Writing two stories at once. Bad idea?

[EarlyMorningLight]

Focus. It's a thing.

Lol. Try explaining that to my adhd brain!

 

[Northstar4695]

I've got four that have large chunks written. When I get inspired, I work on what I am excited about. I'll come back and finish them all, but I don't worry about what I finish first.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Lol. Try explaining that to my adhd brain!

Left brain, right brain stuff. Come on, we can all do it! You're just making excuses .

 

[Zootonius]

I like starting a story at I’m well into wr another. The danger for me is mixing up characters. Just got a comment on a story “who’s Rick?” Somehow in the middle Of story B I used a name from A.

I think I’ll crawl in a hole for the day.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I'm maybe halfway into writing a new story and it is going fine.

Then the other day I started looking through my file of story concepts. Maybe you also keep such a file. It might be just a few lines or multiple paragraphs outlining what you think might be a good future story, though at the time you add it to your file you haven't figured out all the fine details of the story so it has to wait until later.

Well, one of my concepts really grabbed me. Might written it down a few years ago, but in reading my notes right then I knew all the details to make it a complete story, so I added to the outline and I'm pretty excited about starting it.

That said, I already have a story that is halfway done. I hate the idea of putting that aside and jumping on another, or trying to write two at once, thinking that both will suffer.

I'm guessing other authors have similar files for possible future stories, or have gotten in a situation where they were working on more than one story and can comment how it went for them.

Thanks,
Christopher

I often juggle multiple stories. I find it helpful. If I lose inspiration with story A, I go back to story B and pick up story A again later. I’ve had a few pieces that were “I’m stuck on another story” go tos for several months. On My Knees was like that before emerging from gestation.

Em

 

[MillieDynamite]

I am working on about three stories right now. One is so close to finished, I taste, but hit a bump in the road and switched to another. A few hours later, after taking a break and wasting half an hour on here yesterday, I stalled out and went to yet a different story.

 

[BiscuitHammer]

I have around twelve stories on the go that I'm actively writing. It slows down the process, but it helps me push through writer's block as well. If I'm ever stuck, I just go work on a different story.

The problem with ME working on multiple stories at once is that I'm a hopeless saga writer and I inevitably find ways to tie stories that are completely unrelated together. The Alexaverse swallows other stories rather greedily. Poor 'Time Rider' is now tied into it, and very indirectly, so is 'The Great Khan'. 'I Don't Get You' happens in the same city, so it COULD be dragged in.

And a new story I'm working on is sorta tied to Time Rider (a teacher who knows Becky, who is a teacher), meaning that IT'S Alexaverse-adjacent.

It's a problem I have...

 

[RoperTrace]

I have around twelve stories on the go that I'm actively writing. It slows down the process, but it helps me push through writer's block as well. If I'm ever stuck, I just go work on a different story.

The problem with ME working on multiple stories at once is that I'm a hopeless saga writer and I inevitably find ways to tie stories that are completely unrelated together. The Alexaverse swallows other stories rather greedily. Poor 'Time Rider' is now tied into it, and very indirectly, so is 'The Great Khan'. 'I Don't Get You' happens in the same city, so it COULD be dragged in.

And a new story I'm working on is sorta tied to Time Rider (a teacher who knows Becky, who is a teacher), meaning that IT'S Alexaverse-adjacent.

It's a problem I have...

That sounds rather clever, really.

 

[Whanmore]

If I let this bother me, I'd be wracked with guilt all the time. I think nothing of dropping a story to work on another story. I'm not getting paid. I have no obligations to anyone other than to myself. I have about 35 partly written stories right now. I think. That number could be off, but I think it's about right.

This can be a very GOOD thing to do if you find yourself stuck on story A, and story B suddenly comes to you and gets you jazzed to write it. Go ahead and write the story that gets you jazzed.

I agree with Every Word you said. I'll only add I find it exhilirating to play with different tones of stories. Maybe Start my morning writing a bit of light hearted fun and then by the evening i'm working on one of my Dark Assualt stories. I'm even publishing two side by side stories and its fun as hell!

 

[Duleigh]

My record is six, but 4 of them were 750 word stories.

 

[TheRedChamber]

Find what works for you. For me,

Last month was hack away at little by little at six or so stories.
Last week was don't write anything at all for no apparent reason even though there's prime writing conditions.
This week it is pretend all the other drafts in the folder don't exist and just focus on writing one complete story from start to finish like in the good old days before I overcomplicated everything.

I definitely prefer writing one story at a time and find momentum helps with actually getting stuff finished, so if its a real choice between 'I CAN continue story A' or 'I CAN start new story B' than I'd go with A for sure. On the other hand if it's 'I CAN'T continue story A (ATM)' but 'I COULD start new story B' then its probably worth actually getting something on the page.

I've never been able to juggle.

 

[SabrinaGLangton]

Two stories, wow good for you, I am usually in the middle of at least a dozen. I re-read constantly then I feel connected again to one story and it magically finishes. Then I read it another dozen times and publish it six months later, ha...

 

[NoTalentHack]

Your process is your process, and what works for you works for you. I was simultaneously writing my last three stories; two got submitted on the same day. The only thing I will say, in retrospect is: either use the same character names throughout (the ubiquitous evil wife/girlfriend Traci in Hooked1957's stories) or use very different names. I had a major character named Ray in one story, one named Rod in another and one named Roy in the third. That... was an error.

 

[jaykaythree]

I have two in drafts right now; one is my more active idea, and will be the next one submitted, whereas the other one has been kicking around for a year. I have part of a beginning (Point A) and an ending in mind (Point B), but I need some connection. Point A and Point B are nice, but almost useless without a way to get from one to the other. That's why that second story stays on more of a back burner.

Additionally, I have at least four or five ideas in my head. The ideas in my head usually stay there and come forth one at a time, though, each waiting its turn until the story before it goes live.

 

[elizaloo]

I generally have a dozen or more going at once. If one stalls, I'll bounce back to another and work on that. My ideas tend to pop randomly into my head (often after a dream) and if I don't write at least the basics down immediately, they're lost (old age sucks).

The fun is in pulling up stories I stared 20+ years ago and modifying them. Sometimes that works, oftentimes there's no salvaging that storyline. That particular erotic ship has sailed unfortunately.

 

[CTR69]

Eventually you'll have multiple fics running in parallel. Don't limit yourself to one. Fire up the google docs and type the new idea out on the phone.
My problem is, I rarely finish them, lol. I type out a scene, but can't force myself to write the non-porn bloat that carries in between the scenes or intro/outro.