Jun 15, 2011

Secondary WIP

It's a pretty daunting task to write a novel. So only a fool would try to write more than one at the same time, right?

Not necessarily. If you're working on a project that's dear to your heart and taking a lot of your time and energy, sometimes the stress can get to you. And if you're like me, trying to unwind by not writing will just make you feel like you're wasting time you should be spending writing. It's a horrible cycle. I'm finding myself particularly prone at the moment because my current primary WIP is a follow-up to my first novel and I want it ready for submission soon enough that it could be scheduled for release in a good timeframe after the first. I know that, realistically, I shouldn't need to worry about having it submitted for almost another year, but the desire is there to write the thing, to keep Nathan's story going, even for my own sake.

So when I remembered an idea I had long, long ago for a book about a boy who turns into a winged monster after dark, I had an inkling that this could be a way for me to keep writing, even when taking breaks from writing book 2 of The Memory Chronicles. I shared the idea with my wife and a friend, and both loved the idea.

Now, whenever writing The Silent Oath becomes a bit too heavy or I just feel like having fun with an unrelated project, I'll sit down to Nightfall, the story of Bradley Rook, a teenager suffering under an ancient curse which he tries to hide from his classmates. Unfortunately, his best-laid plans fall apart when he meets the girl of his dreams, and finds out that he's not the only monster in town.

What do you guys think? Do you have any fun secondary projects you like to crack into every now and again?

Don't forget, this Friday is the first of my recipe posts! Tomato rice with chicken.

10 comments:

  1. I rarely have a secondary project that I'm actually writing, but I always have something I'm thinking about. At the moment I'm finishing my second draft of my urban fantasy but my head is also playing with a romance idea.

    Yep, I genre-hop . . . :)

    Having a second idea to play with makes the first one, which is at a difficult stage, feel less like work. The second idea reminds me of the fun part of writing, the invention.

    I also have a spin-off planned for my urban fantasy, but i's a historical and they're a lot of work!

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  2. I usually find the inventing to get frustrating if I don't start writing soon!

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  3. Sounds like you've got two excellent projects on the go there. I can never work on one thing. I have to be able to sip in and out... short concentration span I guess!

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  4. I actually have three different WIPs. I read this way, too. Always have several books on my nightstand at once. Perhaps this is why I don't feel like I get much reading or writing done sometimes...

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  5. I think it makes sense to have a sequel or a part of a series in some formative stage while you are working on getting the first book out there so long as it doesn't interfere and you can divide the work appropriately. I have more than one thing going, but I do need to focus on one primary project so I can get something done.

    Good luck with what you're doing.


    Lee
    Tossing It Out

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  6. Rosalind: Thanks. I'm hoping it'll help keep my mind fresh to switch back and forth between them.

    Brent: I can't do it with reading, I'm afraid. I like to get lost in one story at a time.

    Arlee: Thank you. I figure that after the first book comes out, I can't ust sit on my laurels. I have to keep the momentum and interest going, and the best way to do that is make sure there's a rocking sequel coming.

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  7. Enjoyed your comment on my blog - we definitely are too quick to shy away from challenges.

    I'm so glad I hoped over to your blog.

    First, because the idea of a boy who turns into a winged beast at night sounds awesome!

    And second, because I've been thinking about diving into more than one project at a time. Especially since I'm in this weird limbo where I'm waiting for content edits for my debut novel and plotting a new story. I'd like to have some sort of project where I'm actually writing new words.

    And anyway - as we become contracted authors, we have to get used to balancing multiple projects. Might as well get used to it now, ay?

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  8. Hell yes, Katie! You and I are in exactly the same situation. While waiting to start more work on our first novels, we do need to consider what will follow that, don't we?

    Glad you like the concept for Nightfall. No idea how long it'l be before it's done, but I'm looking forward to it.

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  9. I love the idea of Nightfall. Lots of interesting things happen after dark!

    I also have a couple things working at the same time. That is how I am with most everything - reading, working at my other job, etc.
    I have a couple short stories in the works and my first novel. I find that if I am blocked on one, I can move to another and keep the creative juices flowing.
    So far so good!

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  10. Thanks, Halli. It's going to be fun, I think. It's quite a different story from my first book and current WIP.

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