I've got a problem that's not really a problem - more of a positive thing in many ways. I've got a lot of different ideas for novels, some of which I've already started writing or planning over the past few years. I like the ideas and don't want them to go to waste for want of the discipline to sit down and write them. The problem is deciding how to go about writing them; it's all a bit overwhelming. I thought of the following approach: work on Story A (let us call it Schopenhauer and the Incredible Blue Muffin), finish a first draft, and put it away. Move straight on to work on Story B (A Fairly Awful Disease). Finish a first draft of that, and put A Fairly Awful Disease away in the same pile as Schopenhauer and the Incredible Blue Muffin. And thence through novels C, D, E, F...

The idea is that at the end of all this first drafting, I'd go back and re-draft Schopenhauer and the Incredible Blue Muffin). And then move on to re-drafting A Fairly Awful Disease. Etc. The positives I can see with this system are 1) I always have an achievable goal (To Finish a First Draft) thus stop myself feeling overwhelmed and demotivated by the mass of amorphous ideas and half-finished chapters; 2) by the time I get round to doing the redrafting, I've given myself a lot of time away from the original first draft, so I will better be able to judge what's working and what's not; and 3)I'm good at having ideas, but not as good at turning them into finished drafts, and this approach will help me focus on finishing. The most negative aspect I can see is that I don't give myself enough time to fully "get into" each book, and end up with weak drafts. Also, it might take me years.
A modified version of the plan might be to do it in cycles of two or three novels - first draft Schopenhauer and the Incredible Blue Muffin); first draft A Fairly Awful Disease; redraft Schopenhauer; redraft

A Fairly Awful

. Move on to first draft Mung Beans! Or: Why My Computer Sags in the Middle. Etc.
Has anyone else had this problem? What do you think of this idea? Could it work?

Hi Leila,

I can't see why working on two or maybe three in sequence wouldn't work?

Recently I've been struggling with 'first novel' - finding it really difficult to let go and move on to the next thing.

Started a sequel to first novel - ran out of steam and conviction which in a way is daft as I think book 2 should be better than book 1.

Also have a story which I want to write as a screenplay and another story to develop into a contemporary novel and then, other than flash and a couple of short stories - wrote nothing.

But finally - green light - I think I came up with 'the' idea for next project and am very excited. Just hope I can keep that feeling...

Sarah

I certainly think it could work, but if it were me I'd stick to two or at the most three projects, for fear of getting too fragmented. It's hugely helpful to move away from a draft for a while before going back to it, but working on something else clears the palate in the same way that time does, so you may not need too much of both.

Thinking of which, is it worth wondering why you find finishing difficult? We all succumb now and then to the glitter of the shiny new ideas which seem to come so easily, when we're stuck at the desk plodding through the tenth round of difficult, nit-picky improvements of the old idea. But if it's chronic, and causing you actually to abandon things, you may have a fear of finishing, which I suspect is as common among writers as fear of starting is - two different sorts of procrastination, really. Could you be daunted by having to declare something officially 'finished' and ready to go out into the world as your best effort? There was an excellent thread on this issue on WW sometime ago, which some creative site-searching might turn up.

Emma

you may have a fear of finishing, which I suspect is as common among writers as fear of starting is - two different sorts of procrastination, really. Could you be daunted by having to declare something officially 'finished' and ready to go out into the world as your best effort

This certainly used to be my problem. I hated the idea of putting a full stop to my stories, I wanted them to go on forever - the never-ending story! I broke out of the trap a couple of years ago by finishing a novel - it was crap but it was finished. Since then I've finished three more, (which are hopefully getting better!). I don't think I fear finishing any more, because I know I can do it now - it's more a matter of finding a way to organise the potential, if you see what I mean, to stop myself being overwhelmed.

Just hope I can keep that feeling...

I hope so too, Sarah, good luck with it!
L