From: nicky.matthews@btinternet.com   
      
   On Friday, May 23, 2014 10:11:57 PM UTC+1, J.Pascal wrote:   
   > On Friday, May 23, 2014 1:37:18 PM UTC-6, William Vetter wrote:   
   >    
   > > A couple months ago, you had a thread that talked about the Wall.  I see   
   this as more or less the same issue, where the author begins a manuscript with   
   a lot of enthusiasm, reaches some point at maybe 20K words or so, feels he has   
   lost the suspense    
   momentum, wrote a couple scenes that can't hold readers, the dialog is talking   
   heads, whatever.  Then there is not what we call writer's block, where he is   
   unable to write anything; but he can only repeat the scenario with some other   
   story manuscript.   
   >    
   >    
   >    
   > Yeah, there's that.   
   >    
   > I have a bad case of Squirrel!!!  I mean, um, being distractable.   
   >    
   > So the answer might be training myself to write very very fast, to get past   
   the point where, Oooooh, Shiny!  I mean, get as much possible done while the   
   enthusiasm for a new idea lasts.   
   >    
   >    
   >    
   > But that's just part of it.   
   >    
   >    
   >    
   > I have lots of half started projects and since I like most of them I   
   probably don't want to abandon them because they've got *something* compelling   
   about them, right?  And since the idea is to pick something and work on it   
   until the end... how do    
   people pick what to work on?   
   >    
   >    
   >    
   > Because I know that writers usually have a gazillion ideas at any given time   
   and even people with no "Squirrel!" problem still have to pick and choose   
   between them and decide what to spend time on.   
   >    
   >    
   >    
   > I was wondering if anyone had a method that was objective enough to   
   hopefully avoid the "Er, this story is a stinker, why am I not working on that   
   other one?" problem.   
   >    
   >    
   >    
   > What sort of criteria do you go by?   
   >    
   >    
   I just saw this and have the same problem.   
   Logically I suppose I go for the one most likely to make me money- because I'm   
   a kids' writer a book for kids is more likely to get sold than one for adults   
   ( which is why two of the books I want to revise are adult books and always   
   slipping to the    
   bottom of the pile.)   
   Currently I am also looking at the ones that need less work.  ( just did a   
   list which is too dull for anyone else to read but in deciding what was wrong   
   with them and how much work they need have just come up with a schedule.)     
   So my new advice is to list everything you have going on, the time you   
   estimate it will take to finish them ( ie how much needs doing) rank by almost   
   readiness then re rank those that even if finished will never sell/ give you   
   satisfaction/whatever you    
   care about most. Whatever is left at the top of the list, write.   
   Nicky (YMMV)   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)