How many stories can you work on at once

[al55]

Hi, I was wondering how many stories do you all typically work on at once without it becoming too cumbersome?

 

[RocketGrunt]

All of them.

 

[Writer61]

I try to stick to two active stories at a time: the main WIP and a second one I switch to if I get stuck on the first. When the first is finished, the latter will get promoted, and so on. If I get struck by a plot bunny, I usually write a rough outline and maybe an opening scene or two to see if I like it. If I do, I keep it.

My current WIP count is 24, but 6 of them are practically complete, waiting for other stories in a series to be finished (I am experimenting with posting in batches) or for the opening of an event window.

After I got into a mess over some crossover characters, I made a diagram (a sort of flowchart) showing the series and episodes that are WIP/planned. This also helps me choose which story to work on next.

EDIT: I should add that the secondary WIP is usually from a different series.

Also, my 'Next stories' overview:

Solid colour = complete
Lines = WIP
Red border = event entry

Adam At Large #3 is main WIP
Hotel De Luxe #2 is secondary

 

[ElectricBlue]

Typically two, with several parked up for a long while, with a promise to get back to. Two have been waiting for several years - I never put myself under pressure. Every story in the last five years has been a side project while I've been writing something else.

 

[AchtungNight]

Typically one or two at a time. But I have had periods of serious inspiration where I have worked on up to four and released them in quick succession.

 

[Yogma]

In a loose sense, normally about three.

I'm very slow when it comes to editing and I like to take breaks between editing passes. So generally I have at least two stories on the go at once, one I'm editing (with breaks) and another I'm working through the first draft. At the same time, I'll quite often be writing out story planners for future stories, which can be anywhere from 2 to 6 pages each. Mind you, most of the story planners never reach the stage of becoming actual stories.

 

[redgarters]

I prefer to work on just one at a time, but lately I've been juggling 2-3. On top of that I have another 2-3 plot bunnies that I've developed enough that I know I'm going to write them at some point. And then, of course, there's Teddy Swann and the Case of the Crown Jewels.
Maybe I need a spreadsheet...

 

[Writer61]

Maybe I need a spreadsheet...

I couldn't manage without one (OK, several)!

But that is partly because I am writing several series set in the same universe and need to keep track of names, ages, and where people/places/events crossover.

 

[redgarters]

I couldn't manage without one (OK, several)!

But that is partly because I am writing several series set in the same universe and need to keep track of names, ages, and where people/places/events crossover.

That makes sense. I'm dipping my toe into writing crossovers right now, and those WIP's I've got on hold are part of that. It's two different center points with multiple stories connecting in each one. It's still baby universes, but as soon as paths start to cross and character arcs overlapping I'm going to need to write things down to keep track.

 

[Writer61]

It's two different center points with multiple stories connecting in each one. It's still baby universes, but as soon as paths start to cross and character arcs overlapping I'm going to need to write things down to keep track.

Yes, you are. At the moment, I have two MCs, each with a couple of series, but next up is a new series with another MC.

Since I discovered that 'universes' were a thing, I have enjoyed spotting the opportunities to link stories together. It can also save a bit of mental effort: "Need a company name? There's one over there waiting for you!" The downside is keeping things coherent, even if only you know that in one series, the character is not living in Amsterdam, but in a crossover story in a different series, he is.

 

[redgarters]

With me it's all the same universe, just different continents. One "series" will be centered in Queens, NY and ties into The Woman in the Spare Room. The other will be a series of stories with The Lantern (LGBTQ bar) from Of Grace and Courage as a center point. The difference in universes is mostly in style of writing, the NY series being slightly more gritty.

 

[Writer61]

I prefer to work on just one at a time, but lately I've been juggling 2-3.

I have found that with linked series, I needed to think about the sequence in which I write/publish.

The example I mentioned above of living in Amsterdam was a consequence of writing the same events from different MCs' points of view, about a year apart. It is a minor continuity issue, which makes no real difference, BUT I HATE IT!

My current WIP is a story told from one MC's point of view, but I won't publish it until I have also written the other MC's perspective too (Hotel de Luxe #3 above).

Generally, I now try to write in chronological order, so I need to finish HdL #2 before I start HdL #3. Aaaarrrrgggh!!!

 

[LittleGreene]

Hi, I was wondering how many stories do you all typically work on at once without it becoming too cumbersome?

Currently the active. I get inspired with one and then usually hit a wall, and will retreat to the other.

 

[Kelliezgirl]

I've got 3 "long term" WiPs, then anywhere from 3 to 4 active stories.
Seems like I start a bunch of things. Hit a roadblock and nothing moves for awhile, then the dam bursts and suddenly I've finished 3 or 4 things.
Then the pileup begins again...

 

[BobbyBrandt]

If I have created a tab in my spreadsheet and given it a working title, I consider it a work in progress.

The particular spreadsheet tab will gradually get details added to it, such as character names, geographic locations, dates/timelines, and key plot elements. This story boarding allows me to work on several stories at the same time without actually writing them. Once a tab has enough details for me to feel confident with the structural elements I envision for the story, then I will actually begin the writing process.

Story boarding is different than working from an outline, at least for me. It allows me to be flexible while writing, yet still maintain continuity, consistency, and tense by plugging in the details that I have already captured in the spreadsheet.

 

[Writer61]

If I have created a tab in my spreadsheet and given it a working title, I consider it a work in progress.

Story boarding is different than working from an outline, at least for me. It allows me to be flexible while writing, yet still maintain continuity, consistency, and tense by plugging in the details that I have already captured in the spreadsheet.

I work similarly, except that I put such details at the top of a Word document. Precisely what is there varies, and evolves as I work on the story. Typically, I start with a section labelled 'Key Points', then 'Outline' (which is replaced by a table of contents later), and 'To Do', where I dump things that I think will need attention.

Obviously, all of it gets deleted before the story is submitted.

 

[THBGato]

Depends what you mean. For example, I'm trying to write "Happiness" but decided I needed more background on what the main love interest and a rival character had been up to. So I paused that and started writing "Son of a Preacherman"... but that turned out to be about a completely new character. So then I paused that, and started writing "Come as you are" to give that new character more background.

So actively writing? Probably just one. But they are all connected. Oh, and yes I can write stories that don't have song titles for names. I just mostly chose not to.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Usually two, maybe three, withe several others in hiatus waiting to get back into the queue.

I have a file for each one and if a plot is longer I may or may not keep a separate text file with an outline and progress status.

 

[old_prof]

I guess it depends somewhat on what you mean by working on.

I always have one or two stories being actively written. (Occasionally three.)

Right now I also have drafts of two novels sitting, rising. I will knead them each once more, rise again before putting them in the oven and publishing them.

I have another half dozen stories I am mulling, working through details on, deciding on an opening scene, often an opening line.

I'm also going working my way through some of my older stories and editing them again, trying to bring their writing closer to what I'm doing now. I'm not submitting any of them as edits here at this point, but I am mirroring some of my stories on another site now, just for the heck of it, and the gets the updated versions.

So somewhere between one and a dozen, depending on your definition.

 

[YmaOHyd]

I can write one thing. I'll take notes and jot down ideas for more than that, but those are never more than notes. If I start writing something, I almost always stick with it until at least the chapter is done. Once or twice I've stepped aside and written something else for a day or so but those don't go anywhere, just little mental resets.

 

[MrPixel]

Three. Keyboard for each hand, and a pen between the second and third toe on my right foot.

Seriously? Normally two or three, plus or minus an "inspiration" that I might finish in an evening. Three are cooking at the moment.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I work similarly, except that I put such details at the top of a Word document. Precisely what is there varies, and evolves as I work on the story. Typically, I start with a section labelled 'Key Points', then 'Outline' (which is replaced by a table of contents later), and 'To Do', where I dump things that I think will need attention.

Obviously, all of it gets deleted before the story is submitted.

If you delete it from the Word document, are the details retained somewhere else?

This seems critical if you intend to serialize or write connected stories in a universe. I suppose that you could always refer back to the original story, but that would get cumbersome for me since I typically write longer stories.

 

[IWroteThis]

I write more by inspiration than perspiration, so I focus on whatever story is currently speaking to me. I might add one scene before it fades, or I might work on the same story for a week or more. The one I currently have open in my writing software is one I started from scratch last week. It's far from complete, but I'm almost to the point that the rest of the story is just a general outline that isn't speaking to me. Finishing the current part might give me the inspiration to continue, or I might switch focus to a different story for a while.

One thing I don't lack for is other stories to work on, so I organize everything into three specific areas. First, I have a single file for story ideas. (It has hundreds.) When I move past noting a general overview to actually writing copy, I move it into its own file in my main WiP folder. (There are 47 currently.) If I'm not inspired to write anything for roughly six months, I move it to my Inactive folder (which has 19 at the moment).

When inspiration doesn't strike and tell me which story to work on, I start going through everything in my WiP folder, then my Inactive folder, and finally my idea file. If I mange to get through all of that without getting inspired, I go read something. Some days I'm just not meant to write.

 

[Rob_Royale]

Writing? One or two.
Planning and researching, taking notes? Many.

 

[Writer61]

If you delete it from the Word document, are the details retained somewhere else?

This seems critical if you intend to serialize or write connected stories in a universe. I suppose that you could always refer back to the original story, but that would get cumbersome for me since I typically write longer stories.

I see what you are getting at, but it is mostly character names that proliferate, and those I do keep in a single spreadsheet, along with some basic bio stuff.

Plus, I can always return to the published text to check details (and sometimes do).