How to Choose Your Next Writing Project

by Katy White

I'm not entirely sure how this has happened, but I've found myself project-less, with one MS freshly sent off to my agent and another making the critique partner rounds. Yet, my three year-old has just started preschool, and my baby is in that pre-crawling, content phase. In other words, I have actual free time and nothing to write. I have plenty of ideas, but I'm struggling to choose between them.

In case any of you find yourself in a similar predicament, here are the conversations I've been having with myself, for your viewing reading pleasure:

1) What project do you think about most in your idle time?

I have two projects that I go between most frequently. I'll call them Tom and Gwen.

2) Which idea makes you most excited?

Hmm. Excited? That's actually a different book altogether, one I'll call Elmore. The idea of Elmore makes me want to squeal from coolness.

3) Which project do you think would resonate most with readers?

Uh, depends on the reader? Sorry, that's a copout. Gwen could pack an emotional punch, but Tom could be the kind of book to really stick with someone. If I do it right.

4) Which will push you the most?

From a creative perspective, probably Tom. From an emotional perspective, Gwen.

5) Which is most unique in relation to the current market?

Tom or Elmore.

6) Which fits your current mood?

Tom.

7) Which idea is the most ambitious?

Tom.

8) Why aren't you writing Tom?

*Gasp* Shut up! You don't know me!

9) I am you. Why aren't you writing Tom?

I'm scared, okay? It just feels big and requires a ton of research into kind of seedy, dark things that I don't normally open myself up to learning about, even though it will definitely serve a purpose from a storytelling perspective. It's the kind of story that could be super duper rad. Or it could be a dull, weird flop, and I don't want to write a dull, weird flop.

10) So...you're going to start writing Tom, though, right? Because you can do hard things?

Gosh, you're bossy.


Now that you've had an unfortunate glimpse into my psyche, how do you choose between projects?

Right Brain, Left Brain

I feel like this post is a bit Dr Seuss--One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish.

Once I had a bestselling author explain to me that he can't write and promote books at the same time. For him, writing required the creative side of his brain where promoting (marketing) required the more analytical, businesslike side. I'm not a bestselling author by any stretch of the imagination, but I totally understand what he means.

For me, it's writing and editing.

Drafting that first pass of any manuscript requires you to let loose your creative side, to plot, dream, challenge, and grow that part of your brain.

Editing, however, requires a more detached, analytical view of your work. You can't afford to LOVE it while you're trying to FIX it. Some things have to change; others need to be ditched completely.

This month I have divided my time up between writing and editing. Between working on edits for one book as I get them back from my editor, I'm working on the first draft of another book. And it's HARD. I find myself trying to draft while having a serious plot block (like a writer's block, but with the plot--not knowing what comes next), or going back through what I've already written to answer a question--like what is the character wearing--and wanting to edit it as I go. It takes an extreme sense of control to not give in to the impulse. Yes, I'm still working on it.

Yesterday I had an awesome breakthrough about my plot problem and I'm so excited to charge right through the current block.

Who's willing to bet that tomorrow I get another round of edits back for the other book? :)

Black? Friday

It's the day after Thanksgiving, and nobody is going to read this because you are shopping, right? So, truthfully, I could type up pretty much anything I want. ;)

I'm not a Black Friday shopper. Tried it once, but I have serious crowd issues. I'm the person who will shop at 1am during the holidays just to avoid the people. I actually have a love/hate relationship with holiday shopping--I love finding deals and prefer to hold the purchase in my hand rather than shopping online, but I really, really don't like dealing with all the people.

Instead, I think I'll do some writing. Maybe a little editing. And worry about shopping later.

What are your Friday-after-Thanskgiving plans?

Wing it or Ring it?

I've got a goal to be done with a round of edits on my book by November, but I'm at one of those places where I'm battling myself in getting it done.

I guess right now the mindset I'm fighting with is, I've become a much better writer since I started this project, and to bring it up to the level I want it to be at I'd have to completely re-write it again. I'm not willing to do that at this point as I have several other projects waiting, and I want to move on to one of those. However, I committed to myself that I would get this one done first. But since I've been struggling over it I actually haven't even looked at it in a couple of weeks.

Now as I'm writing this post I'm thinking that I should maybe change my goal and move on to something else and not work on this until I can feel excited about it again... if I'm not excited about it, why would the reader be? And I can't give my work the attention it deserves when we're not getting along. Then again, if we only wrote when we were excited about writing, we would never finish anything!

I need your help. What do you think I should do?