it's a newer book idea, but when I started putting down my ideas, I was 150 pages in before I came up for air.
@Cassandra You really should write what you're passionate about. If that story has taken over then maybe it should be you main WIP to finish first. That is how I try to order my writing schedule. Most of my ideas are on equal footing with each other in that respect which makes it difficult to pick and choose.
I'm a bit scatterbrained and could use more discipline to finish several WIP.
This used to be a big problem for me, actually. I would write the first few chapters of a book, then a new project would call my name. It drove my best friend insane, because he would read the few chapters and get interested, then I'd never finish. LOL. Eventually I learned to put the new projects in the back burner somewhere. Part of my mind works on them while I focus on one thing, then eventually at some point they pop back into the forefront of my mind more fleshed out. Thanks, Brain, you're a peach! (Er...do brains consider that a compliment?) Anyway, it works out fairly well and I get much more done this way.
When or comes to stories and poems I'll switch to another whenever I get stuck. Last summer I edited in the morning and wrote new work in the afternoon. A novel, however, requires attention to the exclusion of other writing projects.
Multiple stories are always sitting in the wings. When I am into a story, I write until that inspiration fades, so turn to one of my other projects to see if i feel these better. This often infuriates commissioners as they sometimes don't fully understand my creative process. I have, in the past, fixated on one and forced it out, but to be honest the ending felt exactly that forced. So since then I have numerous unfinished drafts that will one day be completed, but only when i feel them fully.Just how my brain works I suppose.
Sophie xxx
*Throws bourbon glass into the fireplace in an overly dramatic fashion*
What is your criteria for starting new projects? Do you have a numbered list of novels that you want to write? What makes a novel take presidence?