#Writing two stories at once how to
#Writing two stories at once movie

First, I repeated the number of characters in each storyline.

Both stories take place in the same small fictional town and the landmarks and geography of that town became the physical anchor for the two plots. I used the setting as the tool to bind them together. In my case, one storyline takes place in the past while the framing story takes place in the present.

#Writing two stories at once movie

So when looking for help with this tricky story, I turned to movie and TV screenwriters for inspiration and guidance.īy studying the six types of parallel narrative structures in screenplays and by reading scripts, I’ve gleaned 4 tricks that will strengthen any novel with two or more non-converging plot lines.

#Writing two stories at once how to

This is not a story structure many writers use, and even fewer offer advice on how to use it correctly. In my project the two stories never converge, not even at the climax as a traditional duel plotline will. For this project, I wanted two parallel plotlines, but with one important change. “You must finish what you start.” Robert A.As some of you might know, the book I’m currently writing is a frame story – a story within another story. Sure, during the writing of one book, I'll be thinking about other story ideas and I add notes in my Things app, but I won't write coherent words on a new project until I am done with the one I'm working on, or at least when it's gone to my editor. I start to confuse them and it all goes a little nuts. But from my own personal experience, it's difficult to work on two novels at the same time or even two non-fiction books. You can have one fiction and one non-fiction first draft in progress, since I believe they use different parts of the brain. If you struggle to finish anything, then don't start a new book before you've finished the one you're working on, especially if you are just starting out. This is not a ‘how to write' page so I won't go into the details here but you can find more on writing here. The only resolution is to set specific word count goals and keep writing.

Writers who outline don't suffer this so much, but instead they may find themselves bored by having to write what they've already outlined and thus revisiting the same material. This is a common issue and the same happens with non-fiction. By about 25,000 words of a full-length novel, I find myself stuck and losing focus. This is the one I struggle with (along with many authors) and is known as the ‘saggy middle.'įor a novel, I generally know my opening scene, climactic scene and a couple of big scenes throughout and then I start writing.

Are you suffering from paralysis by analysis? I recognize this, as I spent years reading books on writing and going to seminars without doing much actual writing.

Are you being perfectionist and waiting for some kind of perfect idea or perfect situation before writing?.

Are you procrastinating because of fear?.

Try starting in the middle, or with a piece of writing you are particularly passionate about instead.

Don't try to write the first chapter or the first scene or the introduction first.

(If you're writing a novella, congratulations, you're almost done!)īut if you struggle with starting, then there are a couple of things to consider: If you feel this way, you have starting energy and it will carry you through to perhaps 20,000 words of a full-length manuscript.

The opening scenes come easily and the structure of a book appears quickly. Once you have decided, those first few thousand words can be an adrenaline rush. The problem will be deciding which ideas to pursue and turn into a book. Once you start paying attention to your creative side, ideas will never be a problem again. Writing a book has several phases, each associated with different types of energy. If you want to be a successful author, you have to develop the skills you are lacking. Do you lose interest in the project once the initial excitement wears off?.Do you start with a few pages and then move onto something new?.Do you have unfinished books in the drawer or on your laptop?.Available now in ebook, print and audiobook formats. This is an excerpt from The Successful Author Mindset.