Re: Writing Multiple Stories
I've been toying with this approach myself. I find that sometimes an idea that won't fit with one story, will be perfect for another or vice versa. I keep a notebook where I jot stuff down to keep it for later and find myself continuously coming back and re-working stuff into one story or another. I find it helpful to be working on more than one story at once as it helps prevent writer's block or dead ends with a single story.
Re: Writing Multiple Stories
At any given time I usually have three or four storylines in varioius stages of development. Some may simply be fragments of ideas jotted down while others may be well into the process. As mentioned previously, I move from one to the other depending on mood, inspiration and timing.
Re: Writing Multiple Stories
That's exactly the same for me, DeSade. I find focusing on one can be limiting, especially when inspiration is fleeting.
Re: Writing Multiple Stories
MY brain works in really strange ways. I can be really into writing a section of one manuscript and all of a sudden something that I have written will trip a relay in my brain that cascades ideas in a whole different project. I usually write at the keyboard, but I find I need to keep a pencil and pad handy to jot down random notes.
Re: Writing Multiple Stories
That's how mine works too, I find an idea might not fit exactly with one story but with a tweak here and there it can be adapted into another. I also had a few ideas where entirely seperate stories overlap in a single chapter or scene. Like the two main characters of each story might pass by each other at a fetish party or one might be used to pleasure the other while wearing a mask, so they don't actually know or interact all that much.
Re: Writing Multiple Stories
The idea of concurrent timeline in different story lines is often used in the science fiction world. Robert Heinlein is one writer that comes to mind (mainly because he perhaps my favorite.) I know that he had a huge chart in his office on which were kept the times for his various story lines. Very often his characters would overlap and sometimes even show up in different story lines as minor or incidental characters. It can be very interesting when story lines intersect, especially if you have a dedicated reader base who follows characters and story lines.
The down side is it adds to the complexity of keeping time lines in order and not introducing problems. Readers will spot such conundrums and they will become a nuisance. Too many of them and you can ruin what would otherwise be a great story due to the contradictions it can introduce which can affect the believability of the whole concept.
I timeline but not until I have an almost complete manuscript mainly because doing the timeline while doing revisions just gets to complicated and time consuming. WHen I have a manuscript that has gone through a couple of proof reads and most of the revisions are done, I will timeline it. I can then fix any problems with the timelines for the characters at that time.
For me, the creative part of the writing is the easy part. The stuff that goes on after the story is finished is where the real work begins. Editing, proofreading, timelining, are all necessary evils to produce a first rate work that people will read and enjoy.
Re: Writing Multiple Stories
I've seen the same technique used in a few movies recently. I think it's kind of cool, if done right and not overused.
With my own work, I had a chance encounter worked out for a scene with two characters from separate stories but it developed into another, then another and another. I realise I can't have them all in a single story, but instead am working on a single instance where two characters are at the same party as slaves. One is being used along with a few more slaves for a sadistic game of cat and mouse, while the other is a relegated to lowly beverage serving/sexual-toy sissy-maid.
I hope to give the feeling of the same party from two very different, yet similar perspectives. Each character will be doing their own thing so to speak, but the same events and location will be constant in the chapter.
I really must get to brain-storming ideas again, I have high expectations for this chapter.
Re: Writing Multiple Stories
The technique of observing the same scene from two different character perspectives is always interesting but can be challenging as well. I have never done any work that allowed me do do cross character inter-action. I have enough trouble keeping up with the characters in one work at a time, much less getting the entangles in multiple plot lines and story streams.
Re: Writing Multiple Stories
I've no doubt it will be tricky, but it's a challenge I would like to attempt. I love spotting other character references in movies and want to try similar, albeit on a much smaller scale in my own work.
Re: Writing Multiple Stories
Go for it. You won't stretch your skill without stepping of into new areas
Re: Writing Multiple Stories
Exactly. But first I need to properly brainstorm the chapter, then adapt it to both perspectives.