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Description:
What do you do when you have more than one story idea floating around in your head? Do you work on just one? Write multiple at once? Something in between? Like most writing questions, the answer is "it depends". This episode breaks down how to approach your writing decisions when you have more than one idea, and whether you should complete a project before moving on to the next one.
Listen
You are listening to The Novel Writing Podcast, episode 151.
I'm your host, Colleen Mitchell. Grab a cup, cozy up, and let's get to writing!
Episode Topic
Today's episode is about what to do when your brain is chock-full of story ideas and you don't know which one to focus on. A related problem to this is deciding to finish one project before starting another, or to work on them all simultaneously. We'll discuss both in this episode.
Multiple Story Ideas
So first up, do you have multiple story ideas?
For most of us, the answer is yes. Authors pretty much bathe in creativity, so it's totally normal to have several stories floating around your head at any given time. There are some authors who have one clear story at a time, and for them the answer to this question is much straightforward.
But this episode is for those of you who do have a lot of ideas swirling around and are curious about how to handle the constant question of which story to work on at any given time.
My Experience with Multiple Ideas
I happen to have multiple story ideas, some of them in the same universe, and others in a completely different and unrelated universe. Plenty of authors have a bunch of stories that are all in the same genre, same world, and some have ideas spanning the gamut of genres.
No matter where you stand in that swath, know that there is no "right" or "correct" answer about what to work on at any given time - you make a decision, and then you make that decision the right one until you either finish it or make a new decision to focus on something else.
Breaking It Down
So let's break this down.
Let's say you have three book ideas. Two of them are in the same universe, meaning they involve either the same characters in the same world, or new characters in the same world. The third book idea is in a completely different genre and has brand new characters.
Which do you work on when you sit down for your writing session?
The answer depends on your priorities and what you've been working on thus far.
For me, I am on the third book in my main series, with one more to follow, several spinoffs, and a new book series in a different genre. How I approach this problem depends on the active project and my own commitments to myself and my readers. I plan to finish book 3, then book 4, and then work on both a villain backstory AND the new series at the same time—by which I mean I’ll probably swap between them every draft.
Hypothetical Example
So in our hypothetical example, you might work on the two in-universe stories simultaneously (though doing so will mean it will take you twice as long, if not longer, to finish both of them), and wait until afterward to tackle the 3rd book idea. This assumes the two in-universe stories aren’t in the same series, meaning don’t work on book 2 while you’re working on book 1.
Or you might work sequentially through the two related books and then tackle #3. Or you could write the standalone first and that would give you more time to think about the total arc of the story you want to tell in the first universe.
Different Approaches
As you can see, there are many different ways of approaching this problem, and they all depend on your personality, your writing style, how you handle writer’s block, the commitment you've made to your readers or your audience (if you have one), and the commitments you've made to yourself.
If you have questions about your writing personality or writer’s block, check out our quizzes linked in the description.
At the same time, it's okay to take a step back from any given project if you find yourself struggling to get into the zone with it, or you feel like you've lost the motivation or the inspiration to even be in that universe.
Advice for Overwhelmed Writers
If that's you, then that's a cue to take a step into a different writing project, whether it's a different genre, a foray into nonfiction, or dabbling in short stories or poetry rather than a novel-length work of fiction.
For the authors who have a ton of stories in their heads but no clear compass for which one to work on, my advice is this: Pick one and just work on it. And if your initial reaction to that advice is "No! I have to pick right!" that means you either have an issue with needing to make the "right decision," which means you get stuck making decisions, or you really do have a preference and just don't want to admit it to yourself.
I know an author who lets her dogs pick when she can’t make a decision. If you need to delegate, delegate. But don’t blockade yourself from making progress just because you can’t choose between two or more projects.
Switching Gears
It really doesn't matter which one you work on first. That's why this advice works—if you find yourself stalling out on that story, then you just switch gears to work on a different one. Or you find out that you don't have as many ideas as you thought, so you switch gears to work on another one, and in so doing, end up with more ideas for later.
A sidenote hack that I learned from an email from Atticus, which is a formatting software for PCs, is to create a new project file whenever you have the idea, write down all your ideas, but then rename the project title or filename to be something like “KEEP WORKING ON YOUR MAIN THING” or “NOT RIGHT NOW” so you have a visual reminder in your project library to keep your focus on the book you’re currently working on, AND it doesn’t give away any tantalizing details about the story idea you wrote inside it that might entice you away to work on that one instead.
Getting Started on Your Author Journey
Anyways, when you're just getting started with your author journey, there is really no downside to just picking a story and plowing ahead. It's when you have multiple projects going on or you already have a book or two in a series out that this decision becomes much more vital.
But even then, what ultimately matters is that you are making a decision for yourself, and not for others. Keep working on a series because YOU want to, or because you've determined that it makes the most sense for YOUR author career, not because you may have an audience hankering for the next installment. If you've lost inspiration in a series, you may need to take a detour for a while to get that inspiration back.
And there's nothing wrong with that.
Finishing Projects
So the second piece of this is, do you finish Project A completely (meaning it's published) before you start Project B?
The answer, again, depends.
Personally, I'm okay with dabbling in other stories while still working on the current project, but I'm never going to completely switch gears and actually draft another book while I'm still in the writing or editing mode of the current project. So for example, I'm working on book 3. That means I'm dabbling in the outline for book 4 as well as brainstorming for my other series, but I'm not dropping book 3 in favor of fully working on those other projects.
Clarifying Priorities
My priorities are clear, and those are my north stars in terms of where I put my writing focus from day to day. But if I happen to get an idea or two for other things, nothing is stopping me from writing them down or even pursuing them for a bit, as long as my main focus is not changing from book 3 (or whatever my current project happens to be when you listen to this).
Of course, what works best for me might not work best for you. So feel free to experiment with working on multiple projects at once, and see what it does for your creativity and your word count. You might find that you work great with more than one outlet, and if you can keep them all straight, more power to you!
Finding Your System
What matters is finding a system that works for YOU because no other author is like you, and you are like no other author.
If you find it a breeze to work on a new book every 3 months (and by a new book, I mean a new draft, and then setting it aside while you work on a different one) then great!
If you have to go start to finish one book at a time, that's great too!
There are no Author Police out there dictating the right way to work on multiple stories.
So take heart! You can work on more than one at once if you want to, and it ultimately doesn't matter which one you choose to write first.
Conclusion
That's it for today's episode! If this has been helpful for you, I'd appreciate it if you left a rating or review on your platform of choice. While it does nothing for me, it does help other writers find this podcast.
Thanks for joining me, and remember, the first draft is supposed to be garbage.
Show Notes
Dive into the first episode of the Novel Writing Podcast with your host Colleen and her sometimes-guest Halie Fewkes Damewood! Here, we give you the gist of who we are, what we do, and what you can expect from this podcast.
What to do next…
Halie & Colleen are both authors! Find their books below:
Secrets of the Tally, by Halie Fewkes Damewood
The Chronicles of Talahm, by Colleen Mitchell
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