Discussion: The Pros and Cons of Multiple Projects
18:08 |
| Original Image by Anthony Ryan |
Today I have another burning question that I’d love to hear
your answers for and opinions on. It has come to my notice quite recently that
there two types of writers. Type One focus on one project with single minded
doggedness. They don’t start writing another draft until they’ve finished the
one they’re already working on. They don’t edit and draft at the same time.
Essentially, they’re single project people. Type Two are those who have
multiple projects on the go at the same time. These people hop from book to
book whenever the inspiration strikes them. This type of writer is bold enough
to consider writing one book at the very same time they’re editing another.
For myself, I’m a Type One writer. I like to follow a single
book all the way to its end and focus all my energies on one story at a time.
Well, usually. Because this Camp NaNoWriMo, I’ve been sampling the life of a
Type Two writer and have been working on two books at the same time. For
someone not used to dealing with more than one plot at once, hopping between
the two books can be difficult sometimes. But at the same time it’s nice to
have a second project to work on when I’m stuck for ideas for the first.
My question for you today is, what do you think of writing
multiple projects at the same time? Have you ever tried it? What are some of
the pros and cons? Any tips on how to handle more than one project? And what type of writer are you Type One, or Type Two?
ALSO: Important announcement. The Gossiping With Dragons giveaway has now ended. Our winners are:
Daria-One Full Manuscript Reader's Report
Heather-One Ten Page Critique
Larkin-One Custom Header Design from The Techno Maid
Congratulations to the winners. I'll be contacting you shortly. And a big thank you to everyone else for entering. You guys are amazing. It's been a busy couple of weeks so I haven't managed to answer all comments and visit all you lovely people back yet, but I'll be catching up soon I hope. Also, would anyone be interesting in my hosting another giveaway in the future?
ALSO: Important announcement. The Gossiping With Dragons giveaway has now ended. Our winners are:
Daria-One Full Manuscript Reader's Report
Heather-One Ten Page Critique
Larkin-One Custom Header Design from The Techno Maid
Congratulations to the winners. I'll be contacting you shortly. And a big thank you to everyone else for entering. You guys are amazing. It's been a busy couple of weeks so I haven't managed to answer all comments and visit all you lovely people back yet, but I'll be catching up soon I hope. Also, would anyone be interesting in my hosting another giveaway in the future?
14 comments
I mostly focus on one project but if inspiration strikes I might start another one. I'm so excited to have won the giveaway! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteBeing able to work on two projects at once would help with those insistent plot bunnies I'm sure.
DeleteI used to be a Type Two writer, starting stories on an impulse and hopping back and forth whenever I felt like it. But in the end, it didn't work out for me. I never finished any of the stories I was writing, because I got too caught up in the next ones. More recently, I switched to a Type One writer, and was actually able to push through and finish one of my novels for the first time ever. Currently, I do have a few different projects going at once, but I focus on just one of them. The other two I only work on when I reach a breaking point, such as finishing a draft or revision, to give me a breather from my main story.
ReplyDeleteUltimately, I think everyone's different. I'm still figuring out what works for me, and it's completely different for other people. One of my friends is a total Type Two writer, and I'm always amazed at how many projects she's finished and how quickly she does them, in spite of constantly switching between them.
I think that's the hardest part about being a Type Two writers is focusing enough on one project to finish it. In my (very brief) trial of Type Two writing recently, I've found it difficult myself to make my books progress. But then, other people really thrive on the variety that multiple projects gives them. As you say, everyone's different, and thank goodness we are!
DeleteGenerally what I do is have one project that I pour most of my time into, but have several other ones going on the side. For example, at the moment my main project is rewriting Part 4 of my Ulysses novel for Camp NaNo, but I do have three or four other stories going at the same time. I'd say I'm something like type 1.5.
ReplyDeleteHow do you manage to balance the time between your main project and your side projects? Do you ever find that the side projects want to take over your attention?
DeleteI'm not sure what I am... I think I'm a Type One when it comes to NaNo and in the summer, but Type Two when I'm writing short stories. O-o
ReplyDeletexoxo Morning
Short stories are easier to be Type Two on I think, simply because they are so much shorter and there's less to remember. Personally I find it hard to keep two novel sized plots straight in my head at one time, but short stories are on a much smaller scale, which I'm sure helps a lot.
DeleteI'm between the two. If I want to dabble between several projects, I can and will. I can also pause and focus on a single project for a while, but I never solely focus on one project. I don't often work on several books at once either. I guess I would rather categorize myself as a Panster. which is different altogether. XD
ReplyDeleteBeing interchangeable between the two would definitely have its benefits. High five for pantsers!
DeleteI am a Type One writer all the way. I will often work on a short story, poem or article while working on a novel, but I only work on one novel at a time. Hopping from novel to novel makes me feel so unproductive, and it also gets discouraging and exhausting very quickly. That's just me, though. There's definitely no write or wrong type of writer.
ReplyDeleteThe progress thing is a big part of why it's so hard for some writers to jump from novel to novel I think. It's so hard to see progress normally, so spreading that over more than one book makes it even more frustrating. But you're definitely right. There's no right or wrong way to write, which keeps things wonderfully interesting.
DeleteI'm a Type Two. It's good because you're able to get more done on many things, but at the same time you get less done on one project en total because you aren't giving it your undivided attention. I don't mind that part so much. Working on two projects at a time works for me, mostly because it merely requires a good amount of time paying attention to your work.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to the giveaway winners. :)
It sounds like, if you have concentration and dedication, then multiple projects are great. I know other writers have to concentrate on one book at a time because otherwise they forget what they were writing or become demotivated. It's interesting to see how different writers approach their writing and their projects a different way, isn't it?
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