Juggling stories

[madlodger]

I am a novice writer for sure. But an experienced reader. I see many people writing 5 to 7 fics at the same time. I see new fics being posted without old ones being updated.

It became even more apparent when I started working on Golden Nuggets (Original Slash List). For that project I read through entire slash section and a few others as well. It seems that people would post some very promising stories and then post others and then some more. Some are getting updated, some, sadly, don't.

So far I can only manage 1 story without fear of quitting.

Can you, guys, handle that many fics and would they get finished?

Edited in response to EveKnight75:

All WIPs from all sites are included. Not just AFF. The main idea of this poll is to find out how many WIPs can be handled by one person. Same stories posted on multiple boards are counted as ONE WIP, of course

Edited June 2, 2007 by EveKnight75

[redsliver]

Most of my energy goes into From the Looking Glass and the AFF Orgy is second. However I have three other projects/stories I'm working on. The most explored is Sodom Hearts (A Kingdom Hearts extremely hentai fanfiction made like a Metroid or Castlevania sidescrolling RPG) that is going slowly because I'm still making the engine and I'm out of practice with graphics and drawing. Next is a more modern setting fantasy story I haven't found a good name for. Last and probably least are the Films Without Rhythm scripts. We're only doing one script at a time so it only counts as one project. Its also a group effort so I don't get to just fall into it like From the Looking Glass.

I keep my stories going by stressing importance. I will abandon anything lower on the list to work on anything higher.

[dazzledfirestar]

Generally, I can't deal with more than one WIP at a time. I might get an idea for a one shot in the middle of something else, but that's about it.

My brain right now is stuck firmly in the MSV Hogwarts universe, and I don't think I could get it out if I tried! It's a little obsessive actually...

[Leonhart29]

For some reason when I'm working on one story I get the best ideas for others and then I can't wait to share them so I end up with quite a few going on at once. Usually all of my stories are of equal importance to me, and I'll work on one for a chapter and then move on to the next one in kind of a round robin.

But lately the orgy has taken up some of my time - and I don't think I'd have it any other way. (I also keep little sticky notes on my monitor with where I've been and where I'm going in my stories - they're in my line of sight and I don't forget them).

[Nanaea]

I voted for three because that's currently how many I'm actively working on (not including the Orgy). I also have basic summaries/plot bunnies for 6 other fanfic stories and 9 originals at the moment.

When I get stuck on one story, I often find that I need to take a break from it and work on something else before the ideas will start flowing again.

[Guest Adara]

I have seven going. I'm able to keep them all sorted out, either by writing up ideas in a Journal, or simply storing them away in my head.

I work better when I have several ideas working, and as I'm working on Chronicles...well, I must have all of the books I wish to write in mind, so that I don't give anything away too soon, or too late.

[EveKnight75]

Poll's been edited. That green sentence in the first post is not mine. Speaking of which, green belongs to me, ya hear? You've just incurred the mod's wrath!

I'm just kidding... but the green sentence in the first post is still not mine.

I haven't voted because I have several WIPs where the fics have yet to be posted. I have three WIPS posted on AFF at the moment. Two haven't been updated in about a year, but I'm proofreading the next chapter for one, am in the middle of writing two versions of the next chapter for another (it's on FF so I need a censored version), and am stuck in a block for another because there's only so much I can do when it comes to specific architectural details (it's supposed to be a big joke because it's a Brady Bunch fic).

On top of that, I am nearly done co-writing a concrit article (there's a thread here on that), and there's four fics waiting in the wings. One of them is a sequel for someone else's fic, one is a cross-over, one is an HP which I'll modify after the final book has been out for a while, and the fourth is supposed to show a contrast in my writing abilities within one of my fandoms.

The thing is, I can multi-task on fics, but only up to a point. I don't want to leave up too many WIPs on the site at one time. I'll work on the fics that are up at this point. Once I manage to make a lot of regular progress on at least two, I'll consider posting another fic on the site, but only if there's a lot of progress on it already.

So the reason I haven't voted is because you'd get a different number based on how you want to pose the question. If it's WIPs on the site, the answer is 3. If it's all WIPs, then the answer is 7 (not counting the article).

I think that if you manage to read the entire post up to this point, you'll have some idea of what my answer is. I do have a lot of ideas jumping around in my head, but I control it to an extent. I am a slow updater and I admit it. Still, I don't abandon any fic. It takes me forever, but rest assured every fic will be completed.

I'm the tortoise in the race. Slow and steady gets it done. It's a pain for the readers, but I give them quality and many appreciate waiting for that. Perhaps not the best way to approach WIPs, but it's effective and the end result can be worth it provided you don't lose interest in the fic permanently.

[Iggy_lovechild]

Well, my situation is a little confusing right now. I'm currently working on a kinda-sorta prequel to "Road to Recovery", but I'm also working on a sequel to "Strange Bedfellows" and I'm involved in a challenge comm at lj (I will eventually post the serial of fics on AFF). The SB sequel is going much slower than the R2R prequel and even the challenge comm fics simply because Rufus is a terribly demanding muse right now.

[DodgeSuperBee]

I'm working on four if memory serves right, only one of which is an adult fic. On a related note, has anyone written an adult fic while you have an all-ages fic going and suddenly you're finding it hard to keep the all-ages fic from moving up to a higher rating? Maybe it's because it's for the same fandom and character, but suddenly I'm finding it difficult to keep the T-rated fic at the level its earlier chapters were.

[EveKnight75]

I'm trying to write two versions of the same fic for two fics. Right now, they're both rated M, but I'm trying to bring down the rating at FF to a T to appeal to a wider audience, and I'm trying to bring up the rating at AFF for the same reason. It has been really hard to write two different versions of the same chapter while making sure that they remain recognizable as the same story and don't go off on different tangents.

[Nanaea]

This topic prompted me to go through my hard drive and post summaries of all my plot bunnies on my LiveJournal. Unfortunately, it's friends locked because I don't want anyone stealing any of my precious pets. So, anyway, here's a brief rundown of what I've currently got going:

Harry Potter Fandom:

• New Beginnings: A short sequel to Forbidden Fruit (my only finished, multi-chapter fic so far). Progress: approximately 1,100 words.
  
• Ancient Magic: Another HG/SS WIP which I won't even begin to post until I at least have a rough draft of the last chapter finished. Progress: approximately 16,100 words.
  
• Silent Partners: A HG/DM song inspired WIP. Progress: approximately 4,000 words.
  
• Fractured: Another HG/DM fic. Progress: approximately 1,400 words.
  
• A Second Chance at Love: A HG/RL post-war fic. Progress: approximately 740 words.
  
• Ménage à Trois: HP/HG/DM post-war PWP WIP. Progress: approximately 900 words.
  
• Seeing Double: HP/DM/OFC post-war WIP. Progress: approximately 400 words.
  
• Severus' Surrender: SS/OFC Pre-HBP WIP. Progress: approximately 1,500 words.
  
• Harry Potter and the Dark Lord: A smut-lite stab at book 7. This was my very first plot bunny, and, more than likely, will never be completed. Progress: approximately 1,900 words.
  
• Twin Temptations: P&PP/NL & F&GW/?(OFC) PWP WIP. Progress: approximately 1,000 words.
  

Miscellaneous fanfiction:

• Hansel & Gretel: A Tale of Sexual Awakening: An erotic twist on a familiar tale. Progress: approximately 200 words.
  

Of that list, I'm only actively working on three of them right now. None are posted. I refuse to post stories that I don't have at least a finished rough draft of anymore because I don't think it's fair to my loyal readers to keep them in suspense for months at a time, plus I'm really sick of hearing "Write more soon!!!"

Add to that a handful of original stories that I have plotted, but unwritten, and, well ... it's an awful lot!

And, yes, the AFFO counts as I still throw in a chapter for that every once in a while.

Like LeonHart, I find that working on one story often leads to ideas for another story, and sometimes those stories are so darn demanding (like Ancient Magic) that I just have to get them out of my system before I can continue with what I was originally working on.

[foeofthelance]

Right now, two or three, depending.

Pack Amongst the Stars- Is on the Baen.com boards, under the slush pile. It's actually gotten worthwhile criticism there, so I'm happy.

AFFO-Throwing in the occasional chapter, if for no other reason then to keep up with things.

Yugioh/GX-Legacy of Shadows- Only have one chapter up at the moment, but I plan on changing that.

Stars of Glory- A Mechwarrior/Star Wars X-over that has sort of fallen to the wayside, like many others.

And of course, the occasional short story fart, of which I've posted two to the Baen site. Mostly I post the more serious works there, and the more fun stuff here.

[madlodger]

Nanaea - It's an impressive list of plot bunnies! I counted 12 including The Orgy (the most insane thing on these boards, hehe). Orgy is a collective WIP. And you have more of Original bunnies as well! That is pretty impressive, even if not all of them will end up as posted fiction. Three actual WIPs look like a very good number.

foeofthelance - Pack Amongst the Stars: I went and looked at it, it's pretty good So, it looks like you have four WIPs going. Is that right?

I sort of wonder how this works. Let's say, a person has 3 WIPs. Do they write 1 chapter per week and rotate them? Or is it more like months in between updates for the same story?

[Nanaea]

I sort of wonder how this works. Let's say, a person has 3 WIPs. Do they write 1 chapter per week and rotate them? Or is it more like months in between updates for the same story?

Well, for me it totally depends on what the muse is willing to cooperate with. I usually have one, main WIP going that I try to put most of my energy into. But if I get stuck I'll toy with one of the others, or write an Orgy chapter. Sometimes I go weeks without writing anything....

[DodgeSuperBee]

I sort of wonder how this works. Let's say, a person has 3 WIPs. Do they write 1 chapter per week and rotate them? Or is it more like months in between updates for the same story?

I'm sure some writers effectively manage their fics the first way, but I prefer having a story on each burner so I can work on whichever's the easiest to write at the moment. If I only wrote one story at a time and got stuck, I'd find myself wasting a lot of time that could better be spent on other fics.

Fic 1: A WIP challenge fic that is fairly easy to write but requires input from the members of the bulletin board where I post it. (1 chapter, 1 almost done)

Fic 2: A WIP sequel, rated M, that's moving along now that I have good plot ideas but was moving slowly before I decided. (2 chapters, 2 more almost done)

Fic 3: Just finished -- a PWP oneshot challenge. It turned out to be harder to write than expected and I had to keep abandoning, then coming back to it.

Fic 4: Hasn't been updated in 6 months but I will continue it out of genuine interest rather than guilt over leaving readers hanging. Just not my highest priority. (2 chapters, and a third I just started. Very slow progress!)

Edited June 10, 2007 by DodgeSuperBee

[Demosthenes]

As far as fanfiction is concerned I tend to work on one writing project at a time, and several editing projects. Then I still have my normal novel ginding to get done in any given day, in addition to any poems I want to finish.

[Iggy_lovechild]

I sort of wonder how this works. Let's say, a person has 3 WIPs. Do they write 1 chapter per week and rotate them? Or is it more like months in between updates for the same story?

I generally work on whatever strikes my fancy at any given time. Or whatever story my boys are loudest with. My writing in generally rules by my emotions.

[Guest Adara]

I generally work on whatever strikes my fancy at any given time. Or whatever story my boys are loudest with. My writing in generally rules by my emotions.

I am in total agreement. I'm really led by how I feel. It all depends upon the mood of any particular chapter, and my current feelings.

I cannot write a dark scene, when I myself feel upbeat and light. Likewise, I can't write a light hearted scene when I feel crappy or angry.

[madlodger]

I've read all posts above (Thank you, guys!) and see that majority of Authors stick with inspiration in writing. It's wonderful, but raises some questions:

1) What if an Author has 2-4 WIPs and lost inspiration on one of them, well, permanently? Would that fic become abandoned?

2) If an Author had a Contract and a Deadline; for example, to finish a novella in exactly three months from today. Would Inspiration matter as much?

I do understand that most people here write for fun and don't have a deadline, but it would be cool to know how they would approach that.

[Leonhart29]

If I had a deadline I'd sit down and bang it out in the first week then spend the remainder of my time revising it. I never outline - I just write so that wouldn't be a problem for me. Inspiration is the key though - without it everything is flat and dull... I've seen it on one of my fics. I banged out the last chapter and it was completely flat and is in need of major tweaking - but as it was my first fic I posted on the site I may not get back to it.

As far as the lost inspiration goes - If you're not going to update it - you've lost all interest and have no intentions of updating it - well to me it's dead.

[madlodger]

Leonhart29 - I think that a word Deadline is pretty scary to people. However much people aspire to become professional writers, the Daily Grind aspect seems to be ignored. What I got out of this pole so far is:

1) Most people are comfortable with 2-4 WIPs.

2) Some people prefer to concentrate on one and make a good job of it.

3) There are a few multitaskers who are thriving on a large number of WIPs.

4) Fun of writing and inspiration (Muse) makes it alive.

5) Deadlines and lack of inspiration are akin to death and not to be spoken of.

I do like your approach to having a deadline, Leonhart29. It makes sense. I'd like to note that as a person who actually has guts to talk deadlines, you might be the one to handle the real one

Hmmm... Pretty interesting.

[Leonhart29]

As I handle deadlines every day of my professional carrier it's not that big of a stretch for me to put a deadline on my stories. If I had done that with a few of the ones I'm currently embroiled in they might just be finished by now. Which gives me an idea about how I can get a few one shots and the last chappie of my long running story out.

Thanks for the idea Madlodger!

[DarkCabaret]

I don't remember how I voted but right now I have a total of five fics. Two of them are un-published because well, they aren't done but the other three are posted and will soon be updated (except for my one-shot)!

I have sooo many ideas for fics but never put them to use!

[Guest Madapple]

How have I missed this thread until now? I'm sure I'd have no possibility of approval.

It's easier if they don't know!

[Iggy_lovechild]

Well, I dropped one project

...and recently started on a one-shot, written purely for theraputic purposes. So I'm still on three, but hopefully I'll be down to a comfortable two within the next couple days.