by Ane Mulligan  @AneMulligan

Being a novelist, I don’t usually work on more than one book at a time. However, I do write two blog posts, book reviews, and research for another novel while writing my current WIP (work in progress).

But lately, the Lord whapped me upside the head about a book He wants me to write. First off, that’s NOT how we normally operate. In the past, God has whispered an idea to my heart. Then my brain grabs it and we’re off.

This time, however, I was watching a video my Bible study leader played. It was amazing and touched me. But at one point, I got a LOUD nudge of, “That’s the story I want you to write.”

I was stunned. Me? It seemed too big for me. I write lighthearted books. But he told me that’s why he wants me to write it. Now, I’m researching it and so excited, I want to start it immediately. The characters from my current WIP, however, aren’t going to allow that to happen easily.

So, how does one manage multiple WIPs and keep them separate?

1. Make a schedule: Determine your best creative time/times. Mine is in the morning. So I divide the week into Story-1 days and Story-2 days. If I have research, I do that in the afternoons. I don’t need to be creative to accomplish research.

2. Take a break: If I need to work on both in one day, I take a break—have lunch. Go for a walk. Anything to allow Story-1 to flow out the right side of my brain and settle into the left side, where my editor lives. Then Story-2 can occupy the space vacated by Story-1.

3. Read: Reading a short article or chapter in someone else’s book can help clear Story-1 from my brain. Finally, I read the last chapter/scene I wrote, which cements me back in my character’s head. The voices are different for each character (even though they are written in MY voice. If you’re still finding your author’s voice, search TWC for posts on that. Voice can be a slightly confusing subject and fodder for another post).

Writing two books can be done, but it’s not my favorite thing to do. In fact, I almost stopped writing my current WIP, because the new one is so intriguing. But that’s not a good habit to get into, because you’ll always get new ideas, and if you rush to that one, you’ll never finish a book.

Ane Mulligan lives life from a director’s chair, both in theatre and at her desk, creating novels. Entranced with story by age three, at five, she saw PETER PAN onstage and was struck with a fever from which she never recovered—stage fever. One day, her passions collided, and an award-winning, bestselling novelist emerged. She believes chocolate and coffee are two of the four major food groups and lives in Sugar Hill, GA, with her artist husband and a rascally Rottweiler. Find Ane on her website, Amazon Author page, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, The Write Conversation, and Blue Ridge Conference Blog.