I am one of these writers who always has multiple manuscripts and stories lined up so if I run into a wall with one I can go do something constructive in writing still.
This happened to me two nights ago. I am musing about what to do with my YA science fiction/drama “Michael: Relations” because I’ve got to figure out what happens in a juvenile court regarding criminal cyber-bullying. So as I’m lying in bed batting around ideas about this scene, my brain slaps me upside the cerebelum with a completely unrelated story.
Turns out my brain (muse or whatever beast of the fae you want to call it) decided I need to write a FOURTH story in the Tales of Victor Sierra line of novellas. Guess what I’m nearly 1K words into already? That’s right the prologue for “This is How the World Ends…”
I mean I’m happy to be writing it, but that is NOT where I wanted to spend my time writing at this juncture! So I apologize now to all my Relations fans, I’m not sure when that next chapter is coming. O_O
How about you guys? Where does your Muse tend to lead you astray?
Writing one story usually sparks ideas for other books, so I jot them down for later. But when I’m writing a book, I’m so totally immersed in the world I’m writing about that I honestly can’t write anything else until I’m done. I mean, I don’t have any desire to. It would be like suddenly deciding to go skiing in the mountains while you’re at the beach in the Bahamas. Who’d want to leave that to go to Lake Placid? The Adirondacks can flippin’ wait. (ノ_<、)ヾ(´▽`)
It’s great you can remain focused on a single project. Does that ever lead to dry spells where you don’t know how to proceed, but are still inclined to continue with it?
I’m always working on multiple. I tend to keep my mind occupied with a new story (a first draft or rewrite) and an editing WIP of two completely different genres, or if not, tones. The first is YA Fantasy Adventure set on a fantasy planet. The second is NA magick realism set in a fictional Egypt.
This seems to help with the muse not running off on a tangent. I tend to have story ideas that I write down notes for and let them simmer in my brain, but not to write them out. I have two stories, one coming out stronger than…actually three stories, yes, brain, yes, I remember XD
If an idea sparks, I think, “yeah, yeah, interesting, but hey, what about this demonic cult in Egypt, huh? We’re working on that yes? Focus.”
But that’s not to say that suddenly my brain tells me about a 32-year-old widow suspected of murder in Victorian London because I’ve been watching so much Bailey Sarian XD I had to then quickly jot down her backstory.
Nope! I love my books! If it gets dry or boring, that’s a sure sign that I need to rewrite that part until it’s interesting. If I find it dull, so will my readers. I always know how to proceed because I don’t start until I have an outline worked out. Granted, I keep changing it as new ideas come to me while I write, but I do have one.
For me, I cannot do that even though I REALLY want too sometimes.
The reason why I say that because I will never be able to finish a story if I focus on two things at once. I would love to complete my novel Tales of Alterra someday, but to do that novel and focus on another story feels like too much.
Yet there is SOO many times when I really want to multi-task in writing.
I just haven’t gotten to the point where I can.
I sorta have a muse, but I don’t know what to do with it.
Plus, there is the definite fact that I can NEVER stick to one plot/story.
For me it’s not a matter of falling out of love with the content, it’s working through the rough patches or connecting the dots. I’ll have whole scenes planned but the transitions don’t want to play… that sort of thing
Same here. And it’s a bigger problem for me than just some “character flaw” because I do and don’t consider myself a writer. This is for fun and personal growth. I better be wrong some serious money before I’ll call it a vocation…and work ain’t fun. So I guess you could call that an added chip on the shoulder.