Success only flourishes in perseverance -- ceaseless, restless perseverance.
--Baron Manfred Von Richtofen

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

One Thing at a Time (Or Not!)

Another piece of advice from Kevin J. Anderson at the Storymakers conference last spring was to work on multiple projects at the same time. I can certainly see the wisdom in that. There's a lot of stuff to get done when it comes to writing, and as I mentioned in my last post, I want to speed up the process. That is going to mean working on more than one project at once, which is something else I haven't done in the past. I am a one thing at a time kind of gal.

But no more! I think the trick is to have the projects in different stages, so I'm not working on the same thing on multiple projects.

Anyway, here's what I want to work on right now.

1. Drafting a Christmas story (almost done with that)
2. First revision on Shattered Skies
3. Planning and outlining the new novel

Of course, once the Christmas story is done, I'll need to revise that too--in time for Christmas. Hopefully that will only take a matter of days, though.

What projects are you working on? Do you work on more than one at a time?

7 comments:

Konstanz Silverbow said...

I always am working on multiple things. I am currently editing one manuscript while working on writing another. I always have more story ideas so if I get stuck on one, I jump to another until I figure out how to get "un-stuck" on the original one. It has worked great so far. I will always have a second novel ready while working like this.

Konstanz Silverbow
nothoughts2small.blogspot.com

Stephanie McGee said...

I am now. I mean, I've tried to do it in the past and would usually set aside the in-draft project to edit the other for like a week or so. Now I'm doing both at the same time. Soon as I finish this edit and this first draft, I'll have a project waiting to query, one in revisions, and be in-development on several others while drafting another. That keynote was so inspiring, wasn't it?

Shallee said...

I usually focus on one at any given time, but I usually have several projects in different stages to jump between.

Carolyn V said...

I try to focus on one, but I always seem to be working on two at a time. ;)

Yolanda Renée said...

Always, my mind is too busy not to. I went to bed at midnight -- woke up at 2:45 AM -- my mind began writing -- I'll nap later. I actually find housework, laundry, and cooking the best time to work through the puzzles that appear. Although, I hate housework, and laundry -- they are necessary evils that relax the mind and let the gray cells work. :)

Romance Book Haven said...

All the best with all your projects. Yes, I also juggle multiple projects at a time to meet deadlines!

Nas

Tyrean Martinson said...

I'm so thankful for your post on this! I have been feeling so guilty about feeling pulled in different directions with ideas - I mean, can a scatter-brained writer like me get a project to publication . . .I keep working towards it, along with several other projects. I have more ideas than time.
For now, I'm polishing Champion in the Darkness but discovered a middle area problem (aagh) that I think will take a chapter insert to fix. (Insert villainess time).
Then I have the sequel to that in the wings (waiting for 2nd draft status), the third for that trilogy in "idea-outline" form, and a totally separate novel about Captain Wrath outlined in full with a few short vignettes written.
Oh, and yesterday at the library I decided to look up some info on Bohemia, Prague and Wenceslas . . .because I have a story about him in half-rough draft form lying around her somewhere and I still think about it sometimes.
Plus, there's a short story/poetry collection I'm thinking of publishing, and two devotional book ideas I have half-drafted out.
Hmmm. Anything else? Random poetry and short stories.