How many stories?

nomesque · 09-06-2009, 06:03 AM

I've noticed that my 'muse' (read, imagination, subconscious, whatever) just isn't happy unless I have 10 stories on the go at once. TEN. Once I hit that magic number, I seem to be able to buckle down and work on each of them until at least one is finished.

This is ridiculous. But really, I don't have the time or energy to try harder to get focus happening. If it comes out, well, hot damn, that's a good day, cos it's competing with toddler and job and marriage and housework and sleep and Buffy and knitting for space in my brain

Anyone else in the same boat?

Moejoe · 09-06-2009, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nomesque

I've noticed that my 'muse' (read, imagination, subconscious, whatever) just isn't happy unless I have 10 stories on the go at once. TEN. Once I hit that magic number, I seem to be able to buckle down and work on each of them until at least one is finished.

This is ridiculous. But really, I don't have the time or energy to try harder to get focus happening. If it comes out, well, hot damn, that's a good day, cos it's competing with toddler and job and marriage and housework and sleep and Buffy and knitting for space in my brain

Anyone else in the same boat?

At least that many at any one time. Sometimes in a day

nomesque · 09-06-2009, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moejoe

At least that many at any one time. Sometimes in a day

Ya know, I thought about who might reply to this thread, and I had my bets on you as a fiction-polygamist...

Moejoe · 09-07-2009, 01:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nomesque

Ya know, I thought about who might reply to this thread, and I had my bets on you as a fiction-polygamist...

Fictionally I live in Utah...and I has me many wives

*that came out a lot more creepy than it was intended to be*.

nomesque · 09-07-2009, 01:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moejoe

Fictionally I live in Utah...and I has me many wives

*that came out a lot more creepy than it was intended to be*.

No husbands? How sexist.

Moejoe · 09-07-2009, 01:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nomesque

No husbands? How sexist.

Crap, if NOW hear about this I won't be able to hold my head up again

Winter · 09-07-2009, 02:18 AM

I tend to have several projects going at once, some stories, some game development. Right now I have got:

2 novels (and another one on the back burner)
2 short stories
2 game design projects (and another one soon to start)

It's too much, I can only really work on 3 or so at a time, but they all continue to make slow progress towards being finished.

Regards,
Ryan

nomesque · 09-07-2009, 02:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moejoe

Crap, if NOW hear about this I won't be able to hold my head up again

Yup. OR your typewriter :P

Moejoe · 09-07-2009, 02:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nomesque

Yup. OR your typewriter :P

nomesque · 09-07-2009, 02:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winter

It's too much, I can only really work on 3 or so at a time, but they all continue to make slow progress towards being finished.

Uh huh. Funnily enough, if I cut down to 'sensible' levels, I lose all creativity - which kinda sucks. Meh. I think my subconscious needs stress to slide away from in order to chuck out creativity. Kinda like a 'stress distractor' - hey look at the pretty sparkly thing!!!

Moejoe · 09-07-2009, 02:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nomesque

Uh huh. Funnily enough, if I cut down to 'sensible' levels, I lose all creativity - which kinda sucks. Meh. I think my subconscious needs stress to slide away from in order to chuck out creativity. Kinda like a 'stress distractor' - hey look at the pretty sparkly thing!!!

Here's what I have before me now

Writing: #6 of Hoppersville, "In a Season of Burning" novella an a new short story inspired by the Pixies song "Cactus".

Editing - A Superhero Named Tony, A Mouth full of Butterfly and That Vagabond Itch.

Thinking about: zombies and Singapore slings (Joni Mitchell gave me another two ideas this morning for stories. I'm officially making her my MUSE)

nomesque · 09-07-2009, 02:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moejoe

Here's what I have before me now

Writing: #6 of Hoppersville, "In a Season of Burning" novella an a new short story inspired by the Pixies song "Cactus".

Editing - A Superhero Named Tony, A Mouth full of Butterfly and That Vagabond Itch.

*nod* Nice collection of WIPs. I'm working on a fairytale-turned-modern-turned-epic, an uber-Aussie story about a mystery virus, and a feminist take on the old polygamist-gets-found-out trope. And last night I woke up to type out an argument between a New-Ager and a christian Word-of-Faither about what exactly was causing their friend's breathing problems. Er?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moejoe

Thinking about: zombies and Singapore slings (Joni Mitchell gave me another two ideas this morning for stories. I'm officially making her my MUSE)

You're not alone - http://www.google.com/search?client=...ell+is+my+muse

Kevin Gerard · 09-07-2009, 02:45 PM

I usually work on three or four projects at one time. This summer I got quite a bit done, but paid for it with burn-out. I admire anyone who can manage that many stories at once.

I have this quirky thought about my characters. Whenever I stop writing the story, they also stop, like they're in freeze-frame or something. They can't continue with their lives until I start typing again. That gives me the incentive to keep the stories going.

I know, I'm wEiRd......

Moxie Mezcal · 09-13-2009, 04:59 PM

Guess I'm a slacker compared with everyone else... I usually only have one major project going on at a time that I really buckle down and write. At the same time, I'll have one or two "lighter" projects that are basically receptacles for all the ideas I couldn't quite fit into my main work.

The short-novella I have on Feedbooks, Sweet Dream, Silver Screen, is such a thing - it's really just stringing together assorted characters or scenarios I couldn't quite work into my novel and giving them (hopefully) some semblance of coherence. I've got another short I'll be posting soon that's also along those lines.

Other than that, I keep tiny little black notebooks that I use to jot down ideas or snippets or character sketches that eventually may become something.

nomesque · 09-13-2009, 11:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Gerard

I usually work on three or four projects at one time. This summer I got quite a bit done, but paid for it with burn-out. I admire anyone who can manage that many stories at once.

I have this quirky thought about my characters. Whenever I stop writing the story, they also stop, like they're in freeze-frame or something. They can't continue with their lives until I start typing again. That gives me the incentive to keep the stories going.

I know, I'm wEiRd......

GAH! I can't stand to think like that! I'd have about 20 characters stuck in stasis, glaring resentfully at me...

In my case, I'm not sure it's so much 'managing' them as finding inspiration for them. My brain seems to spark off at random tangents half the time, and if it's not sparking on a certain storyline, that's just life, go on to the current 'spark' until we light upon a previous storyline

09-06-2009, 06:03 AM	#1
nomesque Snooty Bestselling Author Posts: 1,485 Karma: 1000000 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Ipswich, QLD, Australia Device: PRS-650	How many stories? I've noticed that my 'muse' (read, imagination, subconscious, whatever) just isn't happy unless I have 10 stories on the go at once. TEN. Once I hit that magic number, I seem to be able to buckle down and work on each of them until at least one is finished. This is ridiculous. But really, I don't have the time or energy to try harder to get focus happening. If it comes out, well, hot damn, that's a good day, cos it's competing with toddler and job and marriage and housework and sleep and Buffy and knitting for space in my brain Anyone else in the same boat?

09-07-2009, 02:45 PM	#13
Kevin Gerard Kevin Gerard Posts: 30 Karma: 499848 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: San Diego Device: none	You're super-human I usually work on three or four projects at one time. This summer I got quite a bit done, but paid for it with burn-out. I admire anyone who can manage that many stories at once. I have this quirky thought about my characters. Whenever I stop writing the story, they also stop, like they're in freeze-frame or something. They can't continue with their lives until I start typing again. That gives me the incentive to keep the stories going. I know, I'm wEiRd......

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09-07-2009, 02:18 AM	#7
Winter Enthusiast Posts: 38 Karma: 40000 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: Asus EeePC	I tend to have several projects going at once, some stories, some game development. Right now I have got: 2 novels (and another one on the back burner) 2 short stories 2 game design projects (and another one soon to start) It's too much, I can only really work on 3 or so at a time, but they all continue to make slow progress towards being finished. Regards, Ryan

09-13-2009, 04:59 PM	#14
Moxie Mezcal Human Fly Posts: 32 Karma: 1500 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: San Jose, California Device: iPad	Guess I'm a slacker compared with everyone else... I usually only have one major project going on at a time that I really buckle down and write. At the same time, I'll have one or two "lighter" projects that are basically receptacles for all the ideas I couldn't quite fit into my main work. The short-novella I have on Feedbooks, Sweet Dream, Silver Screen, is such a thing - it's really just stringing together assorted characters or scenarios I couldn't quite work into my novel and giving them (hopefully) some semblance of coherence. I've got another short I'll be posting soon that's also along those lines. Other than that, I keep tiny little black notebooks that I use to jot down ideas or snippets or character sketches that eventually may become something.