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Every so often on Twitter, I will come across a writer drafting multiple WIPs at once.
While this shouldn’t surprise me, as I’ve heard of more than a handful of writers (both published and not) who work in much the same way, the discovery inevitably merits raised eyebrows on my part and proud smiles (or fits of nervous laughter) from the other writer.
I am forever in awe of writers who can pull this off.
You see, I am a very focused person, particularly when it comes to writing and reading. While I often have works marinating in my hard drive for later reworking, when it comes to first drafting or editing, I focus all of my energies on that one WIP. I immerse myself in the story entirely and shut out the rest of my writings until I’ve finished a round of editing, or writing, or whatever the case may be.
What trips me up, I think, is jumping between story worlds. While it clearly works for some writers, it’s something that I find rather jarring.
I’m the same way with reading. Unless two books are entirely different (ergo: a writing craft book and a novel), I don’t often jump between stories, although I do make exceptions. This does occasionally mean that I’ll fall behind in my reading goal when I hit a book that I’m having trouble getting through, but that’s another matter altogether.
Despite my aversion to working on multiple WIPs at once, however, I am well aware that many writers work well jumping from work to work. And so I’m interested to hear from you.
Do you work on multiple WIPs at once? Why or why not?
Twitter-sized bites:
Writers: Do you write multiple WIPs at once? Join the discussion at @Ava_Jae’s blog! (Click to tweet)
Are you a hyper-focused writer, or do you prefer to work on several WIPs at once? (Click to tweet)
26 comments:
I work on multiple WIPs at a time! I have too. Sometimes I hear songs or see landscapes or artwork that inspires a scene, and I have to sit down and get it out. I'm also the person who writes my WIP out of order. If the ideas just roll out of me, then I'll keep writing in order, but as soon as I hit something I'm not moved for, I switch WIPs or switch to a different scene. It helps me to write what I'm feeling. Vocabulary, emotion, setting, details.. everything is so much stronger when I do this. I can also tell with my CP's as well --They tend to like these bits vs the bits I forced out. :P Obviously, I'm not feeling this comment...... ;)
I always find it interesting to come across writers who work so entirely differently from the way I do--and you're definitely one of them. :)
I've briefly tried writing out of order, but I find it difficult because my plot and characters tend to build off of what I've already written. If I skip around, then I'm not entirely sure what will be written before the scene, so I tend to struggle. I also use the excitement I have for future scenes to help propel me through scenes I'm slogging through. My mind works in a more linear fashion, it seems. Although I suppose this could change in the future. You never know.
I do understand the advantages of skipping around, however. Thanks for sharing your experience, Ryann!
I can really only work on one WIP at a time. A lot of times I'll end up writing little side projects that feature characters from my WIP just because I start thinking what will happen to them after the book is over. I don't really intend on using them; it's more just for fun and to further explore the characters. But honestly, I can barely work on short stories or poetry because my novel consumes most of my attention.
I'm totally with you on the reading thing, too. I can read a nonfiction and fiction book at the same time, but never two novels. It gets a little frustrating--it took me months to finish the last book I read just because it seemed to drag for so long. I would just give up reading and go back to writing.
I'm like you. I prefer to focus on one at a time. I suppose I'm capable of writing more than one at a time, but my writing time is limited, so (other than jotting down a story idea while it's fresh in my mind) I usually stick to one until done. ;)
I'm more like Ryann in that I have multiple WIPs, and I also write the chapters out of order.
My multiple WIPs were born from CPs who gave great, detailed feedback but took months to get back to me. In the meantime, I just wrote something else.
Normally, I only write one first draft at a time. But even that rule was recently broken when I got completely stuck on a first-draft WIP. So I wrote three chapters of the next WIP before coming back to the first one with a fresh perspective.
I don't have that big a problem jumping back and forth between them as long as I know the characters well. Then I just read a couple pages to get myself back in and I'm good to go. I was having trouble starting my newest since I didn't really have a handle on the characters yet, so I've thrown myself back at the previous WIP and plan to get the first draft done before continuing with the other.
And to wrap it up, I only read one novel at a time. Wow, I sound completely chaotic. But it all makes sense in my own mind. ;-)
I completely understand what you mean. I haven't really tried side projects with characters, but the most I'll do that constitutes jumping between WIPs is write down a story idea that's sticking with me, then go back to whatever I'm working on. And I don't think that really counts as jumping. :)
For me, one WIP is consuming enough!
I agree--I like to stick with the same project until it's finished. Or, at least until a stage (drafting, editing, etc.) is finished.
I suppose if you look at it that way, I jump around a little in the sense that I'll edit one WIP after finishing the draft of an entirely different WIP. For me, the one-WIP-at-a-time rule is related to finishing an entire draft, or round of editing before moving on to something else.
On another note, I find it interesting that both you and Ryann work with several WIPs and also write out of order. I wonder if that's somehow related? Hmm.
I have to agree, it's overwhelming when I hear someone say, "I'm writing five novels at once!" And I go...okay, good luck with that. Lol. But if you mean working on a WIP as in editing, then yes, sometimes that is the case. I think it's more often the case that authors are working on a new novel while they still have unfinished edits on another, either because they're waiting on agent/editor/beta feedback, or simply because they want a break. Switching between worlds and especially characters who live in those worlds is very difficult and not recommended. It's like working on multiple paintings at once and trying to remember which layer you drew on last. But I guess it depends on the author. I would recommend sticking to your current WIP and making it shine before diving into another story.
Right now I am the person who writes on one thing because otherwise I get the feeling that I am never going to finish. I do switch a bit sometimes though, between my WIP and a fanfic I am currently writing.
When it's about reading though, I switch all the time. I am personally a lot into manga and in some mangas there comes new chapters every week, and right now I follow 7 weekly mangas togther with others that don't come out regularly and others I might be reading. So when it's about reading I love to switch and I usually find it quite easy, if I don't come into a story as I am supposed to though I usually just back a chapter and read that then I'm in the story again.
I get bored easy, so it's hard to resist moving on to another project. But for the sake of my current WIP and to satisfy my need for a "change of scenery", I'll spend some time on educating myself, I get a break, my WIP gets to rest, and I come out a better writer.
Yes, I do work on multiple WIP's at once. It's just the way my brain goes, sometimes...I'll be hammering along obsessively on the one, and then another will intrude. Sometimes it's good to go off on that tangent, and then come back to the original.
However, it does result in quite a few partially "finished" files, I must say! With (intended to be) shorter works that I get distracted from, it's sometimes just their death knell; I don't remember where I was going, what the point was, etc.
The most I'll ever do that could even be considered jumping is editing a WIP after finishing the first draft of another WIP, and switching between edits that way. But I'll always finish a round of drafting or editing entirely before shifting my attention to another project.
I like your painting analogy, and I have to agree. I find it very jarring and difficult to slip back into the voice of a WIP, particularly if I've been writing something else, so I can't imagine switching between two (or more) different stories while drafting. But I also agrees it depends on the writer--some like us prefer to focus on one thing at a time, while others find it easier to work on several projects. :)
I suspect that the finishing issue is another reason I tend to stick to one WIP at a time. I usually finish what I start after I've decided to write a manuscript (with only a couple exceptions), but I think I'd probably get tired if I was working on several first drafts at once.
As for reading, I don't read manga but I can see how switching would make sense (and may even be necessary) in the example you gave. I suppose it'd be almost akin to watching a TV episode every week.
I understand the boredom aspect--it's a large part of the reason most of my manuscripts have quite a bit of action in them. If I'm bored writing it, I know there's not a chance that readers are going to find it interesting, so I make sure to keep myself entertained while writing. :)
I have been working on a fiction project for a long time, and I'm on writing retreat now finally finishing it. I have put this project aside at times to work on other things, especially when my confidence in the main project was low, but I generally didn't come back to the main project until the side-project was out of my system. I've found that blogging is a good way to relieve the boredom people are talking about. For me, though, boredom has never been the problem. Not feeling up to the task was/is more the issue.
I do this :) not so much for first draft (because I like to write them quickly, nanowrimo style), but for second, third, fourth drafts. Every so often I get stuck on one WIP, and it's so much easier to work on another one while I give it a break. What works for you, I guess!
I can definitely see how jumping around could lead to many unfinished files. I personally think that finishing a draft or edit pass or whatever the case may be is difficult enough without trying to do several at a time, however that's just the way I work. For some it seems it may actually be harder for them not to skip around for various reasons, which I think is really interesting. :)
Ah, yes, not feeling up to the task is an obstacle of its own. It can be tough to write through the kind of uncertainty, but I applaud you for pushing through it, and I wish you all the best with your writing retreat!
Exactly! Everyone works differently. Although it sounds like we first draft in a very similar manner. :)
Thanks! Am writing the last few pages today! Which means there are no more bulleted outlining sections--the story is told, although with some jaggedness toward the end. But I enjoy the polishing process (maybe a little too much) and have two days left on retreat to start that work. Thanks for your site and the encouragement!
Absolutely! And congratulations on reaching those final pages!
And this is probably why I've never actually finished a novel. Lol. I am great at starting them, but then get distracted by new ideas. I really should push through and finish one thing before going on to the next. It probably would help.
Sounds like you may be suffering from Shiny New Idea Syndrome. :)
I have several WIPs going at once. It's called avoidance. :)
Ha ha, well. There's that. :)
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