I find when I'm writing I can't stick to writing one story at a time. I tend to write numerous different stories mostly with different genres at one time. Luckily I don't confuse them but I was wondering if anyone else had this problem and if so if there is a way to keep to writing one story at a time? Thank you :)
Personally, I don't see it as a problem. If you can work that way, then why not? I've done it myself, and the only problem its caused is that I sometimes inadvertantly enter the wrong name to a character, but its easily fixed in an edit. It shows how creactive you are, so personally, I wouldn't stiffle it.
I used to do this a lot too (and still do to an extent). When I first started writing my stories would tend to reflect what I was reading at the time. So I would read some Terry Pratchett and then do a comedy story, then pick up a Lovecraft short story and suddenly everything would go all dark and spooky. The result of this was I built up a fairly big collection of first chapters but never actually produced a whole story.
I think it is probably an essential stage most writers go through when they are trying to find their voice so my advice would be don't worry about it too much and try to enjoy it exploring different styles until you find one that really flows.
Once you get that voice and the right story to go with it that is when it's time to get disciplined and stick to one project all the way through. It can be a hard thing to do but it doesn't mean you have to stop having ideas for other stories. Just keep a notebook for your next project/projects and you'll be able to pick up these ideas later.
Also, I find making a timetable for yourself helps and marking down time to work on this one project. Likewise you can ask a friend to keep a copy of the timetable too so they can ask about your progress and give a bit of a shove when motivation is flagging.
Hope that helps
Hi Victoria,
I seem to be doing that a lot more than I used to. Normally I try to restrict myself to one novel and one short story at a time, but I seem to have two novels (contemporary fantasy and high fantasy) and two short stories (both high fantasy) on the go at the moment. Keeping track of them is fiddly, but the main benefit to me is that when I get worn out by one, I can progress one of the others. If I'm not in the mood to write a novel, then I can switch to the more rapid pace of a short story and vice-versa. I find it nice to have a variety in my writing where possible. Novels are my passion, but they can get too heavy sometimes.
Also, the short stories mean that I can see results quickly. Perhaps not the best of traits for a wannabe novelist, but they help to keep me sane.