How many books do you work on at one time?

[Carlene]

Okay, call me crazy - a lot of people do, but I always work on more than one book at a time. I think this comes from the years I freelanced and had several projects going at once. So, am I the only fool...I mean extremely talented person who does it? I'm only asking because a friend asked me today what the book I'm working on is about and I said, "Which one?" She said, yup, "ARE YOU CRAZY?"

Carlene

[sunandshadow]

Hmm, I might brainstorm/outline a second book while writing or editing the first book, but I wouldn't want to have 2 projects in the same phase of development at the same time.

[KTC]

I have two on the go. One near complete and one I am brainstorming/writing. If I get ideas, I write them down and come back to them later...I like to be working on one thing at a time...but often there is a slight overlap.

[aadams73]

Two: one I work on during the week, the other on the weekend.

[SRHowen]

Write one, edit one, let one sit.

[Jamesaritchie]

Anywhere from one to four, depending on all sorts of things. But I don't switch books each day. I like to make a good chunk of progress on one book before switching to the next.

Given my druthers, I'd rather work on only one book at a time, but this isn't always possible,

[Kiva Wolfe]

I'm working on a four-book series--front burner stuff. Though I have two more plots simmering on a back burner, I focus on what's in the frying pan.

[Albedo of Zero]

I wrote a number of shorts, the beginnings (i think) of two novels and lots of poetry as I wrote my first novel (completed this year). Most of the extracurricular writing was done when I just had to break from my main project and some of it gave me fresh views I could use.

You're not crazy:banana: ... at least no more so than the rest of us.

[brinkett]

I can write only one book at a time, but I can edit another at the same time.

[icerose]

Umm the lowest I have worked on at one time in my current writing stage is 2 and the highest is 7 lol. I know crazy but it is how my mind works. Sometimes I will work on as many as 4 of them a week, it all depends on which characters are speaking to me at the time and which stories want to make the most progress.

[maestrowork]

One.

My brain is too small to handle more than one.

[PattiTheWicked]

I've got three that I alternate working on, depending on what I'm in the mood for. I also have another one that I sporadically go in and do revisions on.

And I've got a running list of Things To Write When I Finish One Of My Other Thingies.

[Birol]

Technically, I have two going right now.

I started the second when I was procrastinating on the first, but now that the first is moving again, the second is on the shelf until the first one is finished, even though I want to work on it again. So, only one is moving at a time.

[Euan H.]

One.

My brain is too small to handle more than one.
Heh. That goes for me too.

Actually, now I think about it, I have trouble even holding one in my brain at once. I tend to think in chunks of a few chapters. Any more than that and I start forgetting things.

[Roger J Carlson]

For the last couple of years, I've been working on two novels, though this isn't by choice. Every time I think the first novel is done, I learn some more about writing and have to go back and revise.

[Inspired]

I'm working on one, but have several short stories and non-fiction articles going at the same time.

[ANNIE]

only one, even if I'm just editing it. I entirely unbalnced and totaly imerse myself into the charaters I'm currentl writing about and find it hard to switch tracks.

[AndreaGS]

I only work on one at a time. I find it helps keep me motivated since I really want to work on my next book, but I tell myself I won't until I finish this one!

[pepperlandgirl]

I have one first draft, two second drafts in the editing process, and two projects in the planning stage. Right now I'm focusing on finishing the first draft, and then I'll edit one of the others and start a third project.

For the first time, I'm actually dealing with deadlines and stuff. So it's kind of warping my usual practice..

[RMS]

I've got lots of ideas but only one in progress!

[DeZertFairy]

I generally work on two projects. That way if I get stumped on one, I can set it aside and work on the other for a little while. Switching seem to help the creative juices a little :)
~Dez

[Lenora Rose]

I used to scamper through multiple projects all the time. I'm getting better at focusing on one NOVEL at a time, but I still have moments when I either just need a break, or I realise I have let something else slide too long. (Green Man likes it when i actually submit my reviews, oops).

So I sporadically hop off the novel to:
- write a review, or part of a short story
- to work on a plot outline for another novel (NOT on the body of the text, though)
- reread an old piece to see if it's worth picking up as the next project when this one is done. (This invariably involves some typo-fixing and line edits, but I'm trying to draw the line at real edits or continuing on the spot).

[dreamfroggy]

At the moment I have two going. The second came out of the first but is not related at all. The first novel is starting to look like it will be a series. Its rather getting away from me. I need to find a way to reign it in a bit.

[Crista]

I usually work on two different projects at a time in different stages of development. For instance, as of right now I am working on the first draft of the first novel in a planned trilogy and taking notes and developing characters for a completely different project. Toss in the occasional short story or article into the mix and I usually have quite a few balls in the air at once. I'm a natural multi-tasker, so working on several things at once actually makes me MORE productive than devoting my full attention to one project does.

[Mike Martyn]

I'm editing/re-writing one novel while writing another.

I also have the title for a third one rolling around in my head. "Plaque Diary" damned if I know what it's about. I'll have to finish the current novel and then write the next one to find out.

[NeuroFizz]

One. I make a few notes on others, but I go for one "the end" at a time. I have to do other kinds of writing, and maybe that's why. But even when I have lulls in the other stuff, I'm monogamous.

[Thekherham]

Quite a while ago I started reading one of my novels aloud... to catch the bad stuff, grammar, spelling etc. (Always seems to work better when I read aloud). I've out that on hold because the kids are home for the summer. (Novel contains the ever-popular S&V and bad words and stuff like that.) So I've returned to another novel I started some time ago, but put on hold because I was editing Novel #1. So Novel #2 has my atention for now... at least until Friday, when my wife and my three girls will be going to camp and I'll be all by myself for a week. I can go back to Novel #1, and continue reading aloud.
And someday I'll try juggling three or four stories and see how that works.
Whoa, I'm not that crazy... or maybe I am.

[AmberJennell]

Well, I'm writing two right now. I'm also brainstorming the sequels to both.

I have to keep two stories going to the sake of writer's block. When get stuck on one, I bounce to the other (by this time, the juices for that story have started flowing again). I usually get about a chapter or two finished before the creative juices low and and need to switch again.

I also write short stories on the weekend, when I don't have access to my computer.

[Samuel Dark]

Okay, call me crazy - a lot of people do, but I always work on more than one book at a time. I think this comes from the years I freelanced and had several projects going at once. So, am I the only fool...I mean extremely talented person who does it? I'm only asking because a friend asked me today what the book I'm working on is about and I said, "Which one?" She said, yup, "ARE YOU CRAZY?"

Carlene

I usually have three projects that I am working on, and sometimes I start a short story or two, but I never work on more then one project at thesame time. I just halt on one, and jump to the next. Why? because I either get bored or stuck, in which case I don't want to stop writing...so I jump to my other project.