I've been working on a novel since August last year and I'm about half way through. But I came up with an idea for another novel and I've started writing that too! Has anyone else got multiple projects on the go? I don't think it's a bad thing. But I do feel like I'm cheating on my first novel :-)
I've heard of a writer who usually has two projects on the go so she has two desks - one for each project - and can therefore physically leave one project to go to the other. I wish I had the space for that!
When I've spent a lot of time editing my series of books, I feel the need to be creating something again. I've written many short stories, a pocket novel and develped another idea for a full length novel, but I refuse to start the full length novel until the series is finished and only work on my notes. This is because my series has such a huge plot that I simply cannot hold all the strands of it in my head at once and then work on something else. However, if I were to have two stand-alone novels in my head, I might work on those similtaneously.
Who said anything about discarding ideas? Just write them down in a notebook or a word file. If I started a book every time I had an idea I thought might make a good story, I would be juggling about fifty novels right now. If you can commit to two books at one time, why not three, or four, or fourteen? I guess we are talking about two different approaches to writing. I wrote my first draft in a month of twelve hour days. Lived, breathed and slept it until the story was on paper. Hence my skepticism.
I couldn't disagree with you more Jon! I wouldn't say I was dreaming up other stories while I was writing one. I was thinking about this other story while I WASN'T writing the other one. I think it would be foolish to discard what I think to be a great idea for a novel just because I already have another novel on the go. I do indeed give my all to whichever project I'm working on. It just means that each novel will take longer to write.