Tuesday, February 20, 2007

What To Do?

The new wip, working title THE BRAEDEN, is coming along very quickly. I just topped 10,500 words...in five days. Yeah, you could say I'm slightly obsessed with working on this book. The problem is that I also want to finish the first book of BTPM by the end of March. Granted, I know any writing is good, but I don't want to focus on so many wips that none of them really near completion. I've seen far too many writers fall into the neverending cycle of starting a new wip when one drys up or stops speaking to them for a short time. Oh, the dilemma!

Heh -- yeah, even I realize there are far worse things that can happen to a writer than having numerous wips fighting for his/her attention. Take me a couple of weeks ago, just for one instance. (g) I'll take too many voices opposed to none.

I've always found that I'm never able to _really_ work on two projects simultaneously. I tend to get going with one and my full attention is consumed by it. Hence the reason COTM has sat on the back burner for a good 9 months now. I've been too tied up with NARC and now these new projects.

Anyone dealing with this problem? If so, do you find you can manage to work on both in the same day...alternate days...weeks maybe? Or do you just go with the flow with whichever is barking the loudest? I've never been one to try and force a schedule upon myself, but like anything, I have to try and reign in my tangents so I get something accomplished.

Jump in if you have any advice. (g)

4 comments:

Carol Spradling said...

Hi Jen,
Speaking as a person who is dying to know what happens at the end of your already started wips, if they are both speaking to you at present, I would go back and forth between them. Like you mentioned, you could alternate days. But if only one is speaking, concentrate on that one, but keep poking at the others to make sure they don't drift too far away. And you're right, what a problem to have.

Cindy said...

Hi Jen:
Nope, not me. Oh, the ideas are there, but I know me too well. (S) I'm a starter, not so much a finisher, and I need to focus on one or two WIPs, or I'll never beat this aspect of my nature.

Jennifer Hendren said...

Carol,

Thanks for your comments. :) I also want to know what happens in my various wips...gah...how nuts. (g) Oh well, at least I'm trudging forward -- more importantly, writing.

Jen

Jennifer Hendren said...

Cindy,

Girl, I hear ya. LOL. I have 5 started now, with only one completed novel out of the whole bunch of six. AND I have several other ideas that I'm holding at bay -- just barely. I held back on TB for a long time, though... it was there long before any of my other books, so perhaps it's due. (g)

Thanks for commenting -- at least I'm not the only one who goes a little nuts and worries about such things.

Jen