Welcome back to another blog hop, with #OpenBook. Here’s this week’s prompt.
Don’t forget to click the purple button to see what everyone else has to say on this week’s subject. It’s at the end of my post.
What’s the biggest problem you have in your writing right now?
I have two problems to choose from, both of them have been with me for some time and whatever I do, I cannot seem to get on top of either.
The problem that’s bothering me the most is that I keep getting ideas. Now you might not think that would be a problem for a writer. After all, ideas are what keeps us going. But it’s not as simple as that.
The problem comes when you can’t get to finish any of them.
I currently have twelve half-finished novels, as well as a few ideas for short stories and I’m gripped by a sort of paralysis. Mainly because I can’t seem to settle to writing any one of them for long enough to make meaningful progress.
I can only write a few words on one when I lose focus and the flow stops. All because I’ll suddenly get an idea for one of the others. This means that I find myself swapping over, to put it down before it’s lost.
It’s just an unfortunate side-effect of the way I work. As I’ve told you before, I see the story in my head, narrated in the form of a film showing on a screen somewhere in my mind’s eye, superimposed over whatever else I can see. What I might not have mentioned is that there’s not just one film showing at any time. In reality, it’s more like a multiplex without walls.
There’s a cacophony of competing voices and images in my head. Each one is a story. Old ones, new ones, the ones on my list and a selection of new ideas. It might be Sci-fi, Steampunk or any one of the other genres that I write. I can only really hear the loudest and that’s what I write. When any of them pauses, another takes over.
This means that half of the time, I’m never really sure which universe I’m in.
As a consequence, all of my projects are limping towards a conclusion when I’d rather just get on with one at a time and finish it. So that I can move on to the next, in some kind of logical sequence.
And what’s the second problem I mentioned at the start? That’s marketing, I won’t bore you with my woes in that subject, there’s enough material in that topic for a whole post.
Until next time.
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P.J. MacLayne
I can only work on one story at a time. I have stopped in the middle of one to work on another, but I don’t switch back and forth between the two. I can’t imagine trying to track twelve stories at once!
Richard Dee
There’s never a dull moment, that’s for sure.
Samantha J Bryant
I have to be very strict with myself about focusing on one project until it’s done or I’d be chasing story squirrels all day and never finishing anything. @samanthabwriter from
Balancing Act
Richard Dee
I try but it can be complicated.
Kazz
I understand exactly what you mean. I had about fourteen books originally and I took them down a few years ago to rewrite. I am working my way through them, but I have to suppress new stories. So I feel your pain! Lol
Richard Dee
I only had eight last January. I was hoping to get them finished this year. I’ve managed three but I’ve found new ones since then so the total has actually gone up.