All Over the Place
I am working on seven projects right now, with three simmering in the background. All novel-length. This is insane.
I don’t normally work like this. I’ve never worked like this, and it’s driving me a bit batty, but I find that when I expect myself to write a minimum of 3K-5K a day, I get stuck if I can’t switch to another project.
My word count, at least, has improved. I generally feel guilty and lazy and beat myself up for anything under 3K. This is stupid and irrational because most writers hover in the 1K-2K range, but it is what it is. I have a strong and healthy guilt complex.
And I guess I’ve always felt I need to triple the work of everyone else, just in case I have no talent. Having a lot out there does make a big difference.
Two of my projects will hopefully be an experiment in self-publishing (finally!). Three of my projects are for my current publishers. Two could go either way. And three are targeted for New York.
I’ve learned two things, so far.
First, I seem to need a more exciting idea and bigger challenge with my stories than I have in years past. In the first few years, I’d shrug and make any idea work. I still can do that, but I don’t like it anymore. I need to really LOVE it, in order to write it without much wailing and gnashing of the teeth.
Second, with a lot of things in the pot, it’s interesting to see how much some stories stand out… and others don’t. At some point, I’ll have to start abandoning stories, and I think that’s a good idea. I’ve never done that before. I usually make everything work.
Multiple projects give me a perspective that working on a single project doesn’t.
But I think I still need to write faster. Maybe I should up it to 5K-7K. This is an important year, and I need to “grow” a lot of stuff that I can get money from later.
I feel a lot of pressure to pay bills, to make this career work. I took away my safety nets, which was a good thing for me, but I keep looking at the calendar and watching time pass and getting nervous.
My friend can write 12K-15K of brilliance every day, I kid you not. She does take days off sometimes, so maybe that’s a requisite, but I always feel the pressure to write faster.
How do you handle the pressure? How do you get yourself to write faster? Have you ever tried working on multiple projects? Do you feel pressured to write faster?
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Natasha Fondren is a writer traveling the U.S. in a camper with her four cats. She is currently enjoying the lizards and desert heat in Arizona.
My last book took at least twice as long as it should have. It’s done now–I sent to my CPs yesterday. I’d like to do more, but right now I have a migraine and I’m not functioning well. I do have to set goals and meet them. Not today, though.
I’m eager to read your self-publishing projects.
Awesome, Edie! I know you’ve worked really hard on that one. Are you taking a break, or do you have your next project in mind?
I was kind of taking a break, but not one I wanted. I had a 3-day migraine this week and didn’t feel creative. Other than that, I judged seven contest entries and have been doing other writing related stuff.
Honestly, I don’t really get myself to write faster unless I’m really enjoying the topic I writing about (and with me, it’s S-E-X in all of its glorious forms).
And for most of last year, I was doing multiple projects.
1)Blog.
2)Writing stories for the other blog.
3)Writing my formerly current novel.
4)Writing my current novel.
At the moment, we’re down to writing my current novel (I really need to pump up the word count. I have two more days to play with as chapters (Thursday and Friday) before I call it quits, and I need to pound out another 26K in words so as to make people at least think about it.
Good luck, G! You’ve had a busy year! I, too, find that s-e-x tends to make the writing quicker, LOL. Which makes non-pseudonym writing feel really slow. I wonder if that’s normal? I’ve been beating myself up about it!
Wow. That’s insane all right, Makes me crazy even thinking about it. Great you can do it though.
I just can’t make myself write faster. I’m slow. I try to put in longer days when I write. And write even more slowly. Writing slower, to get it as near to right the first time as possible, probably saves time in the long run.
LOL, Eric. I’m not sure I *can* do it yet, but I appear to be trying!
Oddly, when I’m writing slow, I’m writing crap that needs a lot of fixing and editing. Usually because if I’m writing slow, I’m inserting lots of half-sentences and “sdfsdfs” for words I can’t think of, LOL. It’s a grind, for sure!
I’m working on SCAR and QUENCHED (novel and novella) and I have two short story ideas and another novella planned for this year. Plus major submitting with SCAR. And it’s already MARCH! Crap! Time to make a year plan.
Seriously though, it’ll be the submitting that sucks the time.
That is a lot, Betsy! And wow, submitting time for SCAR! That rocks! I’m certainly rooting for it!
Does it? I’ve never been in that position yet.
Self-publishing project? You go, Natasha! Big high-five! I really admire your honesty about it because so many writers consider self-pubbing the “fair-haired stepchild” of publishing. I used to, but have slowly changed my thinking. After all, the way I see it is that many readers could give a rat’s ass about how a book is published or which publisher, etc.
It’s about quality writing, period.
Anyway, as I step away from that tangent, I have several writing projects going on, too. Not my intention. They just happened.
As far as speed, I go as far as my fingers and eye allow. To me it’s not a race to the finish, but making sure the journey to “The End” is a worthy one.
Aw, LOL! That’s true, Kath. For me, self-publishing is just a business decision. Diversification and all that. It makes me nervous to be dependent on others for my income. As soon as pseudonym writes faster than her pubs can buy, she’ll go to it. Plus, I’ve always wondered if I could do just as well on my own. Why give half my money away? It could easily fail.
That’s a great way to look at it, Kath!
I’ve very very rarely managed more than 1000 words a day. Even when I have I’ve generally had to do plenty of rewriting. I know 7 projects would drive me crazy.
Charles, it’s odd and unusual that I have so many. One is coming to the forefront, though, so that’s cool.
Lately, I’ve been doing well to manage 500 words a day, and, yes, you are entitled to smirk at that.
Lordy, Bernita, I find it so difficult to get the words out, sometimes, that I wouldn’t even smirk at 50 words.
I generally can’t write faster. I just have to write longer. Like yesterday was a good twelve hours. I just can’t make my brain or fingers go much faster than that.
Yeah, Avery. I’ve been taking the long route the past couple days…
Your projects sound fantastic! 1K – 2K sounds like a huge number to me, so 5K is almost incomprehensible.
I am finally under a deadline this weekend. I’m the “keynote speaker” (whatever that means) at the Junior Achievement League banquet on Wed night, and haven’t written the speech, yet. I find the “last minute” thing weirdly motivating. I’m in the mood to write!
But you do a million things in a week! If you take that out, 1K-2K would probably be easy-peasy for you!
Good luck on the speech! That rocks!
Would that I could write at all!
I used to work on several projects at the same time. Now I can’t seem to get anything out.
Maybe I need to try writing bad. Sometimes that clears the cobwebs.
3k? You’re amazing.
I hear you. And that 3K comes hard, let me tell you. Besides, I don’t have another job or kids!
It seems the only time I can write quickly is when I already know exactly what I’m going to say and what’s going to happen. Then it’s super fast.
Otherwise, I sit and ponder. Go back and edit. Stall. Procrastinate. Maybe get in 100 – 200 words for the whole day, and only after much blood, sweat and tears.
I think this means I need to plot more and “pants” less if I want to write faster.
I wonder that, too, Kate. Sometimes I stall at the beginning of a project, unsure how much to plan and how much to pants. Really? It’s all a crapshoot, it feels!
Well, I can’t speak to writing, but I AM keenly aware that I need to get painting again. I even have a canvas out, staring at me blankly, begging me to come up with SOMEthing!
Oh Lana, I feel your pain! (And can’t wait to see the painting!
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