One or more stories at a time?

[zeldagreene]

I try to write when I'm most creative, whenever that may be. I come up with many ideas and then just pick one I like so I don't get burned out. That's what used to happen to me. I would try to stick to one story at a time and then I started disliking it. So now I pick what I feel like writing, but also try to continue my current stories when I'm writing.

What about you? Can you stay with one story until it's finished?

[MichaelMcManus]

I think that staying with one story at a time would be like visiting one group of friends at a time. Sorry, this week I am only visit with Facebook friends. When I am finished with them, I will visit with golfing buddies. When you write a story, you actually become part of that environment, interacting with a specific set of characters in a specific local. It is like going to a place like the bar Cheers, where everybody knows you name, only this case, you know everybody's name. The one difference my be if you are writing a series of stories, where the later books depend on events that happen in the earlier books. Otherwise, I think it is a nice break to move on to a different story once in a while.

[sand1]

I can't in fact I have only ever finished writing one story but I have noticed that some of my ideas fit into others and then I combine the ideas. I usually don't fully write it out but a paragraph to remind myself what I thought about and then when I get stuck I can look and see if one of my ideas fit into the story I am working on!

[hiluhriehope]

I am currently writing a novel, which is my number one focus as far as my writing projects. If I get writers block, or for some reason just don't feel like working on my book, I'll usually take a break and write a flash fiction piece, which is my second favorite story form. One of my favorite writing websites has several flash fiction story contests that I enter and they are a nice way to take a break from my book and practice some other styles of writing once in a while.

[ALynnPowers]

I think it all depends on what kind of motivation I have at the moment. Once I was in the middle of writing a story that I love. It's the second story in a series, and the few people who read the first book seemed to really like. But then out of no where, I got this idea for another story that I will probably never let anyone read, but the new story just wouldn't get out of my head and it was interrupting my thoughts about the other story. So just to get that story out of my head to make room for the more important story I was working on first, I felt like I had to put the first story on hold until I get the other story written out. I still haven't finished either of the stories yet, but the second story is still coming out at a crazy rate.

[AlphaSirius]

That's a great thing to write more stories at a time but I would suggest one story at a time will be best.

[ShawHamp]

I work on multiple things at once, but this year I'm making an effort to focus on finishing the ones I'm almost done with. It's just a good practice to "finish what you've started", but I agree with just about everyone else here that working on a few things helps break up the monotony of a novel, keep me (and my characters) happy, feel like I'm visiting other friends, and just in general spending time on what I'm most excited about that day.

[ALynnPowers]

Anyone else have trouble picking up where you left off, though? Sometimes I accidentally use the wrong speech patterns or something with the characters (for example, someone in one story will say something totally out of character because it's what someone from another story would have said... that kind of thing) because I got so used to writing one way while working on one story.

[vikster116]

Ive got five stories on the go at the moment. I find it easier to keep a ploy book for each, but no problem moving from one to the other to write.

[MaryMathis]

I write one story at a time only. i think it is good to concentrate on one thing properly insted of disturbing your mind with various thoughts at a time.

[SharisseEM]

Not at all. I tend to bounce around a few stories at a time because sticking to one is just so difficult when you have so many ideas itching to be put on paper. I did get burned out though so I take a short break and then read all I've written up to then and then proceed from there.

[hamernik001]

I usually write a few stories at a time, it is easier to fight off writers block this way. When I am stuck on one story I can usually feel inspired and write for another story.

[mellysw]

I have a folder that has all my in progress stories, which is five right now. I have another folder that has what I call story ideas that may consist of anything from a few sentences to an entire outline to a few first paragraphs.

Generally I will have anywhere from 3-5 stories going at a time, but I concentrate on 1-2 of those and briefly dabble in the others. I find sometimes a story needs to "rest" till the muse regenerates, and why waste that valuable time twiddling around when I can be writing something else my muse is fresh on?

[Amheiser]

I usually have a few books going at the same time when I read and I tend to do the same when I write. I choose which book to read depending on what mood I happen to be in and I do the same with writing. The mood I'm in influences what I want to write about. I do find though that when I want to change up what I want to write, I have to go back and re-read before I start writing so I can go on from there and make it make sense and not get myself confused with other stories I'm writing.

[mendicant0]

I usually only have one novel going at a time, but I do write numerous short stories during any given novel-writing phase. The reason is that sometimes I really get tired of the world of my novel (though never for long), and I want to see something fresh and different. So, I'll write a short story, finish it, and then move back in to the novel. It's fun, and I always come back refreshed and ready to go at the novel again.