Multiple WIPs: how do you focus?

[eastcoastgal]

I'd like to get some input on how people choose one WIP to focus their efforts on over the others, largely because personally, I can't! It's driving me mad, I've got three WIPs on the go ranging from about twenty-five to ninety percent completed, as well as one ms undergoing third-draft revisions, and I cannot seem to settle. I'll pick a story, solemnly vow to look neither right nor left until I have something conclusive achieved in that quarter, and then inspiration strikes like a two-by-four in completely the wrong place and I go scampering off to obey.

Does anybody have any tips for ignoring that temptation? Or do you even try? Those of you who do-- tell me how! Those of you who don't, how do you find your progress-- can you get something finished with (relative) ease, or do you end up like me, juggling things with appalling inefficiency? I'm dying to know!

[mscelina]

I schedule. Sounds stupid, but there you have it. For example today's schedule:

8-11--Rewrites book two
11-12 --author chat
12-3 -- line edits for (insert name)
3-6--write on Darkshifters
6-9 -- rewrites book two

It's the only way I can discipline myself to do it. If, for some reason, inspiration on project A strikes when I'm working project B, I jot down the info and go back to work. For me, I had to learn to treat my writing as a job. I set my goals and strive to meet them daily.

But everyone is different.

[Danger Jane]

When I finished the first draft and somewhat polished WIP #1, I began WIP #2 to give myself a breather before editing WIP #1. Now I'm editing WIP #1, giving WIP #2 some time, and starting WIP #3. Not going to let myself do more than three ever.

[Esopha]

I just write whatever, whenever. Occassionally I set goals, and I don't let myself write anything else until I've met those goals.

Completely unhelpful, I know.

[CaroGirl]

It's easier if your projects are all very different, or at least at different stages in the process. Typically, I'm writing one novel, editing or rewriting another, and writing or editing at least one short story.

The scheduling idea is very good also.

[maestrowork]

I jot down notes on the others, but I try to keep my focus on the one at hand. Then again, I just started on a new project while I'm still working on the WIP... oh well. They are different enough so it's not too bad.

[BarbJ]

What works for one person may not work for another. My 2 cents is that I finish one to a stopping stage (semi-final draft or whatever, as long as it's complete) before working on the other. If bright ideas pop into your head about either, write them down but don't start incorporating them until you're working on that novel.

Of course, I've got a sudden urge to try my hand at flash fiction, so ... well, at least both novels are complete, just not finalized. :)

[eastcoastgal]

mscelina, I love the scheduling idea; I used to schedule things out of sheer necessity (honours thesis writing/research, classwork and a WIP for my creative writing class were all meticulously allowed for!) but I haven't done so since I graduated, so that might have something to do with the lackadaisical way I've been keeping up with things lately.

CaroGirl, it's interesting you should say that, since two of them are somewhat similar to each other in genre but the style for all three is very different. The ms undergoing revisions is a YA novel (as is the ms that will be going under the knife when this one is done and sent out), and the three WIPs are two historical romances (one quite humourous, the other much less so) and one rather lighthearted, children's adventure-fantasy thing that . . . well, I don't take it too seriously, but it's about ten thousand words away from completion so no way am I dropping it now!

I like having projects that feel different from each other because when I do get fed up with one, I run and hide with another; it feels like an escape, even though it's still work, and that part is lovely. It's just begun to dawn on me that this might not be the most productive way of looking at it!

[~grace~]

"Multiple WIPs: How do you focus?"

...badly.

Ok, I've gotten better recently, but I'm not really sure how. I just told one of my WIPs to shut up while I work on my main one, and it appears to be listening. One thing that's helped, I think, is I set a deadline for WIP#1...every time I get tempted by #2, I remind myself about that deadline. (August 31st. eep! I better go.)

[Chasing the Horizon]

I have three or four active WIPs going all the time. I couldn't force myself to work on just one thing at once. I didn't have any trouble finishing my first novel while working on three others too. I figure it all works out to be the same amount of time to finish, because rather than having to start from page one when I finish something, I'm already halfway finished the next thing. It takes longer to finish that first book, but once you have projects at all different stages and assuming you keep them all moving steadily forward, it doesn't mathematically take any longer to complete things than if you worked on them one at a time. (Does that make any sense?)

[joyce]

It's really hard for me sometimes to focus on my WIP. I've got one novel in the submitting stage, then I decided to revamp it, so there goes WIP. I think I let the spirit move me a little too much, then I feel like I'm not getting anything done. I know this does not help, but just letting you know someone else out here is having problems with focusing.

[wee]

If I didn't do one at a time, I would never finish anything.

But I have at least 4 ideas rolling around in my head besides the one I'm focused on. I've been keeping notes. I write down general story ideas as well as specific ideas for individual stories.

I might be somewhere & think all of a sudden, "You know, for idea #3, this major plot problem could be solved by ..." so I pull my little notebook out of my little purse, and jot down enough of it that I can remember what the heck I was thinking.

The hope is that when I get to idea #3, I'll have a few/many/several/hundreds of little ideas, and I can think about which ones work, which ones don't, and already be advanced on that story before I've even started seriously researching.

But I plan to do what Danger Jane is doing, except with only 2 at a time that aren't in submission stage: work on 3rd project while 2nd project is resting & 1st project is being submitted. After each first draft, do edits on the rested manuscript & put it into submission, then start writing a new one while the first draft rests again.

I'm sure it won't be that neat & clean every time, but that is the goal now that I'm working on longer stuff (short stories are a different animal altogether for me).



wee

[Tasmin21]

So far, my two WIPs are running the show, regarding when I work on what. Currently, the urban fantasy is screaming and demanding attention, so that's what I'm working on. When the fantasy wakes up and wants some lovin', I suppose I'll switch.

I think the easiest part of keeping my mindset straight, between the two, is that the urban fantasy is first person, and the fantasy is third. It creates a very different flavor for each book.

[Shady Lane]

I never have more than one new thing going at once. I'll edit one while I'm writing another, and I'll certainly edit more than one thing at once and shop more than one thing at once, but when it comes to that fresh, beat-the-words-out writing--the bit I consider the hardest part--it's one at a time. Once I've done three drafts, I can start something new.

[Scothoser]

What works for one person may not work for another. My 2 cents is that I finish one to a stopping stage (semi-final draft or whatever, as long as it's complete) before working on the other. If bright ideas pop into your head about either, write them down but don't start incorporating them until you're working on that novel.

I completely agree with BarbJ here! I have one work that I just finished with the first draft (finally!), and have ideas for at least two others. I wrote the ideas down so I don't forget them, and I just started outlining the simplest of the two (children's story).

It definitely works for me! ^_^

[eastcoastgal]

What works for one person may not work for another.

I'm beginning to see that! What I'm doing right now certainly doesn't work on one level, since it slows down my progress when it comes to getting a novel completed, and yet I do enjoy the fact that I never lose the actual momentum of writing. I find with two or three WIPs on the go, I am guaranteed to be genuinely motivated to work on at least one of them. I suppose in a perfect world I would be genuinely motivated to work on one all the way through to the end :P

[Wolvel]

Right now i have wip#1 in the editing stage, and wip#2 in the writing stage. Ideas #3 and 4 are in the notebook of ideas stage.