Authors, Writers, Publishers, and Book Readers

Multiple Works in Progress

How many of you have multiple works in progress? Are they all the same genre? How do you divide your time between them?

Currently, I have 4 WIP's.... sounds like alot huh? Right now I am thinking that too! As my second book just went back to my publisher for the formatting (after 13 hours of editing, my eyes are still crossed) I find myself looking at all the projects I have in the works.

One project is about half way through - but I had come up with a snag in the plot and I got frustrated so I put it on the back burner. Recently, as I find myself mulling over the issue, I think I found the way to work through my snag... but.... There is a more recent project that I started that I was working hard on. As soon as I figured out how to work through the other issue, I lost my train of thought on the new one.

Then there is the other book that I am working on with another author. Now that one is a huge project that will be in the making for a long time, but we are throwing ideas back and forth and running plot ideas and twists back and forth.

Then there is book 3 of my series (the second book is about to be published). After reading book 2 - and coming back to those characters I find myself running that plot hard and heavy in my mind. Conversations and characters building....

I'm at a loss right now as to exactly what I should be working on. I think I have so many things in the works that I am befuddled as to which one to go to next.

Anyone else get themselves in this situations? How do you work through them?

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Steve Norris on October 19, 2011 at 11:23pm

I;ve got the first in a series of book signings on Saturday. I'm going to Bury in North Manchester my home town.

Will be very odd to be back there after a few years but looking forward to seeing it again and ofcourse selling some books again

Permalink Reply by Catherine Green on October 20, 2011 at 12:40am

Oh good, we are all being very productive! I'm allowing myself a day off tomorrow, since we are socializing (and hopefully shopping) but I have all weekend to make up my work. Good luck with the signing, Steve!

Permalink Reply by Robert L. Allen on October 20, 2011 at 7:11am

We are $1000.00 down but my wife's car and my truck are running wonderful and I can't hear the muffler anymore which is great.

Amy Manemann said:

Welcome back Robert, sorry to hear about the car troubles. We had that here a few weeks ago and are $300 lighter in the old checkbook.

Permalink Reply by Robert L. Allen on October 20, 2011 at 7:49am

I write for both sexes. The book I'm writing now. I wrote the story quickly and now I'm building it. My characters are strong and weak. They have flause, such as my protagonist is suffering from the loss of a loved one, who was murdered by the man he was attempting to arrest. So now he refuses to get involved with love in fear of her getting hurt or, perhaps murdered. I try to write so that the reader will feel the pain and joy of both the protagonist and villain. In this story, my villain is a beautiful woman who has come to the end of her rope with her cheating husband. After paying a hit woman to end her misery, she becomes obsessed with the protagonist. I haven't decide if she will kill him or not. Yet! I think to give the characters real life situations and problems, as they arise in our lives, both men and women will enjoy the story. I don't stereotypes my characters. As far as men liking one story and women liking another, I would have to look at that and wonder what I'm doing wrong, perhaps not wrong but not right. I know this is confusing. Sorry!!!...

Borislava Borissova said:

Hi Robert,

I have a question to you. My situation with the second published book is a bit strange, men like the novella "The Last Secrets of The Ancient Island" while women prefered the other novella "A Love In Time of War". I feel a kind of sadness that my book cannot touch all. I wonder why it happens, both of the stories are love-stories. Do you have any ideas? Do you read love-stories sometimes? Of course, there are elements of thriller, mystery etc.

Robert L. Allen said:

Where is everybody this week, hopefully writing...Me, I've been spending money on car troubles... That's always fun...

Permalink Reply by Robert L. Allen on October 20, 2011 at 7:56am

Well I'm so happy that everyone is fine and still here. To bad for car troubles, but winter is near. My writing this week has been a flop. I look forward to this weekend, in hopes to write. And, yes, hope you sell a lot of books Steve and have fun...

Catherine Green said:

Hi Guys! Just a quick message, I'm watching a program called The Fades in 5 minutes. It is a ghost story with elements of demons and angels I think. Young adult but I did get into it after the first few episodes.

Anyway, this week my husband is off work, which is lovely but he's thrown my schedule all out! Me and Elliot (my daughter) have a routine, where I can usually fit in some writing and networking, but so far I've barely been on the computer all week! Tomorrow we are meeting up with some friends we haven't seen in a while, and yes, our car was in the garage the other day as well, not good!

Permalink Reply by Borislava Borissova on October 20, 2011 at 8:08am

Hi Robert!

I am not sure this is the truth because women and men are not alike, there always be difference between them so their reading bahaviour is different by origin. Perhaps I search for the answer why men do not like romances because one of the story is closer to romance while the other is purely drama...

Robert L. Allen said:

I write for both sexes. The book I'm writing now. I wrote the story quickly and now I'm building it. My characters are strong and weak. They have flause, such as my protagonist is suffering from the loss of a loved one, who was murdered by the man he was attempting to arrest. So now he refuses to get involved with love in fear of her getting hurt or, perhaps murdered. I try to write so that the reader will feel the pain and joy of both the protagonist and villain. In this story, my villain is a beautiful woman who has come to the end of her rope with her cheating husband. After paying a hit woman to end her misery, she becomes obsessed with the protagonist. I haven't decide if she will kill him or not. Yet! I think to give the characters real life situations and problems, as they arise in our lives, both men and women will enjoy the story. I don't stereotypes my characters. As far as men liking one story and women liking another, I would have to look at that and wonder what I'm doing wrong, perhaps not wrong but not right. I know this is confusing. Sorry!!!...

Borislava Borissova said:

Hi Robert,

I have a question to you. My situation with the second published book is a bit strange, men like the novella "The Last Secrets of The Ancient Island" while women prefered the other novella "A Love In Time of War". I feel a kind of sadness that my book cannot touch all. I wonder why it happens, both of the stories are love-stories. Do you have any ideas? Do you read love-stories sometimes? Of course, there are elements of thriller, mystery etc.

Robert L. Allen said:

Where is everybody this week, hopefully writing...Me, I've been spending money on car troubles... That's always fun...

Permalink Reply by Amy Manemann on October 20, 2011 at 12:41pm

Good luck this weekend Steve!! Warm thoughts coming your way :0)

Steve Norris said:

I;ve got the first in a series of book signings on Saturday. I'm going to Bury in North Manchester my home town.

Will be very odd to be back there after a few years but looking forward to seeing it again and ofcourse selling some books again

Permalink Reply by Amy Manemann on October 20, 2011 at 12:43pm

Wow, lot's of car problems on here lol Speaking of which we dropped my husband's car off at the auto shop last night, check engine light came on *argh* If I didn't live in Iowa where the snow drifts get higher then my house I'd consider selling off our vehicles and buying a bicycle! (I'd probably figure out how to break that too though lol)

Permalink Reply by Stacy Eaton on October 20, 2011 at 1:36pm

I hope you all didn't jinx me with my car!! lol...

Robert your book sounds good! I have found it very interesting that there are a lot of men that have read my two books and they all enjoy it! I agree that it is hard to find a happy medium. I was speaking to a friend about what men like to see in a romance novel - I figured he was going to say - a quick easy get-er-done kind of thing - but he said men actually do like to see passion... not fluffy romance - but passion they can relate to. Look forward to hearing more!

Permalink Reply by Borislava Borissova on October 20, 2011 at 1:49pm

It sounds wonderful! Wish you success with sales, Steve :)))

Steve Norris said:

I;ve got the first in a series of book signings on Saturday. I'm going to Bury in North Manchester my home town.

Will be very odd to be back there after a few years but looking forward to seeing it again and ofcourse selling some books again

Permalink Reply by Steve Norris on October 20, 2011 at 7:21pm

Thanks for the good wishes guys - really looking forward to it.

Robert I understand your challenge. My book covers male and female viewpoints and I like to challenge some stereotypes of female roles in thrillers. My book also sounds if its a man's book with a political and violent storyline but the key characters in this story are female on both sides of the hero and villain scale.

Permalink Reply by Dennis P McGeehan on October 20, 2011 at 9:48pm

Hello everyone,

I'm not ignoring the discussion here, just going crazy. I went away last weekend to a writer's confernece. It was great. Came home and have been writing, setting up a web page, doing catch up on work at home and tending to sick family members.

Sounds like everyone else is busy too. Hope all of you have great success with your projects.

Dennis