Writting multiple different stories at the same time

[Corty]

Hard. I wouldn’t suggest to anyone who has only little experience. Finish 1 or 2 books before giving that a shot.

 

[Lysander_Works]

The best reason for doing so is to evade or push back burn-out on the series you are working on. Sometimes it isn't necessary. I think the biggest mistake you could make is trying to actively publish multiple at once if none of them are completed, because you then add unnecessary stress to uphold that expectation. Then again, this can also be blanketed in how each segment ends and when. Short answer, it all depends. If you have no risk of burning out doing one at a time, then there is no reason to do multiple at once.

 

[MasterY001]

I wanna find the wise man who said this

So do I. You can hold him and I'll punch.

 

[Wanderrae]

I have four projects I'm simultaneously handling, two are NSFW, and I'm considering dropping them at least two for now to count on my normal Projects, It's hard moving from one mental space to another, outright detrimental even. Now that I have an inkling of success with Royalroad, I honestly want to stop my Nsfw serials, but I can't help but feel I'm one step away from mining gold. I think I'll stop them right now. Was wondering about this all morning, then I saw this post. Gonna use it as an affirmation. Thank you.

 

[TheAmaraine]

I usually have more than one writing project going at a time, and I usually finish anything I start to publish. The advantage, for me, is that if I have issues that I need to figure out before working on one project, I can work on the other. That stops me from either (a) getting out of the habit of writing, or (b) writing crap because writing means writing on a particular project, and I don't yet have all the ideas in place for it. It's probably relevant that I'm a discovery writer; if you're an outliner, then your mileage probably varies a lot. And everyone is different.

Most of my projects are not serials where I've made a commitment to a publishing schedule. I do that here, but I don't do it on Literotica.

I don't start publishing until I'm far enough in that I know I have plenty of ideas for more, and that there's nothing that doesn't work in what I've built. That doesn't always mean knowing how it all ends, but it does mean that if the thing fails 10,000 words in, it never sees the light of day and I don't get a reputation for not finishing things.

Some of my projects are connected short stories, rather than serials or novels. That means that each section is finished when I put it out, so I don't *need* to write another one.

If I'm going to feel a commitment to make progress on a regular basis (like the web serial here) then for me it's best to keep things light, and make sure there's room for multiple plot lines so that you have options. I don't know how to explain it better than that. I wrote a series on Literotica that dealt with an immortal in love with mortals, and I had to set it aside for months, twice, because I didn't have the inspiration to handle the more serious issues that were raised in a way that was still a "good time" for the reader. What I got to in the end I was happy with.

If I was to work on two web serials at the same time, I think I would work on one seriously, and the other I would not share online until I had a whole bunch of chapters. 20 or more? And even then I'd set a super-relaxed publishing schedule.

 

[BLIGHT_ZERO]

Hello, I have a question to the authors. How hard is writing two different (or more) stories at once? I know concentrating on one is probably better, but I am wondering.

I have at least 3 potential story ideas excluding the one I am writing already and I am afraid I will never get to use those ideas.

Another reason why I think of writing another sotry alongside with the already existing one, is that voices in my head make me want write sex scenes. I tried making one in my story, but it may feel slightly random and without any actual purpose for the story that is not smut. But if I would start a smut story, I could just put it all in there, while keeping my first story clean without it.

HORRIBLE IDEA DON'T DO IT

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Note that two successful authors generally had several stories going at the same time - Isaac Asimov and Piers Anthony.
Try to keep it small at first, only do two stories if you can, and focus on one at a time - but when you get stuck, instead of accepting "writer's block" move on to the other story.

 

[CupcakeNinja]

Hello, I have a question to the authors. How hard is writing two different (or more) stories at once? I know concentrating on one is probably better, but I am wondering.

I have at least 3 potential story ideas excluding the one I am writing already and I am afraid I will never get to use those ideas.

Another reason why I think of writing another sotry alongside with the already existing one, is that voices in my head make me want write sex scenes. I tried making one in my story, but it may feel slightly random and without any actual purpose for the story that is not smut. But if I would start a smut story, I could just put it all in there, while keeping my first story clean without it.

it really aint hard, the problem is keeping your interest enough to write each story. i remember neglexting several stories because i was so much more interested in some newer one

 

[soupsabaw]

This is something that I think completely depends on the writer. Personally, I can write multiple stories at once and keep my ideas and universes separated from one another, but there might be some people who find the challenge to be tricky. What I think you should do is figure out what kind of author you are: are you better at dedicating your time to two or more projects at once, or is it better for you to channel your energy into one story?

If you're the latter and you have more than one idea, that's okay. Stories don't have to be written right away. Jot down your ideas and save them, and even leave room for edit so that if something comes up, you can quickly write it down so you don't forget.

The more you write, the more you will get better. Practice makes perfect. If I was the latter and had multiple story ideas, I would pick the one I'm least interested in and start it. That way, I can use it to practice so I can put my best work toward the storyline I'm more leaning toward. If I run into a writing slump, I set it aside to come back to another day. Nobody is rushing you, and you're free to write at your own pace. If you take a week to come back to a story, then so be it. If you take a month to get back to a story, then so be it. If you take a year to get back to a story, then so be it.

Meanwhile, if you're finding yourself thinking of scenes that you wish to write but don't fit the storyline, why not slip aside and write a separate story? Personally, I have a pairing in my story that I love to death, and I wanted to write some explicit scenes too, but I felt it wouldn't fit in the storyline. So, I opened a new doc and wrote a separate story with the same characters in the same universe. There are tons of authors who write side stories, spin offs, or extras. Save them for that!

Take the danmei writer Priest for example. In Qi Ye, she originally created Zhou Zishu as a side character to help Jing Beiyuan, the main character. However, some brain rotting went on in her head. Before she even finished Qi Ye, Priest started writing Tian Ya Ke, where Zhou Zishu was the main character in the same set universe some years later. She still kept these two series separated. At the end of Tian Ya Ke, there is an extra for her pairing from Qi Ye. Another example is the danmei writer Meng Xi Shi. In Thousand Autumns, Shen Qiao and Yan Wushi are the main characters. She later wrote Peerless, and the pairing from Thousand Autumns makes a small appearance, but she still keeps focus on her main characters of Peerless.

The main idea is to keep the two series separated, even if they are in the same universe. Depending on how you organize your thoughts will let you know which one is better: is it a better idea to do what Priest and Meng Xi Shi did and keep the same universe, or is it a better idea to make sure these two ideas are completely different so you don't mix up events, situations, characters, etc?

 

[BearlyAlive]

Multi-track procrastination!