Thread: More than one?

Do any of you work on more than one book at a time? I feel my ADD kicking in. I'm about halfway through my first story but I got an idea for another already.

Hell, yes. Let's see, right now I've got a sequel for a novel that will be coming out in March, A Vietnam War love story, a sci-fi thriller, and a couple of WW2 setting books. All of these are about half finished. When I bog down on one book, I switch to another and then go back after the question has been resolved in my mind. During the 4 years I was researching a historical novel, I took a break and wrote an erotic/romance, The Prisoners of Gender, which came out from Eternal Press last year.

Whenever I get an idea for a novel, I'll write at least one chapter in rough draft and tuck it away with notes to remind me where I plan to go with that book.

I'm a very fast writer, problem is I don't have enough time to write. Sigh. Maybe I'll have a break-out novel and be able to retire as a writer.

Take care,

JohnB

Yes.

No.

I find that when I work on two projects, they invariably begin to coalesce into each other. I mix up storylines, character traits, that kind of thing. I concentrate on one novel at a time, and I finish it. If I have another novel on the go, the temptation to discard the other one if I reach a hard stage can be quite high. And I like to finish what I start.

Yeah. I'm still a new writer, only started in May, but so far I'm working on about 5 things. Three shorts stories, a novel, and my first poem. As long as you don't take on so much you can't handle it, you'll be fine.

When you get an idea, write it down, I think that's fine, but if you find yourself being distracted by it all, you need to lessen the load, in my opinion.

Good luck

I'm working on a teen adventure series. And now that I FINALLY have an idea (after wanting for write a book for years with no ideas) others possibilities are coming to mind as well. It's like I've flipped a creativity switch all of a sudden and the ideas are chugging around in my brain.

NOTE TO SELF: Get some more composition notebooks and start a shelf of ideas!

This morning, I found myself pounding out a paragraph on a new storyline. I don't think I have any time to develop another story right now, but I was just curious about the rest of you. My current story is always on my mind. I'm trying to sort out so many details, etc.

Here is a crazy tidbit: I actually called someone one of my character names the other day! I think I'm losing it!!

I am afraid I don't have enough brain cells to work on more than one thing at once despite being a multi-tasking female. I do sometimes shelve projects though and come back to them later when the muse takes me. The novel length project I have just completed I began in 2007 and then had a break. When I came back to it though it had developed quite a different shape which almost makes it two books. Not surehow well that works yet. I suppose that is one of the dangers of having that approach.

No. Ideas come when they may, but I focus on one project at a time.