How many books do you work on at one time?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Carlene

New kid, be gentle!
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 1, 2005
Messages
772
Reaction score
74
Location
Coos Bay, OR
Website
www.carlenedater.com
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

Impractical Fantasy Animal
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 17, 2005
Messages
4,827
Reaction score
336
Location
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Website
home.comcast.net
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

Stand in the Place Where You Live
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
29,138
Reaction score
8,564
Location
Toronto
Website
ktcraig.com
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

A Work in Progress
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
9,901
Reaction score
6,428
Location
Oregon
Two: one I work on during the week, the other on the weekend.
 

Jamesaritchie

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 13, 2005
Messages
27,863
Reaction score
2,313
Books

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

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
128
Reaction score
5
Location
Colorado
Website
www.kivawolfe.net
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.
 
Last edited:

Albedo of Zero

That didn't hurt
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 15, 2005
Messages
4,075
Reaction score
675
Location
here
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

Elder Scrolls devotee
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
930
Reaction score
79
I can write only one book at a time, but I can edit another at the same time.
 

icerose

Lost in School Work
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 23, 2005
Messages
11,549
Reaction score
1,647
Location
Middle of Nowhere, Utah
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.
 

PattiTheWicked

Unleashing Hell.
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 15, 2005
Messages
3,999
Reaction score
1,251
Website
www.pattiwigington.com
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

Around and About
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
14,759
Reaction score
2,998
Location
That's a good question right now.
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.

Unspeakable
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 13, 2005
Messages
530
Reaction score
106
Location
London
Website
euanharvey.com
maestrowork said:
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

Moderator In Name Only
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 19, 2005
Messages
12,799
Reaction score
2,500
Location
West Michigan
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

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
457
Reaction score
33
Location
Minnesota
I'm working on one, but have several short stories and non-fiction articles going at the same time.
 

ANNIE

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 15, 2005
Messages
693
Reaction score
54
Location
North Eastern Pa
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

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 21, 2005
Messages
846
Reaction score
144
Location
California
Website
andreagstewart.com
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

American Aquarium Drinker
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
811
Reaction score
192
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..
 

Lenora Rose

Renaissance Vixen
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
142
Reaction score
17
Location
Winnipeg, MB
Website
www.lenorarose.com
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

Registered
Joined
Jun 28, 2005
Messages
27
Reaction score
2
Location
In the corner of my mind :D
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

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
432
Reaction score
56
Location
Canada
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.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.