Hi everyone,
I am getting to the stage in writing where I am hitting a bit of a of metaphorical wall. Whilst I am writing my current novel, I keep getting loads of ideas for another novel that, at the moment, seems to be more exciting and better than the one I am currently working on. Should I just make notes for the second one and carry on with the one I am doing at the moment or just start the second one?
Is it a good idea to have two novels 'on the go' at once?
Has this happened to anyone else when they have been writing?
Thanks,
Laura
This is happening to me right now, Laura. What I have done is created a separate set of folders for each of the two stories and kept them completely independent of one another. When I have hit a brick wall or got bored writing one of them and fancy a change, I have jumped into the other one and furthered that instead. Then, when I come back to the first of the two, I am looking at it with a fresh eye and (hopefully) a solution to the problem which was vexing me.
Sometimes though, to get through the brick wall, I just have to carry on writing in the hope that my internal Muse can be bribed into coming up with the solution by the sheer act of typing.
Thank you all for your help. I think that I will write down all the ideas I have to get them out of my head and continue with the piece I am working on right now. Hopefully that will stop me from getting so distracted!
Hi Laura
This happens to me quite a bit, in as much as I constantly get a number of ideas for novels or short stories. I find that I am able to write short stories or ideas for a story whilst I am writing a book. I have completed my first book and am more than half way through the second in what will be a trilogy. In the meantime I find that I am able to write the odd short story if it's an idea I can run with, or make a few notes or something that may have merit later. This enables me not lose interest on my main focus, the book currently in hand ,whilst being able to take a brief holiday from it and return to it refreshed and ready to carry on.
I keep short stories or notes of an idea either on my computer or on pads of paper. As David says it's what ever works for you. It's all individual.
Don't lose sight of the end.
Martin