Is it OK to write a new story while finishing another?

[BlueZen]

I'm not asking for permission, obviously. I'm just asking if ethically, do you feel a responsibility to wrap up a novel before working on anything else? Am I being cruel to the readers who I have hooked into this story? Do I have a moral duty to release them from their suffering as quickly as possible?

Ethically? Yeah, it's ethical. Do whatever floats your boat.

Do you have a moral duty to your readers? No. You owe them the courtesy of finishing the story, but there is no ethical responsibility to put them out of their misery for not knowing the ending of your story.

Not finishing a story fast enough cuts into the people who will finish your work, so if anything, you owe it to yourself to finish in a timely manner.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

Spaceballs was released in 1987

Spaceballs 2 is scheduled for release in 2027

Authors here are concerned about a gap of a few weeks?

 

[lovecraft68]

There are no rules in how you write, do whatever you feel called to do.

 

[SimonDoom]

Is it OK? Yes. Write what you want to write, on your own schedule, however it best tickles your fancy.

 

[alohadave]

He may found the barrel of tar and a bag of feathers by the road, but no one forced him to try and apply those to the OP.

No. I found something concerning, and warned OP. He stated his case, and as far as I was concerned, he addressed the issue.

Then the attitude came. As far as I'm concerned, OP blew it up because he doesn't know how the forum works here and now he's sore about the whole thing. I now have him on ignore because I don't care to ever see their posts again.

 

[Belegon]

I rarely have ONLY one thing I'm working on... and sometimes i awtich to something brand new and it flows so quick that its actually finished before I jump back. Doesn't happen often, but it has happened.

 

[xannatharr]

I have a question. For the past six months or so, I have been working on a huge story, called The Botched Marriage. I published Book 1 over July/August, Book 2 over September/November. I've been putting out chapters of Book 3 over the past month. Each book is 11 chapters long.

I admit I have fallen in love with my characters, and my OCD has gotten worse and worse with each chapter. These last few chapters have important conversations that resolve long standing plot lines, and sex scenes that are real turning points for these characters lives. I'm having a hard time letting go of any imperfections and just hitting that publish button. I just keep tweaking things.

I want to be clear: I am enjoying the bejesus out of all this. It is so incredibly soothing to come back to each paragraph and find just the perfect thing for one of my characters to say - something that ties back to a snippet from 15 chapters ago. Something that adds just a little bit more depth to them. I also just want to take my time, I guess, because as I approach the end of the book, I know I'm going to mourn the loss of these imaginary friends. It's not something I expected, but it's real.

So, my question. I have a ton of stories waiting in the wings. Over a dozen. Is it ok to take a one week break from the novel and finish one short story during that time? I am certain my readers will absolutely hate it. Even though the vast majority of my readers hate me and the story, they certainly are not ambiguous about wanting me to get more stuff out, faster. They complain endlessly in the comments and by email about wanting the next chapter.

I'm not asking for permission, obviously. I'm just asking if ethically, do you feel a responsibility to wrap up a novel before working on anything else? Am I being cruel to the readers who I have hooked into this story? Do I have a moral duty to release them from their suffering as quickly as possible?

I think that it is perfectly fine!

 

[metropolinational]

Since this thread started, I learned to stop worrying and love working on multiple stories.

Or, rather, I got caught in the AI trap here and have been forced to wait for chapter 5 of book 3 to make it through the system. In the meantime, I have submitted two flash stories, and none of my readers have shown me much outrage.

So, I will keep working on botched and try to get it published here. If not, I am slowly catching up on Inkitt and may eventually just move botched there. But I will keep submitting stories here while all that happens.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve had two or more going at once.

 

[Belegon]

I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve had two or more going at once.

if it were a daily thing and was backdated, I'd be in for a pretty big chunk o' change myself as well

 

[Belegon]

Up to a point, Lord Copper.

And then there is George RR Martin.

as someone who actually discussed the process of writing with George at a book signing once upon a time...

I think poor George is caught up in two things... one, he is desperate to come up with an ending different than the one that appeared on the television show (this is a guess, since although I spoke with him multiple times, ALL of them predated HBO)

Two, his process is biting his ass... he told me that he often has to go back and rewrite based on ideas that come to him he hadn't considered earlier... I suspect he has done a great deal of rewriting on the current project

 

[norafares]

I wrote and posted my two most popular series simultaneously, and they've both got blue W's. So long as you are consistent and finish, it shouldn't be a problem. Of course, this all relies entirely on whether you can pull off writing more than one story at the same time.

 

[metropolinational]

I think poor George is caught up in two things... one, he is desperate to come up with an ending different than the one that appeared on the television show (this is a guess, since although I spoke with him multiple times, ALL of them predated HBO)

I 100% believe this. The last season was rushed and had many flaws, but the ending itself was not one of them. Frankly, that Daenerys would become a genocidal fascist was pretty much telegraphed from the start. She's essentially the embodiment of the will to power.

But a lot of people found the ending offensive and GRRM is trying to pander. But he can't. The character is who she is. There is no way to turn her into something other than a monster this late in the game.

 

[Writer61]

I think poor George is caught up in two things... one, he is desperate to come up with an ending different than the one that appeared on the television show (this is a guess, since although I spoke with him multiple times, ALL of them predated HBO)

Supposedly, he told the showrunners how the series would end.

Two, his process is biting his ass... he told me that he often has to go back and rewrite based on ideas that come to him he hadn't considered earlier... I suspect he has done a great deal of rewriting on the current project

I think your suspicion is correct. But the impression given by his work on other books and shows makes it look as if he has abandoned GoT.

 

[Duleigh]

do you feel a responsibility to wrap up a novel before working on anything else? Am I being cruel to the readers who I have hooked into this story? Do I have a moral duty to release them from their suffering as quickly as possible?

No
Maybe
No

I usually write two to three books simultaneously and I hop back and forth. I write each book in thirds, each third is at least 30k words, and when I'm done with a third I move to the other book that's currently being shouted by my muse. As for my readers, I publish a newsletter every Sunday to go over what I've been up to and what I was planning for the next week, so they're aware of how long they're going to have to suffer. My Literotica readers love my Stormwatch series, my book readers love my Gods Save the Queen series so I have to satisfy all of them, but prioritize no one but me.