- question to the writers

[erastes]

::Question::

When you've finished a piece of work (I'm talking mainly novel
length, because I know how I cope with short stories) how do you cope
with juggling?

What I'm trying to say is: I've finished Transgressions, but it's in
nowhere NEAR a good enough state to go out anywhere, and needs not
only editing and polishing but whole new chunks added in. However,
I've started Junction X. So how do you guys cope with the mechanical
needs of an older work, getting it reading for agent's queries or
publishers, whilst still keeping the creative juices working and
driving forward a new work?

Do you just work on the older one, or do you dabble with short stories
or do you do like me, and try and do it all at once?

Comments

[tammylee.livejournal.com]

I've never written a novel length work before (attention span? WHAT attention span?) but Stephen King (in his book 'On Writing') suggests putting the work away for a few weeks until it is no longer consuming you then go back and look at it with a fresh perspective. I've done this with short stories and it is amazing what you pick up when you come back to the story.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Now there's the trouble, because after I put the finished one away for its rest, then I get started on the new one....