4 Tips for Writing More than One Project at a Time by Chelene Knight
"I have so many unfinished writing projects. I jump around with no clear vision or process and I never really feel inspired to finish anything. Nothing feels urgent and I don't know what these projects are supposed to be or do."
The above is a familiar story for many of the writers we work with at Breathing Space Creative. I know that I’ve been there myself. But finding clarity around not only what your project is, but why you even want to write it is an important key step to feeling connected to a project and being able to lovingly work on more than one project at a time. Is this even possible? Yup.
When I was young, I bought into the narrative being sold to me. That no one would care what I have to say, and “real” writers don’t have other jobs (what?!) so working on more than one project often felt like some sort of farce, a betrayal even. Not only was I told I’d never write a book, but I was seasoned to believe that if I wasn’t making writing my only focus, I wasn’t a real writer.
It took a ton of work on self, boundaries, and confidence (years of work) but eventually, I let all of that “real” writer nonsense go. Letting go makes space for unlearning and relearning.
For me, the reflective part of the work was always difficult, it was emotional. Reflection forced me to look back at how the book idea formed and then I’d sometimes realize that a project just no longer felt relevant or urgent. This is OK! It just may not be the right time to work on it. We need to stop shaming ourselves for tucking certain projects away. It’s a temporary intentional action. We can pull them out when we want. Let the dust pile on top of it if you need to. But when the time comes to pull it outta that drawer and you’ve already got a project or two on the go, it’s time to buckle up and get to WERK.
Ok, so here are BSC’s 4 tips for writing more than one project at a time:
Figure out your "why" for each project. Why do you even want to write it? When you know “your why” it acts as a pillar to lean on when the novelty of writing a new project starts to wear off and when you hit a barrier (and yes, you will hit barriers).
Discover an action for each project. Once it's in the world, what do you want it to DO? Another pillar. This one will help you make decisions when it comes to revising. Your book’s action will drive your edits. Trust me!
Pin down which phase each project is in. Is there a phase that you avoid? For example, brainstorming, drafting, research, heavy revision, line edits ... where do all of your current projects live? And fun fact, having projects in different phases of the writing process is what makes working on them easier. Drafting is not the same brain as revising!
How do you currently feel about these projects? Free writing time!! This is the step that often uncovers the answer to whether it needs to be tucked away in a drawer for a while. If you are not feelin’ it, you do not want to force this.
Bonus Step 5: Get help from Breathing Space Creative to help you build a process for the above.
I picked these four steps based on my own experience building multiple projects at once and for working with our writers who’ve found success working through these steps. But like anything we offer at BSC, it’s up to you to come to the table with that specificity. Any general tip or offering is meant to simply be an entry point into the work. You’ve got to make it work for your personal and unique situation.
See? That's not so hard, I promise. Just get started.
Chelene Knight is the author of three books. She is currently working on a commissioned book on self-love and joy called Let It Go forthcoming with HarperCollins Canada in 2024. Chelene is the founder of Breathing Space Creative.
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