Writing – Works In Progress

WIP.  You’ll find this commonly used on writer’s forums and other online gathering places.  It means “Works in Progress”.  For many of us (I never say “all” because the universe of writing practice is very diverse), ideas don’t come in single file, patiently waiting to be created.  The ideas crowd in, demanding attention right this instant.  Too often if I don’t pay enough attention, they will storm off in a huff.  There are more than a few instances of me remembering that I had a really great idea for a story, but had no idea what it was.  So you have to pay attention.

This also means that you end up working on more than one idea at a time. Don’t know if that comes as a surprise to anyone outside the writing world. The path from idea to finished product is filled with side tracks through other lands and stories.

A quick scan through some online groups reveals that many/most of us seem to have more than one project going on.

So, what’s on my plate right now? Technically, I have three novels underway. None of them are getting the attention they deserve. Their titles, at the moment, are:

• Today is Odd (originally “Catching Fire and Flying Through the Air”. Still undecided on this.) – a story based on my time as a substitute teacher. Think “Up the Down Staircase”.
• Two Guys, One Dies – a murder mystery in parallel. Draws on my careers in both radio and youth ministry.  Two tracks to the story, in each one a different guy dies and the other one investigates.  This idea developed because I had two great ideas and couldn’t decide between them.  So I didn’t.  This is extremely complicated storytelling.
• The Hidden Race – a thriller (I think) that centers on a secret society that is quietly directing much of the world. Think Dan Brown.

Those are the “big” projects. There are usually a short story or two in some stage of development. Plus all these blog posts. (I write regularly on two blogs, The View From The Phlipside and this one.) I need to average about three posts a week to stay on track, sometimes four. Plus three radio programs a week, that are then turned into a weekly podcast.

Finding the balance between the more immediate projects (blogs and radio) and the long term is tough. I want to create quality work for all of them, my emotional investment is much deeper on the long-term projects. So, I just keep working away.

Are you writing?  How many WIP do you have going?  Tell me in the comments!

Peace

JD