is it normal to juggle multiple stories.

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atwistedmind

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well, i've been writing non-stop for the past week. but i haven't stuck with one story, i mean, i've kept the general idea of all of them, but not the same version...
so is that like... normal?
 

willfulone

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Normal is what works for you. What you can do another may not and what they do may not work for you.

I do not outline - although some must.
I write off the cuff and edit later. Some edit as they go along.
I write multiple stories at one time. Others prefer to just jot notes and write the other later to not "cross-pollinate or lose themselves by missing something if their concentration is not focused on one thing.

If you can write EACH and they are clear, they do not cross over into each other with the stories combining and you have no problems with yourself in the doing. You are fine writing multiples.

If you find some of your new ideas seeping into your current and it does not "fit", then maybe you are someone who cannot write multiples at once.

Only you can know. Do both ways and figure it out.

Good luck!

Christine
 

willfulone

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Oh, there will be more answers. That is just my opinion. Many here have wisdom beyond mine and will assist you in finding an answer or ideas to help you conclude what you must. Really.
 

Keyboard Hound

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I always have several projects going at once. I have a novel I work on every day and several short stories in the works, too. Often I'll have an article I have to get out, and I'll switch from one to the other several times during the day. It sometimes seems to help me see things clearer to go back and forth like that even when the pieces I'm working on are completely unrelated.
 

Mr. Anonymous

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Whatever works for you is a good answer. However, what I'll add is, if you work on things simultaneously, progress on each individual work is going to be much slower. If that's a sacrifice you're willing to make, then go for it.

What I do is I concentrate my efforts on one work, but if something else pops up and I just HAVE to write it out, I go ahead and do it. That's how I ended up writing several short stories, and that's how I've gotten started on a second wip novel.

With that said, however, I do not plan to work on both at the same time. At the moment, I'm waiting for an agent to get back to me (She passed on my novel but asked if I was working on anything else. I sent her everything I had.) So basically, whichever work she likes most/thinks has the most potential is the one I will finish first. And if she decides to pass completely...well, then I'll just pick one and roll with it. I'm just not patient enough to inch along on two projects at the same time.

However, if time is not an issue, or if you have a lot of spare time to devote to writing, then maybe it can work for you.
 

joyce

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I generally have a couple of projects going on at the same time. I have even restarted a novel and put a totally different twist on it. I do find that once a certain project grabs me, I'm basically writing only on it. The only problem I might find is that if I don't stick to something, I won't finish anything. I've done this for years and have a dozen of unfinished manuscripts tucked in drawers. If I can push myself to get almost to the halfway point, I'm generally safe.
 

mrs.trujillo18

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I think that you are so creative, your mind has a hard time staying with one story line. And I also think that is a quality many people only wish they had. Good luck to you. Where can I read some of your stuff??
 

Puma

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Hi Twisted - The way I read your post - you've basically written several versions of the same idea rather than writing up several different ideas. If what I said first is the case, no, it's not typical but can happen when you're getting your feet wet on a project. First chapters of novels are the ones most re-written (and most cussed). If you're starting on something like a novel - pick one of the ways you've written it and go on from there. By the time you get to the end you may have a totally different idea of what should be at the beginning than you do now. Don't belabor the same idea forever - move on. Puma
 

HeronW

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Working on shorts gives a break from the long ones, having a head full and emptying it into a novel lets me stretch from the shorts, and there's always editing, research and reference to check on.

Variety works for me.
 
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