How Many Creative Writing Projects Should I Work On At Once

Many creative writers get concerned about how many creative writing projects they should work on at any one time to produce the best results.
So a common questions is: How many creative projects should I work on at once, to be at my most creative?
There are two main ways of working – one writing project at a time or multiple writing projects at a time.
So let’s take a look at each, and it’s pros and cons:
1. One Creative Writing Project at a time.
Some people work best picking one project, then holing up and hibernating, throwing all their creative writing energy into that project until it’s done. Then they rest, choose a new project and start the cycle again.
Advantages: This kind of approach can be very focused and high intensity. You’re able to get a lot of writing done in a short period of time.
Because all of this writing is channelled into just the one project, it’s easier to see the progress you’re making. Seeing this rapid development then leads to becoming more inspired and motivated to create even more.
Disadvantages: It can be easy to get “lost” in projects. If you’re so focused on just churning out a high volume of words, there’s the risk of losing the wider perspective.
If you don’t stay in touch with the overall aim of what you’re writing, you can lose objectivity, then not perform at your best. Writing just one project at a time also means you’re more likely to become stale and bored and your writing may start to reflect this.
2. Multiple Creative Writing Projects at a time.
Others prefer to have a handful of different creative writing projects on the go at any one time. They choose projects of different lengths, and in different areas so they always remain stimulated. If they get a little stuck on one project, they simply put it away, let it gestate in its juices for a while, and get on with one of their other projects.
Advantages: Having more projects can mean you stay stimulated and inspired. There’s more scope for the cross-pollination of ideas, where while working on one project, ideas spark off into other projects.
Just by knowing you’ve begun a project, your mind is always switched on and looking for new ideas and new approaches for it, even while you’re working on others. If you have more projects running, it can mean your mind works harder, in a wider range of ways, and is more productive.
Disadvantages: It’s easy to confuse getting temporarily stuck with complete block and procrastination. It’s possible with multiple projects you spend all your time flitting from one project to the next and never get any significant amount of any them done.
It’s also harder to measure your progress. Writing 5000 words on one project is easy to see and a big chunk of words. The same 5000 words spread over 5 or 7 or 10 projects looks a lot less, even though by the word count the total output is the same. Because it seems like you’re creating less, it can reduce your motivation.
So which is the best way of being at your most productive and creative, the single or multiple project approach?
The bottom line is, whatever works for you! There’s no definitive answer or method that works flawlessly for everyone.
So be bold, and try experimenting with different numbers of projects, combining different sized projects and so on. Take note of what helps you be more productive, have more ideas, etc and build on this knowledge and experience.