Two stories at once a bad idea?

In the past, whilst slaving on novels of epic length, new story ideas have popped into mind and can't be shoved out. The story I'm writing at the time inevitably pales in comparison. Soon, the new idea totally overtakes me, I ditch the novel with full intention of coming back (but never do), and begin a different piece. This is a vicious cycle, however. It always happens again with the "new" idea.

But this time it's different. I have completely fallen in love with my current novel and I'm having a blast writing it. But I've got another story idea lingering in the back of my mind, that's screaming for attention. I'm afraid if I start to multi-task and write both at once the other story will eventually replace my novel.

In your opinion, should I ignore other ideas and stay on the straight and narrow or take on a second piece of writing.

At the moment, I'm probably going to chose the former. Convince me otherwise if you're so inclined.

-Kylan

I think you should do what ever allows you to finish, right? ^_^

I had the same problem recently. Usually I'm completely dry with ideas, but I've been hit with a few! Well, three. And only two of them I wanted to work on, so really, two. I had stopped half way through my novel (Thanks to NaNoWriMo, I actually got the first half written) and I had this other idea lingering around for a while. It finally started to develop, and even though I had designated December as a no-writing month, all reading, I gave in and started plotting and writing this weekend, and it feels good! Thankfully, the second project is smaller, so that it won't over take my old one, and I love the old one so much that I could never drop it. I wanted a break from it anyways; I thought I was going to die if I had to deal with one more Nazi. The only thing I've found disheartening about leaving a project, even for a few weeks to a month, is get "out of character" with my characters, so to speak. Although I'm sure once I jump back into my novel in January, that won't be a problem. Hopefully.

What convinced me to take on project B while in the middle of project A was two things: Sam and length. Sam told me that because project B is shorter, it has no way of taking over project A. It's shorter, smaller, in fact it should prepare me for super edits with project A. Although, are both your projects the same length, novels?

If you want to do this new project, do it. Sometimes you do realize, "Wow, that was a bad idea," but if you continually do it, rather than find a new story, find the problem. What is bothering you about your old stories? what causes you to loose interest, and leave them? Because you're never a writer (and you won't have anything to edit!!) until you finish that first draft.

I hope this helped!

Actually, the second story is a short. Probably the size of The Oil Fields Are Burning. And yes, that did help... *sinks into deep thought*

It might interest you to know, the short story would revolve around Hitler, the Nazis, and the 1930s. Somewhat like your novel, except science-fiction.

-Kylan

For me it is, more often than not anymore I have difficulty coming up with one idea and can't prioritize, and plus one story becomes my entire life when I'm writing it. So I don't know how it is for you but for me its a major no no.




















Oh and P.S. Kylan my dad likes your sig he said "it does the same thing to your brain?"

ooo. Then expect me to read your short! I'm very interested in those kinds of things, and I will be tempted to check your dates! May I ask how sci-fi will be involved in this?

See! It works out. You have a short idea, and not a novel idea. Perhaps working on a second thing will get your thoughts cleared for the first idea, give you a break, and some time to breath. Mini things never hurt!

I would say go for it, if you're already working on a piece that you're in love with. If in the back of your mind you're saying, "Eeergh, I really don't want to write this, anyway," I probably wouldn't.

The second novel can really serve as a mode of inspiration- you can compete with yourself. If you get so many words done on one, you get a break and can move to the other. Not to mention, one can serve as experimental territory to work out the kinks in future scenes for the other.

That used to happen to me loads. I would start something, and then move onto something else and never go back.

Finally, I finished my first novel. It wasn't very good, but I didn't work on anything else, and I wrote on it everyday, and I had fun. Everytime I sat don I thought I would give up, but I just wouldn't let myself stop, and I completed it.

Also, I find writing on paper works. But only if you care about the environment enough not to waste paper by startting something and then finsihing it. It's a great way to finsih stuff, expect the typing up of it can be annoying.

If you get a new idea in your head, write it down in a notebook. If it stays and develops, write little bits, plan etc., until your current project is done. It works for me.

The second novel can really serve as a mode of inspiration- you can compete with yourself. If you get so many words done on one, you get a break and can move to the other.

Sounds like what you tried to do with NaNo, and failed.

But hey! I'm sure Kylan can do it. ^_^

[Sam: It's not your fault the second story freaked out and died. XD]

[Tilly- Oh, God, it freaked out in more ways than I can count. O_O]

Yes...just be careful, as I have learned, to make sure that they're both somewhat the same in difficulty level. XD

I think you should write down the topic of the other stories in your mind.
Still continue on your novel.
You wouldn't want all of those ideas to go away.
Those would be harder to get back.

Ditto Sam. And Suzanne. Short stories can never hurt, but only stop if you're going like, "I don't really want to do this anymore..."

That, and if you hit a really hard dead end.

I was seriously revolving around ideas for novels. Not really ideas, because by then all THREE of them evolved into full-blown stories with plots and everything. First, School of Shades, then Memory, and then RiOT!, then back to Memory. And I'm sticking with it.

If you're planning to make this novel published, then do something you're going to be comfortable, seriously comfortable with. Because not all the time does the excitement last throughout the entire novel. So at least be happy with your choice.

I probably have fifty million bazillion stories in various stages. My only advice is to write what comes into your brain when it comes into your brain.



The more you write, the better you get, anyways.



Ta,
Cal.

Eh. Personally, I have (at last count) 12 or 13 actual drafts in various stages...though none are actually finished, and some are second drafts... *whistles*

I find it's really helpful for writer's block to have lots of stories to skip around to (all of mine in various genres, some of them ideas that connected to something else I had). The only problem with my idea-finding process is I see/hear/feel something, have just this brief flash of a possible book scene, then I have to figure out how to meld other things to make a story that will actually take the reader to that scene. >.<

The only problem I have with jumping around on different ideas is, when I find problems in different stories then go back to an earlier one, I'm too lazy to go through the previous sections and fix it up. Hence the incomplete first drafts skipping straight to the second draft. However, that works both ways--you find problems in plot or finally master characterization in one novel and you can go to the other and tweak the same things...in a second draft. >.>

I find if you do two stories at once, one of them will probably die. It's hard for a writing mind to focus on two projects at once. I'm not saying it definitely will happen, but you have to be prepared for the failure of one of them, and not expect total success in both. If you've fallen in love with your novel and having great fun, I'd shut out the other idea. Or save for when you need a break from the novel-writing.

That's my advice, anyway.

I always tend to work on more than one at once...When I get frustrated with one, I can turn to the other one. Sometimes I get ideas from one that can meld into the other. If you can handle it, I suggest yes.