When anyone asks me if I’m “writing something at the moment” I have a hard time not looking taken aback. Writing something? I’m always writing something! If I’m not actively accumulating wordcount, I’m researching and brainstorming something—or better yet, many somethings.
If your gears are constantly spinning the way mine are, then you may find you have a new problem: choosing between projects. In fact, this may be true even if you’re not actually finding time to write at all. You may still have multiple projects backburnered or calling to you, and the difficulty of choosing is one more reason to procrastinate.
Professional writers juggle or “stack” multiple projects all the time, in part because we work with teams and have slack times during the production cycle. (After handing in a novel, the author may wait months for editorial notes, and months beyond that for copyediting, proofreading, book design, and publication; essayists and other short-form writers also spend eons waiting to hear back after submitting pieces.)
But it’s one thing to “stack.” It’s another thing to get lost in multiple unfinished projects to the point of paralysis.
Noted screenwriter and podcaster John August usually works on deadline, but unslated projects still pile up. Here’s his suggestion:
“If you have four ideas, all equally viable, I’d recommend writing the one that has the best ending. That’s the one you’ve thought through the most, and the one you’re least likely to abandon midway. But whatever you do, just pick one and write it without delay. If you have great ideas for your other projects, absolutely take some notes, but don’t switch. Finish what you’re doing, or you’ll have a folder full of first acts.”
I appreciate the strong reminder to finish what you start—there’s no better way to learn the structure of novels, memoirs and screenplays—and the “best ending” advice intrigues me, but I don’t always know my endings! Here’s another expert take:
Allison K. Williams, author of Seven Drafts: Self-Edit Like a Pro From Blank Page to Book, gave this advice in a recent blogpost: “Narrow your focus. Most writers I know have at least two projects rattling in their head, and it’s difficult to gain the kind of deep, sustained focus writing needs when you’re switching from one world to another. Imagine you’re about to walk through a magic door. On the other side is a guarantee you’ll finish a book, it will sell, and people will love it (if only!). But you can only take one manuscript through the door with you. Which one? Say a gentle ‘I’ll be back’ to your other work, and see what happens when you focus on one.”
I love that idea of picturing future success and applying it to ideas or half-finished projects. Often, I write hoping for success in its many forms, but sometimes I write for other reasons—and I bet you do, too.
In the case of a memoir I’m writing, my primary goal is to capture certain life lessons before they’re lost; if it’s never published, I’ll still be happy I finished a solid draft. In the case of a horror novel, I adore spending time on it, and I don’t need it to be a big seller, but I wouldn’t write it if I thought there wasn’t any commercial audience.
Pick two projects that are competing for your attention. Apply the following.
- A stranger approaches you at a party to discuss your writing and you’re excited to talk about one project more than the other; which is it?
- Even if no one else was willing to publish it, you’d do it yourself, via self-publishing or online sharing; which is it?
- The project does so well that a publisher wants a sequel; which is it?
- You’d write it even if no one else reads it—because the process of writing matters more than the outcome; which is it?
- It gets adapted into a film, musical, podcast, Ted Talk or textbook; which is it?
- Regardless of limited sales, the project hits a nerve with one special niche audience and you receive many emails and letters from people who were personally touched; which is it?
Did you find that one project ticks more of the boxes? Did you find that certain projects align with commercial values and others align more squarely with personal values? Did you get excited thinking about one bulleted item in particular and can you use that to accelerate your commitment?
Whatever you do, choose. Let us know if a particular question helped. And then get writing!
Andromeda Romano-Lax is a developmental editor, book coach, and author of six novels and
over a dozen nonfiction books. Currently, she is dividing her creative time between a language
memoir, final edits on a forthcoming suspense novel, and plans for a book-related podcast.