One of the most difficult things to do is work on several projects at the same time. It’s actually recommended against.
I find myself in this same situation, as I’ve been hired to work on a screenplay, but as long as I meet my page counts, then I still can put some time into my other projects.
I’ve got several novels I’m working on, and I don’t want to let any of that lag behind. I’ve got several of my own screenplays I’d like to get done (and maybe enter some contests this year).
To get all this done, I’ve got to work on several projects at the same time.
To get this done, which most people actually can’t do at one time, you have to make sure of four things:
- Time management
- meet priority deadlines first
- plan your work
- know and be able to SEE your work.
The last step is something I’ve been VERY emphatic about on this blog. If you’re burning the candle at both ends and the middle, the only way to pull this off is to be able to visualize it. You have to be able to say, “This is the throw the plate scene.” You have to know the essence of the argument that leads to throwing the plate, you have to know why they throw the plate, what the aftermath roughly is. If you can’t SEE the scene in your head, you’re going to end up with a huge case of writer’s block.
Time Management. First is time management. You’ve got to know what needs to be done by when. I’m one of those people that is always trying to find the best time management system and software, so that’s no big deal to me. I’m almost resigned to having to design my own software, and get someone to write it!
Meet Priority Deadlines first. Someone’s paying me money, so their project comes first, above and beyond mine. I have to meet seven pages of script, no matter what. If I start getting bogged down, then the script is all that’s getting written.
Plan your work. This is ESSENTIAL. Get your save the cat, or your list of plot points, a synopsis, SOMETHING. You must know where you’re going in every project. It’s not enough to know what’s next, you may want to write another plot point first, because that will help to write the earlier one! KNOW where you’re going to go!
know and be able to SEE your work.
If you can’t see your work, how all the scenes fit together, I guarantee you’re not going to finish it. NOTHING is more demoralizing to a writer to have a bunch of unfinished novels.
start using the three step plot process – the Save the Cat 15 step template, your 21 point story template, then a 60 point template.
60 points sounds like a lot, but John Truby insists that every novel and movie has 50 to 60 pilot points. I was able to write out 8 spark sheets in 3 days last week – its just a matter of mindset.
if you think plot point, you’ll be paralyzed – what if I choose the wrong thing? What if I limit myself?
But if you think, “this is something that sparks my interest, a scene I can’t wait to write…” then filling that sheet out becomes EASY. and QUICK.
Fun.
Writing should be fun, enjoyable. You write because essentially that’s how God designed you – you HAVE to write.
I HAVE to write. No matter what else I’ve been doing all my life, I’ve come up with ideas for movies and books.
Write your novels. If you’re stuck in the same situation I’m in, where you’re working on many projects at once, statistics say it’s a recipe for disaster. You’re not likely to make progress in any of them – unless you use serious time management techniques, solid planning, and know where you’re going before you get there.
