Dawn Colclasure's Blog

Author and poet Dawn Colclasure

Sunday, February 23, 2014

An interesting experiment in writing fiction

I recently updated the page on my web site that listed the books I’m currently working on. (Wow, that was long overdue! A lot has changed since that last update, including one nonfiction book being turned back into a series.) As I went over that list, I marveled over how I am working on not one but TWO fiction books at the same time.

Last year, for NanoWriMo, I had a story I needed to get out there. This story had been growing in that workshop of my mind for some time, so when November came along, I jumped onto the NaNoWriMo bandwagon and started writing it. That first draft is not perfect, but I did get the nuts and bolts of my story onto paper. It’s the first book in a YA fantasy trilogy. I knew it was going to turn into a trilogy as I wrote it, because the story kept growing and growing as I wrote it.

And I have decided that I will finish writing this trilogy, writing Book 2 in the near future.

But, wait! I’m also working on a middle grade paranormal mystery series! Book 2 in that series will be out in April, and I have some other stories in this series to write, as I have not yet written all of the 12 stories in this series (some of those stories are still first drafts; there are two stories in each book).

So, yes, I’m working on those stories, too. Hm, me writing two fiction books at the same time? I have never done this. With nonfiction, it’s an easy thing to manage, since the books are in different stages of development and I can easily switch from one subject to another (one habit I thankfully strengthened during the days I was writing for e-How). I know for a fact, however, I cannot revise two fiction books at the same time. I have actually attempted this and ended up getting confused. So maybe writing one and revising another might work. Well, it WOULD if it was for the same series. (Hm, I can still try even THAT!) So I’ll have to try this out and see how it works.

And if it doesn’t work, I can always wait for the next NaNoWriMo to come around to write the next book in the fantasy series. I have time, since I’m not planning on doing anything with THAT series until I finish getting through (and getting published) the MG series.

I guess for a while I’m going to be a serial writer!

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