Young Writers Society

So say I'm working on a story, and whether it's going smoothly or not I guess doesn't matter, but what if I get a really good idea for another story?
Can I work on them both at the same time? (Well not the same time. You would need a bigger keyboard and a lot more hands) Do you have any reasons why this is a bad idea?
Or should I dismiss the idea and continue with my first work?
I know I could write down the idea and come back to it, but by then I usually have lost the initial inspirational zing that comes with a new story idea.

You could try putting each story in a different notebook or document.

Go for it.

Some people can't write two stories at once, others are far more productive if they have multiple projects on the go. It's all up to your own individual preference.

If you really want to work on that story right away? Pour everything you have into it until you've lost inspiration for it. Then switch to the other story you'd been working on now that the first one isn't taking over your mind. Repeat until both are done.

There really isn't a "correct" way to write. The definition of "correct", in this case, is "whatever gets words on the page."

Thanks for your thoughts!

I am one of those writers that has a million projects going at once, so my advice is going to be remarkable predictable. Do it. It's not hard to keep up with more than one project at once, and it's totally okay to let a project go if you're bored of it. I've done it many a time. Sometimes, setting the new project to the side is so frustrating, you can develop a block because you're not letting yourself write that one thing you want too!

Try doing both! That's my advice. I promise, it's not hard, and it's a great way to spark new interest when you get bored-- simply work on the other project for awhile, then switch back when you're not tired of it anymore!

As a person who used to be all over the place I have one word of advice for you.
Set to finish.
Finish one thing then move onto another. Don't stop unless your stopping for good. I say this because it becomes a very bad habit. You start everything, finish nothing. If you are working on something and have an idea for another, finish your first draft, then move onto a new first draft. That way when you go back to revise the other first draft, you will be reading it with fresh eyes.
I know for some people working on things at once can e called 'easy' for them, but I find that if you are diving yourself between sets of characters, you lose your inspiration and motivation for one or the other.

The first two of these are kind of old, but they've got some really good advice.

Sleeping Valor puts up a good argument against it in
Writing two stories at once...

Emerson and Gladius have some good advice in Two stories at once a bad idea?

Writing more than one thing at once? is a fairy recent one. I'd recommend checking this one out because I think the advice given there would probably be relevant to you, too.

I think it all depends on what works for you- but it's important to acknowledge when it doesn't.

If you find that you're abandoning works then it's probably best to think of a different way around things. However! Working on one project can get really monotonous.

My longest project to date is a story that I work on just for fun. It has a lot of different plots going on and none of it makes sense, but I use it to play with when I just want to enjoy writing and not work too hard.

A scrap box is a good idea too, so you can decide to work on and finish one project, but still write whatever you want to go in the scrap box. You'll end up with a huge resource of pieces and ideas to play with when you find your inspiration drying up.

As for 'Inspiration or commitment problems,' both can exist side by side. Since you can never have too much inspiration you don't really need to worry about it unless you find you're abandoning projects, which is a whooole other ball game.

as others have said, it just depends on your own preference. i wouldn't put too much stock in arguments for or against it, just try it and if you like it, keep doing it.

personally i always have two projects going on at once, for reasons that have been specified by other posters - when i lose interest in one, i work on the other and go back and forth between them. for me it works very well, increasing my output while not denigrating from the quality of the pieces. also, when i'm not directly focusing on a story, i tend to get more ideas for it. it's a win all around.

I find that when I get a new idea it usually won't let me continue previous work without doing something with it. I find I can't work on two long pieces at the same time, because usually I'll start enjoying one more then the other and give up the one I'm not enjoying as much.
I also have a problem with giving up on a novel if I feel like it's taking too long. So I cam up with a solution for both problems. I call it "The Short Story Break". Basically, when I get a new idea, really quick before I have time to make the plot super-complicated (I have a tendency to make plots too big for a short story), I go and turn it into a short story or novella, something that can be finished in just a couple weeks. So then I take a break from my long project and write the short story.
I find this helpful because anytime I feel down about how slowly I'm progressing with my main project I can blame it on taking the time for the short stories. I know that's not the real reason, I'm just a slow writer and I don't get much time to write. But blaming it on other writing helps keep me from getting to upset over it.
This also helps because it gets the new idea out of the way. And when I'm done with my big project I can go and read the short story and usually it will inspire me to turn it into an actual novel.

I don't know if this would help anyone else. But I figured I'd put it out there just in case.