OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn
When I was writing my first novel, I couldn't ever see a point at which I would work on multiple books at the same time.
So although I swore I would never do this, I am currently working on several books at the same time, and to be honest, my head is exploding!
These are the books I am currently working on:
- Pentecost,to be rebranded as ARKANE. I'm working on edits for my agent before we pitch to publishers in Sept/Oct, so this is the most urgent. It's a fascinating process as the book went through several editors before publication and I also updated it after the first few months. Now I am reading it again and finding lots of things I want to improve as well as new scenes, adding depth to characters and more. Plus I know the future story development now so I can make sure the first book has some open questions for those subsequent books.
- Exodus, ARKANE #3 is in second draft. It needs new scenes, reworking and deepening. My problem with getting this finished is that I may sell the ARKANE series and then this book won't see the light of day for several years. I did have a deadline for self-publishing it by October, but that disappeared when I got an agent. But I need to get it to the point where I would be happy to publish it, take it through my editor and maybe even beta readers before resting it until we see what happens with publishers.
- Hunterian (working title). This is a stand-alone or the start of a new series. It's in research and first draft phase and I've only written ~2500 words but I obsessively think about it. The book will be a London based thriller/crime novel and would be under JFPenn: Ancient Mystery, Modern Thrill. I love the way this book is shaping up and I really want to work on it exclusively but it has to be sporadic until I can clear some head time.
- Escapist (working title). This is a stand-alone or the first of two. ~16,000 words of first draft done. This is something a bit different and wouldn't be under JFPenn because it's probably categorized as contemporary women's fiction. I'd have to use another name. I had a bit of a manic writing session the other week and the ideas took hold. I shouldn't have indulged it but it feels like a little bit of fun writing that is turning into a book.
“I'm currently working on two novels – one is the sequel to a finished book that is currently looking for a publisher. The other is a project that is very much in my mind at the moment and won't wait its turn! The first is about 42k words done and the second is only a couple of thousand words written, but I've been making extensive notes and plans. As the 42k project is the sequel to something currently before publishers, I'm making that my priority, and trying not to be too distracted by the other one. But when ideas won't leave you alone, you have to at least make notes and rough outlines of scenes. So I would say that I'm working properly on one novel, while working part-time on the other!” Alan Baxter, dark fantasy author.
How do you work on multiple books at the same time?
So my head was exploding with all the different projects and it was hard to keep them all clear, or make progress on anything. So I asked for some comments on twitter and here's some of the responses:
Are you sure there's not a useful connection between them? Combine to make ONE GREAT NOVEL? @ThreeKingsBooks
Write them all. I have two I'm working on now. I've had as many as 4 at a time in my head. You have to let the ideas out.@lynnleite
Make an idea book where you can take a little time to put down info about the ideas you aren't ready to work on. @druchunas
How about making a note of ideas for other two books, but concentrating on finishing the priority one first.@MJHolleyWriter
Plot them all, write chapter-by-chapter summaries and then go back to writing just one. That or work 24/7 til they're done. @graywave
Keep feeding all 3 until 1 takes the lead (attention, energy). Then focus on that one, get to others afterwards. Good luck!@MsMartha_writer
Red Bull. @misterwakefield
Put your focus and talent into one at a time, scattering yourself won't do any good! but keep the ideas noted for later!! @kiiyha
Keep going! Buy a dictaphone; hire an assistant. Better to juggle than be empty-handed @BookRambler
Can u capture ideas for two projects in outline form while only “writing” one at a time? @JenGresham
Hear ya. Done this many times. In the end I prioritised and focus on the one thing that would be done the quickest. @ColinFBarnes
That happened to me. But my creativity trigger is my playlists, so I only let myself listen to one set of songs. @LeighAnnKopans
Just write one trilogy? 😉 @tomsbiketrip
Caffeine wins for me for every time. P.S Well done. I am struggling to finish the first!@iwanttowriteit
What I always do in that situation is write down key events, maybe write a full scene, so you can go back to it later. @NatashaMcNeely
Work on one in the AM and the other in the PM and vary it with the third. @LindaAdamsVA
How am I actually managing it?
Those were all great ideas, but we all have our own ways of working, right! Here's how I am managing it.
- I have shelved Escapist for now. I may do NaNoWriMo this year (November) and use that month to indulge this little project but for now it is parked. It doesn't fit my brand and I need to finish the projects I have started.
- I am primarily working on the edits of Pentecost (to be pitched as ARKANE) for my agent as that now has a deadline of mid September.
- In late September I will get back to Exodus and finish that before October, so it will be the next primary project
- Hunterian research is my weekend fun project, so I am doing field trips and reading books, but just note-taking and not even attempting to get into first draft writing anymore.
So that's me. I need to get my focus back and, in the words of the great Seth Godin, ‘ship' some work!
Have you tried to work on multiple projects at the same time and how do you manage it? Or what do you recommend? Please leave a comment below.
Images: iStockphoto and my own plus BigStock Photo Bulb
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1 2 3 4 Next »Hi Joanna, interesting discussion here. I find the way to work on more than one piece at a time is to timetable each piece of work with a break in-between. This is what people do in the real world of work :) to keep half a dozen balls in the air at once.
I have found that making a timetable works quite well for me. So if I have a day off for writing (sadly I still have to work full time :( ) I might work on writing one novel in the morning and editing the other in the afternoon. During a normal working week I alternate between the two when I have my hour in the morning writing before I go to work. When the editing one gets close to publication I will take a week off work and prioritise that to get it finished.
Working on two pieces might even keep me refreshed and may make me more productive. I used to be a teacher so working to a timetable is no problem for me. :)
Thanks Christopher, I'm diarizing days at the moment - yesterday was editing on one book, today is fresh first draft writing which takes a whole other head! In between I am doing marketing :) There is the old adage - if you want something done, give it to a busy person - which I definitely agree with! May the Muse continue to flood us with inspiration :)
Funny thing. I finally got stuck back into outlining My Dream Novel a couple of weeks ago after I finally figured out who the villain was. Problem was, it was getting pretty darn dark, a bit too much so for the protagonist I had in mind.
And then the thought came to me: Why not swap him out for a different protagonist?
So now I'm building two outlines (using Randy Ingermanson's Snowflake Method), one for each protagonist!
In terms of actual workload, it's a case of deciding which one I want to put my butt-in-chair time toward. I'm learning as I go right now.
ooh, a dark twisty moment! For further inspiration in the dark direction, I recommend Chuck Wendig Blackbirds & Mockingbird - very twisted writing, but seriously brilliant!
All the best for the butt in chair time :)
Managing more than one manuscript is not nearly as challenging as keeping the rest of it going at the same time: blogging, interviews, coaching and that thing called a personal life. How do you balance all that?
I absolutely diarize all that - so I have 1-2 weeks of blog posts and tweets scheduled, which I do in batches when the creative side is exhausted. I also pop in between writing sessions.
But what's a personal life?!!
Another timely post for me, Joanna! I've just started writing (and blogging) two books, both of which I intend to have out there by my 40th birthday which is just ten short months away. How am I doing it? At the moment, very much by feeling my way - and also by making use of the great resources and information that you and others so generously share. A key thing for me was making a writing plan. Without that, I'd be floundering. Even with that, it's a challenge - but that was part of the reason for doing it. I say a bit more about the process I'm going through here:
http://www.cormackcarr.com/2012/08/20/how-to-plan-your-first-book/
Thanks for sharing your take on this - it's comforting to know that there are others out there juggling several writing projects at once! :)
The 40th is a good goal - no partying until those books are out :) Make sure you leave ample time for editing, that's when the book really extends in my opinion.
Oh my gosh! Thank you for this timely post. As I am not currently trying to publish my books, they're more in the draft phase, I got so much out of your post. First, the tips, and how you're moving forward are helpful. Second, I have such a varied range of ideas that I don't know how to approach them all. I may use NaNoWriMo to explore one idea this fall. In the meantime, I'm using the 3-Day Novel Contest this weekend to get another idea out of my head and see where it lands. So thanks for posting this!
I definitely recommend NaNo - it really frees you up to write a load of crap which you can then tidy up later, lots of fun! I will likely join you this year as well. I think the best thing for you is to make sure you finish one novel within a decent time frame. There are lots of people who never finish - so it is important to get one in the bag and then you'll find it much easier. Well, at least mentally easier :)
I work on different projects that are in different mediums. I couldn't imagine writing 4 novels at a time, but working on one middle grade web serial, a graphic novel script, and a non fiction book is different. When I get bored with one, I can completely shift gears and format and move on to the next. I'm not sure if it's actually working or if I've spread myself too thin and now can't get anything done. I'm happy to be writing more consistently and I'm just hoping that something I write will be worth using.
You're so talented Najela! I'd love to be more graphic and visual - I have thought about doing something creative with material, like making clothes recently - perhaps that creative urge needs another medium as you say...
Thanks for the article Joanna, I have been pondering this question for quite some time. Wondering how pro-writers pound out so many books in a small space of time.
I also have had multiple ideas in my head at once, but I try prioritize by importance.
I really appreciate how you've put this article together as I've been wondering what the general consensus is for this issue.
I'm not there yet Gary :) Let me know how your experience goes too.
I'm in awe! And could also use your scheduling ability. Are you planning down to the hour or more general (i.e., edit xx number of pages today)? I'm sensing that perhaps now your scheduling is a bit more complicated. I'd love to know your secret for staying on task.
Hi Tammy, it's usually days or half days that I plan, certainly not to the hour. I have to get in the right head for the book, so once a day is started with one, I have to stay with it all day. I also set a timer for 90 min blocks to keep focus.
Apparently, the Coen Brothers wrote No Country and Burn After Reading at the same time. I guess it helps if the projects have two different sets of tones and genres.
I have different playlists for the two different stories I'm working on - sometimesss those work.
I tried the whole two novels at one time idea and it just didn't work out for me. It started good though. I would have two tabs open in Microsoft and when I would have writers block with one boook I'd click on the other tab to write scene for the other book.
But it really cut productivity for both of them in half and I felt I was cheating on one book with another and I figured the more I focused on one the best I can make it become.
Thanks Joanna for this post.