Narrow It Down

by Robin Bayne

Imagine… you are working feverishly on a novel, and in your snail mail comes an invitation to submit to an anthology for charity. You put your novel aside and write a short story. After that's submitted, you dash off a piece on a local book signing for your writer's organization, then spot a new online publisher who is seeking novellas to launch an imprint. You start drafting a 30,000-word story, meanwhile still thinking about your novel there on the back burner.

You send off some of the poetry you wrote a few years ago to a new literary web site. . . then get back to your novel. . . until you get an e-mail message calling for partial  manuscripts in a genre you don't usually write, and you decide to whip up a synopsis and  three chapters.

Do you wonder then how to get re-involved in your story, how to get reacquainted with your characters and their lives? Is it difficult to revive the passion you had for your plot? How many times do you have to start over because you lost focus?

If this sounds like you, you may be a writer with too many irons in the publishing fire. You need to narrow it down; narrow the scope of your writing activities. To bring things into perspective, consider the following:

---Do you work a full time job? How much time do you actually have to write? If it's limited, would it be better for you to restrict yourself to one project at a time? Only you can decide.

---Are you still interested in your novel? It's said that if a project doesn't hold the author's interest, it probably won't hold anyone else's, either. Analyze what you've done so far. Do you still care what happens to these characters? Is it worth your time to finish this story?

---Are you overly impatient to be published? Articles on writing tell you to always have something in the mail, and that individual rejections aren't so bad if you know you still   have other pieces out there under consideration. But how many is too many? Does this practice rob you of precious time with your favorite project?

---Perhaps most important: Which project is most in line with your ultimate goal, and  which will help you move forward in a five-year plan? Do you want to be a novelist? A poet? A journalist?  On an e-mail listserv discussion, a writer recently commented that she felt a need to respond to every new writing opportunity that came her way. To never miss a chance to get published. Her novel in progress was suffering as a result, but she couldn't escape the excitement of something new right around the corner, just beyond her grasp. And to a point, she's right. Luckily her buddies advised her to focus on what was  most important to her, and dedicate herself to that project.

Even authors with multiple books on the shelves have to be wary of potential time-guzzlers.

Mary Jo Putney, best-selling author of historical and contemporary romance, had this to  say:

"I tend to be a very linear writer, and when I'm in Serious Working Mode on a book, it's  in my head -all- the time, so I don't really have to get back into it. I don't do a lot of short  projects, especially not articles, since I'm not terribly good at nonfiction, but when I do  such things, it's always in time early in the day, before I start on the book. I'll work on an article or a speech or whatever over time, but it's never the main focus of my attention. For me, being in a novel is like being a fish in an aquarium—I swim in it."

Mystery writer Jack Burns explains his writing style:

" I know this sounds corny, but I start each morning with a statement of affirmations, which includes the words, ‘I work on one project at a time, except when there is a   deadline for others.' But even with that, I will sometimes take part of a day to write a story or do a submission, or even to get started on a fresh idea, but I always keep my eye on the main project. When I write a novel, I try to write it straight through from   beginning to end, using Stephen King's advice not to do research while you are writing your first draft.

Lori Soard, owner of Word Museum and author of three romances, applied some personality typing:

"I think the ability to multi-task is tied into personality. I'm naturally a very hyper person. I get antsy if I have to focus on one thing too long. Other people can't stand to start   something and move to something else. They want to finish project A and then project B and so on.

However, if you are single task personality and you're forced to multi-task for whatever reason, there area few things you can do to help you out. The first thing is to get really organized. Keep notebooks for everything and write notes to yourself. Where you want to go next in your story. What projects you need to complete that day and so on. Also, allot  time to each project EVERY day. That will help you avoid a situation where you forget  your plot or characters or where you were going with an article. It basically keeps them all fresh. There are some days when I can only spend 10 minutes on my novel. But that   10 minutes makes a big difference."

Loree Lough, award winning author of more than forty novels, says, "Out of necessity, I developed this ‘system’ in my freelance days, because back then, it was sink or swim (i.e., write 10-12 articles a week or play hide and seek with the bill collectors):

Manila folders containing the initial editorial assignment, names of people I'd interview,   research and interview notes, etc. I'd alphabetize the folders and poke 'em into the spaces between the spines of how-to manuals standing on my desk. So whenever the phone rang, everything was within easy reach; I could grab the correct folder, whip it open, and be on the same page as the person calling... literally. And when the call ended, I'd stick the  folder back into its space. Once I'd compiled all the necessary information, I'd write and  submit the piece.

The thing that's great is that same "system" works just as well for fiction. Instead of keeping the folders between the spines of how-to books, they're lined up in a row in an alcove now. But the rest is very similar, in that each story has its own folder, where I file the time line, character sketches, photographs, research notes, synopsis, etc.

When I'm on deadline for more than one project at a time (which is most of the time!), I   set aside a couple hours a day for each project. The way I get 'up to speed' with each story is by editing the last scene written. Usually, that's more than enough to get me  reacquainted with the characters, setting, basics of the story, etc.

Thing is, I honestly believe I write better stories, faster, when I'm doing more than one  project at a time, because I'm in ‘creative mode’ throughout my entire workday; coming up with spiffy dialog for 'this' book primes my brain for dialog in 'that' book. Same goes for scene-setting, character development/motivation, etc."

Elaine Hopper, multi-published author, "would love it if I could write 100% of the time. Unfortunately, the dictates of the publishing business means I have to don other hats such as promotion and business. This means I have to write articles, book and movie reviews, interviews, constantly update my website, run contests, and do whatever I can to promote myself and my books. Usually I can reread just the last few pages of my work in progress to refresh my memory of where I'm at.

Occasionally, if I've left a book for a long time (sometimes I have more than one in progress at a time), then I'll reread several chapters or the entire draft. Normally, I'm good at remembering my books and characters as I think about them often.”

There are as many methods of staying ‘focused' as there are writers. Take some time to set your priorities, narrow down your focus and keep writing!

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