writing a novel is a long process writing a trilogy is even longer recently i finished
the first draft of my second book while i wrote that draft i had all these other ideas bubbling
i'm no stranger to the shiny object syndrome if you've been following this channel you know i like
to try different things while i'm aware that focus is important momentum is also important i must
keep writing keep editing keep publishing and keep putting my work out into the world for approval
or rejection if i only work on my novel the journey from beginning to end will take years
in order to get a sense of completion i take breaks to write short stories if this is your
first time here my name is elliot and i make videos about writing and the creative process
if that interests you please subscribe now back to the topic i get new ideas all the time
i record them and then i put them aside while working on my novel i could feel these ideas
stirring in the back of my brain i consider these ideas as treats and i save them for after dinner
working on these ideas are rewards and i can only start them when i finish my novel's draft
it's hard going from a drafting phase into an editing phase it's such a shift in mindset
reading a draft is a painful experience because there is often a lot to fix but by writing on
the side i can still indulge in the pleasure of creating without being completely bogged down
and overwhelmed by the editing phase while writing a novel i spent a long time living in a specific
world with specific characters that tone stays with me like an aftertaste when i start working on
something else writing a short story or a bunch of short stories after finishing a draft of a novel
is like cleansing the palette you clear out all the derivative ideas that you have lingering
by bringing them to life in some form writing a short story is also about experimenting you could
try something new that you might not be able to do in that novel that you have carefully outlined and
structured a short story is a practice where you work out something you want to improve on without
compromising a larger piece of work for example if i want to write an emotional dialogue scene
i can do that in a short story or if i want to tell a tale that jumps between characters
and time i could do that in a short story there is no better feeling than finishing something
but when you are working on a big project the satisfaction of crossing something off the list
doesn't come often by working on a short story you put yourself in a position where
you can complete something in a shorter time frame and pat yourself on the back
i allow myself to feel the reward of finishing a task regularly
especially when i'm also working on something long a short story is also a great way to get feedback
when working on a novel in order for someone to get the full experience they have to read
the whole thing but in a short story someone can digest it in a few minutes to an hour it's a much
shorter commitment and therefore a much easier way to gauge whether your writing is effective or not
before i completely wrap up my novel sized project i have a plan for my return when transitioning to
the new smaller project i don't want to just write the first draft of my novel put it aside and then
work on short stories forever i need to come back and finish it's all a waste if i don't the short
stories should only act as a break not a permanent change the way i do this is by setting a limit to
the number of short stories i can write before i must go back and commence editing my novel
last year i embarked on a month-long challenge where i tried to write and submit one short
story every week for four weeks if you're interested check out this video right here
during those four weeks i used word association with the four elements earth water air and fire
as my inspiration this approach was something that the author of fahrenheit 451 ray badberry
did i found this experience to be refreshing and productive it forced me to pick up my pace and
complete a piece while staying within a theme this time i thought i'd do seven short stories
during my break and what better inspiration than with the seven sins i don't want to put pressure
on myself to submit my work this time but i do want to write so the goal of this little break
between drafting and editing my novel is that i'm going to write the first draft of 7 short stories
once i write these 7 short stories i will return to my novel and start editing that the plan
is not to strike a big with one project that's unlikely to happen the plan is to be prolific and
maintain momentum the plan is to have a project to look forward to the plan is to sustain enthusiasm
without burning out i find that this method has been really helpful with my writing process
and i recommend giving it a try yourself if you want to follow along on my novel and short story
writing journey please hit subscribe so you don't miss any videos once completed i hope to share
many of those stories so stay tuned for those as well for now check out these videos right here