posted
Right now I am practicing writing short stories and novelettes.
I am the type who likes to focus. Some people skip to other stories/projects when they hit a block. I can't do that. I like to have the feeling of closure. Being done. Accomplishment (of course I go back and re-work some of my stuff).
I imagine that working on two project at the same time can be diverse but taxing too.
Any experiences to share fellow Hatrackers? (Can I say fellow? Gee I still feel so new. )
posted
I went through a phase of never finishing anything I started, so I tend to stick with a project these days regardless of how I feel about it.
I'd think learning to write to a deadline, or put out a regular contribution to a magazine whilst writing your next novel, or finish a project for a publisher despite just not caring anymore can't be a bad skill to develop.
posted
When a project really grabs hold of me and says "Write me now" I work on that project pretty much exclusively. BLOOD WILL TELL did that to me last August. I've had a couple of short stories/novelettes do that to me, too.
Other times, I have a main project that takes most of my attention, but I'll go back and revise other projects as critiques come in or work on things like queries and synopses on the side.
Right now, nothing really has me by the neck forcing me to write it. So, I'm working on the query and synopsis for BLOOD WILL TELL, revising "Mage Storm" and DREAMER'S ROSE (maybe THE SHAMAN'S CURSE, too), and trying to get myself immersed in SEVEN STARS. If I can't get immersed in it, it may be a sign that the idea is just not fully cooked yet. Then I'll try something else.
posted
I usually work on a few projects at a time. One solo novel and collaboration novel. (Plus one recreation collaboration that we do just for fun.)
Posts: 1895 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
Asimov had several typewriters set up with a different story in each one. When he hit a block in one story he'd just move on down the line. That becomes even easier for us now that we have computer files that can be popped open with a few keystrokes. I do think that works better with the short story format though. I can't quite imagine pulling it off with more than one novel.
Personally I have a novel WIP and work on short stories as well. It is nice to switch and get something done instead of just staring at the blank screen. I worry about it becoming too convenient to work on the shorter stuff so I've made a rule that I can't work on short stories more than two nights a week and never two nights in a row.
(Edited to spell Asimov correctly after I was done slapping my forehead.)
[This message has been edited by TaoArtGuy (edited February 03, 2010).]
[This message has been edited by TaoArtGuy (edited February 03, 2010).]
posted
I have not found a solution for my inability to finish most stories. I write in pieces. If I try to force it, I am unable to write. Therefore, I move back and forth between different stories in attempt to keep my attention and interest. I have difficulties that make changing that likely impossible. I have found that writing shorter stories helps. Short stories are more likely to get completed. But concepts do not always cooperate in being short stories. Anyone else?
Posts: 2 | Registered: Feb 2010
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posted
I've got two novels and a short story planned, while at the same time editing my previous novel and shopping around my last short story. I doubt this is the optimal writing situation, but the three stories are so different that each provides a refreshing reliever from the last. One is modern-day espionage, one is set in 1943 and is pseudo-Biblically based, while the last is a realistic sci-fi tale.
Really, you have to find a balance that works for you. I'm not sure this one works for me, but I write as my Muse allows.
Nanowrimo kinda opened my eyes to an interesting solution - writing via blitzkreig. If I force myself to just write, the vein seems to pop open a bit easier and bleed out onto the page. You can always edit a written page; you can't edit a blank piece of paper.
posted
I usually have multiple WIPs going, some short, some novel-length. Then when I hit a "tipping point" - i.e. I know EXACTLY how to finish the novel, and exactly what I need to do next - then I drop everything else to focus on completing the project.
But I'm a pantser (or however you say it) not an outliner, so my methods might not work for someone who likes to plan in advance.
posted
I'm still trying to figure out my optimum multi-project system.
I just finished a big story and it is out for crits. I was going to take the in-between time off and let my brain rest so I wouldn't lose the mood of the story, but I feel odd not having something to work on. So I've been working on some concepts for upcoming anthologies. If one of these catches, I will run with it. If not, I will paint a coffee table that has needed it for awhile.
This year I will also be re-drafting my first novel. But this is a big project with a lot of world building and I think it will be the background to my other projects for awhile.
Even before I sat down and started to take writing seriously I realized that I always like to have a project in the works. So a couple of days off after finishing a story is fine. A week or more just doesn't work for me. I at least have to be working on ideas.
My biggest challenge is not losing momentum/interest when it comes time to rewrite. I am trying to change the way I think about rewriting so it is not such a dirty word.
posted
I usually have several things going, but I found when I tried typing up things one page of each at a time, I tended to put the names of characters in one story into the other story. So I'll have several things going, but only write on one for weeks at a time.
I like to think of my works-in-progress as like a stovetop, where I'm constantly moving things from the front burners to the back burners...sometimes, though, they get cold and I throw them out.
posted
And then there's today. I was just about ready to get re-immersed in SEVEN STARS, but I've been letting the trigger for the February challenge roll around in my head. This morning, the story was just there. So, 2200 words later, I have a draft. And I still haven't done anything on SEVEN STARS. Posts: 4633 | Registered: Dec 2008
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