A friend recently asked what I was working on now. The next novel? Yes, I answered, but also…
And then I realized that I was working on far too many things. I have a feeling other writers—particularly those who live by their writing—suffer from a similar over-abundance of projects. The tendency, with me at least, is to begin work on, say, six projects, and then, over time, only one or two remain standing. Just for general interest, here’s a list of what’s going on (that is, things I’m at least taking notes for) at this moment:
1. The fourth book in my series, 60pp in.
2. Edits to the third book in the series, in conjunction with my editor.
3. A short video project to be released alongside the third book next year.
4. A film collaboration on what is fast becoming a musical comedy (!).
5. Edits to a film script I wrote last December.
6. A short novel, hopefully to be released between the last 2 of my series, which has nothing to do with my fictional country.
7. An essay on the relationship between crime fiction and “high” literature.
8. Grandiose notes for the fifth book of the series, which requires much preliminary research.
9. A book of autobiographical vignettes, accompanied by photographs.
10. Working with/for my girlfriend on her design projects.
Now, how much time does any one item get? You guessed it—very little. Because this is the danger of too much; it leads to too little for each little thing.
(Originally posted at the Contemporary Nomad)