is it possible to simultaneously write more than one novel?

I would think someone has done it, at the very least a genre writer. I manly write nonfiction - simultaneous projects are impossible to avoid for me.

Well, I think it can be done, but you have to be careful that you don't just start chasing which idea sounds coolest and never actually finish something. That being said, if you have a project idea that just keeps begging to be written, it might be worth investigating. That, or finish a rough draft of your current project, set it aside to write your other project, then come back to the first one. That way you have more time in between edits.

It's certainly possible. I am never working on just one thing. Usually more than 2--more like 4 or 5.

veinglory said:

It's certainly possible. I am never working on just one thing. Usually more than 2--more like 4 or 5.

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+1

Currently working on :
Sci fi novel
Fantasy novel
2 Urban Fantasy novels

Sci fi short story serial
2 Urban Fantasy short stories

(Silly mobile version ate my prev reply)

• is it possible to simultaneously write more than one novel?

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Yes. Actually, I find it aids composition. Write on one until I slow, then turn to the other. It keeps everything fresh.

I do the same thing. I chug along until the steam starts to wane, then I'll switch trains and continue on a different story. As James said, it keeps things fresh. It's a great way to avoid getting stuck on something and miring yourself in writer's block.

Pretty sure some people find it easier than others to multitask. Anyone can do it if they're organized, I think.

I absolutely write more than one at a time, but they all have to be very different. It's a great way to avoid writer's block. I find if there's a project you have fun and word-vomit (*winces at unpleasant imagery*) with, that you're not looking to hammer out and have finished/edited/published, it's a lot less stressful and can get your creative mind working again. Or, *looks around guiltily* you can take your dog out on an overdue walk.

Yes. I've done this, mostly to get more projects off the ground, because I am a slow writer. But one has to be the main project, otherwise I will end up exhausted (this happened once. I don't recommend it).

I've done it a few times when I've had projects competing for my attention. I'll alternate working on them until one takes off, then stick with that one until I finish. Then I'll go back to the other.

First draft - I don't know if I could. I'm sure others have. I do edit one novel and then switch to writing another, and back and forth, but I prefer not to. I do things in chunks. First draft, done. Then go edit something else until that round is done. Then go and edit the first one (or another - I have 3-4 novels 'in process' at any one given time).

Right now I've one submitted to the publisher and accepted, awaiting the first round of edits from them, I've got two others in 'edit after beta readers' mode, and a fourth I'm gearing up to write the first draft.

I am currently working on three novels. But this is the first time I've ever seriously tried to do this, so I'm not sure how it will turn out.

One is a sequel with some degree of time pressure, so it gets more hours than the other two. Another is an expansion and reworking of a novella I wrote a while back, and the third is an entirely new idea with new characters. All three share a universe, so I can lean on worldbuilding I've already done to an extent. But all three are also radically different tonally, which keeps them from blurring together.

So far I'm enjoying the ability to switch from one to the other. Gives me something to do even when I get stuck on something.

I definitely think it is. In fact, it can benefit your editing.

I do this with short stories but I'm sure it can work for novels too. What I do is spit out the first draft of the story, and then I go and start another one. By the time I'm done the new story, I can come back to the old one, and since a lot of time has passed with my eyes on the new one, it'll be easier to edit it and pick out the flaws.

Currently, I have about 9 story ideas that I want to write about, but realistically, it would be better to focus on no more than three at a time. Sometimes if you take on too many ideas at once, projects can be left unfinished. Of course, everyone is different, so do what you're comfortable with handling.

I can't even edit one project while drafting on another. Is it common to do this? My editor laughed when I told her I wanted to try making progress on the sequel while editing the first book (and the attempt failed miserably - I couldn't handle working on more than one thing at a time).

Those of you writing 2+ things at once need to spill your secrets! Was this a skill you learned/deliberately taught yourself, or have you just always worked this way? How do you structure your writing time? Is it 'pick a project to work on today' or are you actively adding wordcount on multiple projects every day?

ddmealing - I'm just good at compartmentalization. Nothing ever bleeds through, nor do I get confused. It does help that I write maybe 200-300 words on the secondary, whereas the bulk of my writing (and energy) goes into the main project. I haven't tried more than 2 projects...yet.

I am not a multi-tasker. I am doing the task I am doing in that moment--they don't affect each other in any semantic way.

Sorry, ddmealing--I just always could do it. At present, I'm working on Volume #1, quite possibly its last re-write; Volume #2, first draft complete, contemplating a re-write; volume #3, about halfway through its first draft; and seriously thinking about how volume #4 will open.

I'm following a single MC throughout her life during an interesting period of history.

SBibb said:

Well, I think it can be done, but you have to be careful that you don't just start chasing which idea sounds coolest and never actually finish something.

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This is why I try and focus on one thing at time because I'm afraid that I'll never finish anything if I start another project. The plot bunnies never stop humping in my mind.

James D. Macdonald said:

Yes. Actually, I find it aids composition. Write on one until I slow, then turn to the other. It keeps everything fresh.

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I'm thinking about trying this because I feel like I'm at a standstill with my current novel that is 25% done, but I'm also afraid that I won’t go back to it soon enough. I guess it never hurts to try and if shit hits the fan, I can always go running back to my normal schedule.

I have one on the back burner. It's been on the back burner for over a year. I don't think it will ever get published, but I go to it when I need to decompress. It's outside of my usual genre and I think it helps me keep writing when I'm stuck on my main WIP.

Right now I am plotting a new book so have been working on the back burner one for over a week while I plot.

Lord, if I only wrote one novel at a time, I'd be so far behind that I'd never get anything done!

At any given time, I've got at least two main projects--one kid's book, one adult book under my pen-name. The kid's books are sold in advance, so they're usually pretty immutable in schedule, but the adult books get self-published, so they may change if I get totally burnt out on an idea.

Usually I have more like four or five in various states of completion. I'll swap to something, write five or ten thousand words, swap to the next thing, write five or ten thousand, and then sooner or later, something will hit critical mass and it'll be The Next Thing I Get Done. (That seems to happen somewhere between thirty and fifty thousand words, though not always.)

Books, at least for adults, frequently take me years to write. But I can't make a living on that kind of schedule if I only work on one thing at a time, so at any given time, I have a couple pieces started, well underway, and ready to hit critical mass. That way when I finish a book, I can move to the next ones in the queue, start a few new things as the ideas hit me, and still have a couple books ready to finish in a few months so that I can, y'know, eat.

The trite answer: No, because Windows won't let you have more than one instance active at a time.

The serious answer: It depends on the individual. In my case, I currently have 3 going. If I stall on one, I give it a rest for a while.

James D. Macdonald said:

Yes. Actually, I find it aids composition. Write on one until I slow, then turn to the other. It keeps everything fresh.

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This is where I am. I have three active projects, plus short stories as the fancy takes me, and although I'm focusing on one, the other two give me something to tinker with while waiting for the creative juice to percolate through my brain when it's just not working for the main WIP novel.

It also means that when I start to query the novel, I have two other projects to work on.

I will likely end up starting to plot another novel-length story. A certain character wedged himself into my brain and refuses to shut up no matter what kind of bribes I offer, and I can't put him in my current project. If I give him what he wants maybe he'll let me go back to working productively on my current thing instead of hogging my writing side to himself. I should be able to handle worldbuilding while writing something else, I think. Time to throw stuff at my Worldbuilding Wall™ to see what sticks and hope a plot magically manifests itself.

Hey, it worked the first time around.

Sure. Different projects, different phases.

I'm in the editing phase with my first WIP. (Trilogy = one WIP, in my mind.) I still enjoy working on that one. I'm not tired of it. But sometimes I need to leave it alone for a while and come back to it with a fresh mind. Now that the full story is all "on paper," some emotional detachment from it helps me find and fix its flaws.

And I crave the excitement of writing something fresh and new. I get into a creative flow state with new work in a way that I don't when I'm editing. So, yes, I'm working on a brand new novel at the same time. Different world, different characters, different genre -- it's a nice change for me, having lived inside WIP #1's world for over a year.

It might help you to understand something: you have more than one story in you. Honestly. You do. Trust your creative ability, and allow yourself to envision something new without taking anything away from the old.

I've done it. I once wrote an epic fantasy and a middle grade fantasy at the same time. They were different enough that I didn't have any trouble.