Right now I'm finishing a novella, and finalizing two posts for the Heroes and Heartbreakers blog, and I've got a WIP I want to finish drafting—no, make that two WIPS—as well as another manuscript I'm revising, now that I've outlined how to rewrite the second half of it. I'm also writing posts for this blog, and--
I'm in the midst of a ton of different writing projects and I couldn't be happier.
Okay, that's a lie. If Mr. Armitage were to walk in and show me the bill of sale for the publishing company he bought, just so he could publish all my manuscripts--well, the smile on my face would indeed brighten to an incandescent level.
But since that is not likely to happen. . .right away, I love having lots of different projects.
My brain is like a waiting room, filled with impatient people waiting for me to yell "Next!" so they can race to the counter and tell me their story. It's not easy to keep them in an orderly queue. They all think their tale is the most important one. But I enjoy their sense of urgency, and I really like having the ability to switch back and forth when they can't seem to answer, "So what happened next?"
Each project requires a slightly different skill set. The posts I do here burst into my brain while I'm tinkering with a fiction project, or when I'm taking a shower to refresh the brain cells after a scene has hit a roadblock. The posts for Heroes and Heartbreakers require me to use a slightly different analytical portion of my brain, since I discuss a certain thesis and use a variety of stories to illustrate that point.
Even my WIPs use different abilities. The novella is teaching me a lot about condensing my story to the real essentials, while my 95k-word manuscripts ensure I develop each scene to its maximum potential.
Since I never know exactly what will pop to the forefront of my mind, I just try to sit still and not doing anything that might scare it away. Often it's a scene that feels completely random, but then I realize it's the seed of another intriguing story. Or maybe it's a scene that shows the characters in a new light along with areas I need to explore.
Sometimes I let the idea tumble around in my brain, without writing it down, to see where it's headed without me nudging it one direction or the other. It often blossoms on its own, plotting itself while I watch in amazement. Or it inspires a blog post on a topic I hadn't yet considered.
Moving from project to project like this keeps my brain excited and enthusiastic about writing. I don't have to spend time fretting about something not working the way I'd hoped. I can just move to something else.
This doesn't mean I never finish anything. In fact, as soon as I announce, "I'm outta here", the project that ceased cooperating instantly remembers what it wanted to tell me. I end up having multiple documents open to keep up with all the words flying at me from every direction.
It might sound a bit insane, doing things this way. But that may be why I like it so much.
And don't forget the Cthuhu Hulu! Shake those hips and wave those hands through the to the deadlines and don't forget the mutli-colored flowered leis!
Posted by: Maureen | May 02, 2011 at 01:03 AM
Maureen, I love the Cthuhu Hulu, although I'm tripping over myself trying to pronounce it. LOL I also like the thought of the leis. That was my favorite part of Hawaii. Sigh. I'm such a tropical girl at heart. :)
Okay, I'm back to my multitasking mambo!
Posted by: Donna Cummings | May 02, 2011 at 09:55 AM
This doesn't sound insane at all -- well maybe. LOL It's kind of a learned skill I think to embrace the scary freedom of multi-tasking. I know the five things I need to do often seems overwhelming instead of liberating, but when you describe the different projects using different abilities it makes sense to divide and conquer. :) Then you're fresh and excited to undertake each different endeavor. I can see how variety would work for finishing projects and, better yet, how multitasking can mean multi-finishing.
Posted by: Melissa | May 02, 2011 at 10:49 AM
Melissa, it is a little weird trying to stay on top of it all, and I don't know that I'd volunteer for this all the time. LOL But you're right about the divide and conquer part of it--working different "brain muscle groups". :)
My fave part is your "multi-finishing" word. That's really what makes all of the insanity worthwhile, seeing the various accomplishments. :)
Posted by: Donna Cummings | May 02, 2011 at 11:13 AM
Oh, man. . .reading this scared the heck out of me. I work on one story at a time. Multiple documents open at once? Oh, the horror! LOL
I have to say, though, that I work on multiple projects a year. . .simply b/c I burn through project fast. Get them written as fast as the story is flying in my head.
Posted by: E.C. Smith | May 02, 2011 at 02:05 PM
E.C., don't be scared! I don't usually have this much going on at one time. But all of a sudden there are multiple projects and I'm trying to get them all done and taken care of in the same timeframe.
I usually do what you do -- burn through the story so I can see what happens (yeah, I'm a pantser!)
Posted by: Donna Cummings | May 02, 2011 at 02:38 PM
Whoa. And I thought I was busy?! Go, you!
I've tried writing novellas--it is a definite art form. I seem to be pre-programmed in the 80-100K word count.
Posted by: Liz Fichera | May 03, 2011 at 06:26 AM
Liz, the novella is definitely giving me a workout, because I'm used to that 80-100k word count too. LOL In fact, I think I could have finished a full-length manuscript in the time this novella takes. LOL
Posted by: Donna Cummings | May 03, 2011 at 07:14 AM
My Brain works like this too. I love working on multiple projects at a time. I even read multiple books at a time. It keeps life interesting.
Posted by: Kari Marie | May 03, 2011 at 06:52 PM
Kari Marie, I'm glad there's another multitasking mambo mama. LOL I don't usually read more than one book at a time, but heck, I might try that too now!
Posted by: Donna Cummings | May 03, 2011 at 07:13 PM
Donna, I really admire your ability to keep it all straight. I tend to obsess over one project and then move on to obsess over the next. Your method sounds much healthier.
Posted by: Clarissa Southwick | May 03, 2011 at 10:20 PM
Clarissa, I'm not sure how well I'm keeping it all straight. LOL I feel like I'm obsessing over one particular project at the moment. I'm hoping it's because it's almost done. We'll see what happens tomorrow!
Posted by: Donna Cummings | May 03, 2011 at 10:41 PM
I used to pride myself on being a multi-tasker and loved being busy. I don't know if it's age or what, but I'd really like to be able to focus on only one thing at a time these days. I've had this to-do list here at the day job and I'm having to add new things quicker than I can mark the old ones off. I'm certain this has carried over into writing. I can't get in the right frame of mind if I can't focus on one thing at a time.
So kudos to you for making that work. I got tired just reading this blog. :)
Posted by: Terri Osburn | May 05, 2011 at 01:07 PM
Terri, I wonder if maybe I'm a sequential multi-tasker. LOL I spent about 12 hours yesterday revising the novella, and had hoped to get some blog writing done--I guess I thought about the blogs, though, so I was doing more than one thing at a time.
I sympathize with your work To Do list -- those are the worst, the ones that keep growing and never shrinking!
And I feel so tired lately because the pollen in the air is knocking me out. Ack. I don't have time to be tired! LOL
Posted by: Donna Cummings | May 05, 2011 at 01:34 PM