I began “seriously” writing in 2018, which seems like an eon ago. Even further back in time (maybe during the Triassic Era), I, like many authors, wrote here and there. Early, unreadable drafts that will never see the light of day but pages the way for projects I’m confident (this terms is used loosely) enough to release out into the wild. Among simply taking a long time to complete, the consistency with all my writing up into that point is that I was working on one project at a time. Since it takes me long enough to complete even one manuscript, it seemed ludicrous to take on multiple stories at once. My debut full-length YA sci-fi superhero novel Unsecret Identity: Eric Icarus - Book One took from 2018-2023 to be (self) published. Considering this, I still ventured into ludicrousness.
Writing different projects simultaneously is fairly easy to break down: a little here, a little there. Authors starved for spare time typically learn to adapt to having to write in short doses, and switching from manuscript to manuscript is essentially the same thing. Juggling genres can be disorientating, but I find shifting around tone and style to be a beneficial writing exercise. I don’t always hit mountainous word goals, but short as they may be, what I do type is more than zero. Plus, spending less and less time to mentally prepare to jump into a world that vastly different from another story is what I’d consider a valuable skill.
In addition to novel-hopping, bursting out bits of content when you can is rewarding when you see progress being made. Again, it may not be a meteoric rise in words, not I find it to be highly satisfying to watch my little projects grow over time. After spending so much time grinding away at one book, writing a few new stories at a time is a welcome break from what can’t help but be monotonous at times.
Spicing things up is nice, but there still needs to be discipline. There are weeks where I will designate a day for each project. Of course, if those pesky “real life” commitments get in your way, then the reality is that there will be days where you just too busy. Days dedicated to a particular short story or lengthier novel have been a great way to get me into a groove but I have discovered that I write better when there is a bit of spontaneity. As an indie writer, there are no specific deadlines other than “as soon as possible.”
Doom scrolling and aimless refreshes of the sand social media feeds will always cry out with their distracting sirens’ call, but lately I have been getting more and more into the habit of tapping into my favorite writing app and revisit whatever universe I am creating.
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Unsecret Identity: Eric Icarus - Book One is available now from the Amazon Kindle store.
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