Every time I’ve worked on a new novel (five completed: one binned; one on submission; two published and one forthcoming this year) I’ve always put other projects such as my poetry and short stories on hold, in order to focus on such a mammoth task. Researching, planning and writing a minimum of 70,000 words for a novel is no easy feat and in the past, I always prioritised whatever story idea grabbed me at that time.
Occasionally there were times when I stopped a novel partway through to focus on another novel, if the idea excited me more. But not until now have I been equally enthusiastic about two novel projects at once, couldn’t decide which to do, and started both simultaneously. Maybe excited isn’t the right word; crazy might be more apt, right? I’d love to know if anyone reading this has had a similar experience and begun two novel projects. How did you find it?
To be honest, I thought that one or the other would grab me more and so I outlined a few chapters for each, did my library research, and got stuck into typing both. I’m now at 4000 words for novel WIP#5 and 8000 for novel WIP#6. I guess I’ll keep going with both and see if one powers ahead of the other. After all, they’re both part of the supernatural series I’m working on, with part 1 due for release later this year, and all have a similar horror theme set in Northern Ireland. I’ll keep you updated.
Leilanie Stewart 