Thoughts About Working on Multiple Books At the Same Time - Part II
Sorry
for the delay in posting this second section, but I’ve been having issues with
the Kindle version of my first novel “The Bridge”. Amazon has been alerted to the problem and
are working hard with me to get the problem resolved. I’ll be creating another post here sharing
what happened and how we got things resolved shortly.
In the meantime, back to our discussion about working and juggling multiple stories…
So
where was I? Oh yes, why finding that I
could work on multiple stories was such a big deal for me. Anyone who is creative will tell you that
when you have that creative mindset going it gives them a surge of satisfaction
that’s like no other. Our minds love to
be active and focused on something. But
for artists, writers, musicians, anyone who’s got a creative mind, not having
the brain working on something can be frustrating. You start to feel stale, or like you’re not
doing your part somehow. This is a big
part of why writer’s block of any kind, can be so frustrating. We get that adrenaline rush and excitement
when we’re creating, so to find ourselves stuck can actually be devastating
over time. The more you’re in a rut the
angry you become with yourself. So in my
case, having multiple stories to work on means I’ve always got something to
keep the old noggin busy and have that adrenaline flowing.
Plus
there’s a genuine excitement to coming up with a new idea/concept, new
characters, and situations. Mind you, you can get too caught up with generating
new ideas and scenes without getting anything down on paper or your
computer. Even if you do manage to get
the ideas down if you’re too busy just creating and generating, you may find
you wound up doing nothing with all those fantastic ideas and have nothing to
show for it in the end. So watch
yourselves. Been there and done that, so
I know of what I speak.
Furthermore,
finishing a piece can be every bit as exciting as creating so don’t deny
yourselves that pleasure. Even if it’s
just a short story, completing one can really raise you spirits and keep the
creative juices flowing.
Why
do I keep harping on keeping those creative juices flowing? Because in my case, any victory is
important. As someone who suffers from
Fibromyalgia, I can tell you any victory, however small helps. It can be a daily battle to accomplish even
the smallest tasks during a Flare-Up, and keeping your spirits up while
fighting great pain is essential. So
every victory, no matter how small, counts.
But
just as important is the fact that we’re training our brains to think and
operate a certain way. When I hit a
roadblock on a piece, working on something else for a while actually gives one
part of my brain time to rest. I’m not
worrying about the story I’m stuck on, I’m problem-solving another one. Then when I go back to the piece I’d been
stuck on I come at it with fresh eyes and a more open mind. I’ll look back to see where I got bogged
down. And since my brain has been
solving other problems, my mental muscles are up for the challenge and may come
up with something totally new that blows the writer’s block away.
Does
it always work? No. I may have to come back to a piece multiple
times before finding the way forward, but it does happen.
Mind
you, at this stage of my writing career, there is one drawback to working on
multiple projects, it takes me a long time to get one completely finished. Yet, there is a bright side to this. You see, several of the works I’m currently
involved with are over halfway done already.
And since I don’t like to release more than one book at a time, this
means I will soon have a number of finished works that I can parcel out over a
period of 2-3 times a year. This of course satisfies the readers’
cravings for more...
While at the same time I get breathing space to build up more pieces
for later release. For me, this is one
of the biggest benefits of working multiple stories. In the short term it can seem a bit of a slow
process, but when looked at in a bigger picture, it means you’re building a
reserve for yourself that can help keep your audience happy and allow yourself
some breathing room during those slow productive periods.
Well,
that’s all I have to say for now. Until
next time, take care and keep writing my friends.
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