However, this one dream stuck with me. I think mainly because I felt like I could make it work. I’ve had dreams like this before. In fact, one of my first year writing assignments at university was based upon a dream I had that was so disturbingly coherent that I can still recall the exact details to this day. Getting back to the case at hand, part of me just couldn’t let this dream go, and I started to think about how I could de-dreamify it.

But this is me we’re talking about, and of course I wouldn’t even consider starting a new project without it being some behemoth thing that becomes massively out of control before I’ve even written a word of text. The other thing is, as I’m sure you’re aware, we writers are, at heart, lazy souls, and it just so happened that I had a couple of redundant bits and pieces lying around in the ideas box which could, if suitably manipulated, fit in quite well with this new idea that was forming in my mind.

Getting Ahead of Yourself

Is it time to put up another "under construction" sign? Image from Anita Hart on Flicker.

‘But wait!’ you may well cry, ‘What about all those other unfinished projects you’ve got lying around?  You need to finish what you’ve started!’  That’s what my ex told me anyway. Oh, but before we go too far down that road…

It’s true. I am acutely aware that I have a massive pile of other projects that are lying around unfinished. Some are even dormant, I haven’t looked at them in that long. Thinking about it now, I have *counts them* nine projects in various stages of completion. That is – let’s be honest – shameful. While yes, I have two that just need a quick redrafting run over, I have others that have stalled in the writing phase. There have been a lot of posts on this site over the years about procrastination, and could this possibly be the worst kind?  Starting yet another project in order to avoid writing one of the existing ones?

Any writing is good writing. Right?

Quite simple when you think about it. If I’m writing this, at least I am writing. But really people, how many projects is too much?  Or rather too many?  As much as I loathe to admit it, a lot of the projects I have could be classed as franchises. In fact only two of my current ‘active’ projects (though I use the term ‘active’ in its loosest sense of course) could be classed as stand alone. Everything else is subject to sequelitis. I always used to maintain that sequels for the sake of it were evil, but between developing the characters in each and having lots of random ideas that (lazy soul that I am) could be hammered into shape to fit with characters that already exist for me. The other problem I have is that more of my ideas are becoming ‘long term’.

Return of the Serialisation

Way back in the middle of last year I wrote a series of posts on serialised fiction, charting my adventures with a new type of writing for me. Sure I’ve had ideas that could work in TV, but what with a new publishing dynamic coming into effect (internet, e-books, etc.) there could well be a growing market for more episodic serialised prose. It took me eight weeks last year to write what amounted to a novel’s worth of episodes which was the subject of my posts last year. Which is the fastest I’ve ever written, well, anything. Granted, those episodes could use a polish, and a second series would be easy for me to write (considering the amount of material I had), so why don’t I get on with it?

Well the same reason I haven’t even written anything of this new project yet. Its just too big.

Size Matters

There I go quoting my ex again… But in terms of writing, for me it becomes increasingly daunting. A screenplay I feel is the easiest. You aim for about 90 pages of script, and as long as you can plough through the formatting, it doesn’t take that long. Then we have a novel. 70-90,000 words. That’s a lot more, and considering how much editing that takes, well, obviously more daunting. Serialised fiction on the other hand… I don’t even want to think about it. 10-15 episodes of, lets say 10,000 words each… yikes!  And that’s just one series!  And three of my projects are structured this way.

So, opinions. Is this new project a good idea?  Or should I not be so bloody stupid and try and get some of my existing projects polished to a shine?  Feel free to leave any comments below. Also, any thoughts about serialised fiction in general.

I don’t know why, but it seems the end of a project – that final rearrangement into what you hope is the last draft, seems to take a lot longer than anything else. Okay, perhaps that’s not the case – it just feels like it. And, alright, I do know why. It’s because editing a project I know feels a lot safer than starting a new one.

But still, it’s a problem. I’m currently finishing a story – adding some extra bits to flesh out certain aspects. After that, I’ll put it all together in the right order and go through for a final cutting/correction session.

Will it be STOP or GO? Image courtesy of R/DV/RS on Flickr.

But it feels difficult, and so I catch myself time-wasting. I’ll daydream, or read over what I’ve done to get myself in the mood, or as if I’m mulling over my next move. That’s all crap though. I only write within small windows of time, and what’s actually going on is I’m wasting just enough of it to convince myself to stop. Oh, look at the time, I’ll think. There’s no way I can possibly get enough done now. I’ll just read a book. Reading is a GOOD THING for a writer to do.

Know what else is good for a writer to do? WRITE! And bloody finish something once in a while!

So I’m wondering who has a similar problem and what they do to get around it. Oh, and look! I’ve made a list! These are the approaches I could take to get the bloomin’ thing over with:

1. Just carry on – it will get finished eventually.
2. Set some time aside, grab an energy drink, and just go at it until it’s done.
3. Put it away for a while, to return to it when I feel more motivated.
4. Start another project and do the two alongside each other. One of them is bound to get done!

Right, they were in no particular order – just numbered for easy reference. Looking at them now, number 1 looks silly, if I did number 3 I’d probably never come back to it, and a second project would no doubt take over completely. Which leaves 2.

But what do you think? Have you ever run out of steam at the end of a project, or does it get you all fired up? If you struggle to finish, what helps?

Don’t take a break!

I would like to read peoples’ opinions on this. For me, I think it’s a really bad idea. Quite recently I had a week off work, and because I wasn’t in my usual daily routine, I did no writing either. Clearly taking a break is dangerous for me.

But more than that, it’s often said that starting something new can be the most difficult thing (I think it depends), so do you really want to make it even more intimidating by taking a writing break? You could well end up with a situation where you’re putting it off. And the longer you leave it, the harder it gets.

Do take a break!

This might depend on the piece of work you’ve just finished though. Imagine (maybe you don’t have to, but I do), that you’ve just spent two years solid working on your novel. One week’s hiatus, possibly accompanied by an actual break away somewhere, might be just what you need! Having spent a while in one world, maybe you need to get it out of your system.

And there’s also the question of what you’re going to do next, and how you start new projects. Do you delve right in, or do you need a little time for your new idea to marinate before you put pen to paper? A break from actually writing could be used to give your embryonic project a vital gestation period.

For me, although I’m writing a lot more than I used to (i.e. at all), having a break is not really an option. It takes me long enough to write something as it is. Perhaps some full time writers could fill me in on what they do, as despite my reservations about taking even a little break, I can’t even decide what would be best “in an ideal world”. Comments section is below.