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
Very early in my writing I saw a television programme about Roald Dahl. Sitting in his little writing shed he explained how he kept all his ideas in a notebook. I did the same and one day I noticed there was potential to combine two or three of the ideas. Six books and six years later I haven't looked back!
I have answered a similar question to this before and on that occasion I suggested she might not have got to know her characters well enough. I am of the slightly airy fairy school of thought which suggests character is everything and that a good character will carry you to the end of a book, whether you are just the reader or in fact the author. I would try interviewing them Parky style to see what is going to make them so intriguing to each of your readers.
This is such a pain when it happens. Most of today I've been thinking about the last book in my series, yet I've only completed 2-and-a-bit with at least another four to go. Hey - it's the weekend!
I do a pretty detailed outline for each story, and maybe that could help you. See, the problem with ideas is, however great they are they're not stories, even when you commit them to paper. A story is something you sit down with and slave over - work, not inspiration.
And it's easier to write a complete story if you have a proper plan. You can see where it's going when you get stuck, which helps enormously to stop you going back to the last brilliant idea you had instead of writing your story...
For my first book I wrote a really detailed outline with thirty 3000 word chapters (average historical fiction) broken down into 1000 word scenes and each of these broken into 300 word ideas. It still took a long time to write 100k words, but it was easier than wondering what the heck I was going to write next at the end of a chapter.
For the second book I reduced the level of detail in the plan down to scenes, with just a few ideas added, and the current one just has chapter precis with a few notes. Maybe that's why I keep getting stuck ;)
Anyway, that's just my view - it helped me realise I'd never complete a book without being organised. I still note new ideas as they come to me but I can leave them because I want to finish my WIP first.
Best of luck with your writing :)
Whichever way you go - finishing #1 before starting #2 - or - working on both together ... Then the most important thing is to set them up as seperate entities.
This may be obvious and it is boring - but...
1. Give them totally different folders or even briefcases in your PC.
2. Make certain that everything is marked with identity - I use specific footers.
These menial logistic activities actually make life a whole lot easier.
Personally I have loads of work of different kinds on the go at any one time... But my brain works that way. I even read several books at once (partly because I keep losing them between home, the pub, the car and the work kitchen). i have no idea how I keep track of any of the plots - but when I flip channels I recognise films that i haven't seen in years.
It's all individual.
David. :-)