Multiple Works in Progress: How to Juggle More Than One Story Without Losing Your Mind
If you have multiple works in progress, you are not broken, scattered, or “bad at finishing.” You are a writer with a creative brain that does not always move in a straight line. And honestly, straight lines are boring anyway.
Some writers thrive in a one-project tunnel. Others do better with a few open doors. The trick is not forcing yourself into someone else’s process. The trick is building a process that keeps you moving forward, even when your ideas are doing the cha-cha.
Why Writers End Up With Multiple Projects Going
There are a few common reasons writers land in the land of multiple works in progress. None of them are moral failures. They are usually just normal human-brain things.
1) Your brain craves variety
Working on one story for months can start to feel like eating the same meal every day. Even if you love it, eventually you want a different flavor. Switching projects can refresh your creativity so you return to your main story with better energy.
2) Different projects match different moods
Some days you can handle deep emotional scenes. Other days you can only manage a light draft, a blog post, or a revision pass. If you have options, you can still write on low-energy days instead of spiraling into guilt.
3) New ideas do not wait politely
Ideas show up when they show up. Capturing them does not mean you are betraying your main project. It means you are paying attention to your creative instincts.
A Personal Note: The Moment I Finally Gave In
I have been working on my YA novel Consanguinity for what feels like forever. I have started, stopped, rewritten, and deleted more times than I care to admit. It has been the project I keep returning to, even when it fights me.
Then one day, while I was typing away, another story popped into my head. I jotted down a few notes and hoped it would go away.
It did not.
It got louder. Much louder. The idea basically stood on my mental doorstep shouting, “Write me now.”
I resisted because I did not think I had enough focus to handle multiple works in progress. I have always been in awe of writers who can do that. It felt like a superpower other people were born with, and I was not.
Then I thought of one of my favorite authors, Christine Pope. She is known for paranormal fiction, but she also released a totally different book under the name Carrie Patterson: The Trouble with Tulips. Different lane, same writer, both thriving. That blew my mind in the best way.
So I finally gave in and started writing the new story.
Here is the twist. I realized I was not truly splitting my focus. When I work on one project, another part of my brain quietly works on the other. Plot knots loosen. Character choices sharpen. Solutions show up when I come back. Instead of hurting my writing, keeping multiple works in progress is making me a stronger writer.
The Hidden Benefits of Multiple Works in Progress
When managed well, multiple works in progress can become a strength, not a stressor.
- Less pressure: If one project stalls, you still have forward motion somewhere.
- Creative cross-pollination: A breakthrough in one story can unlock a problem in another.
- More consistent writing: You can choose the project that fits your brain on that day and still get words down.
Writing advice from long-running resources like Writer’s Digest often emphasizes sustainable habits over rigid rules. In real life, consistency matters more than pretending your brain only has one tab open.
If this helped you, you might also like: When you are juggling projects, character depth can keep you anchored. Here is my post on emotional backstory: The Importance of Creating an Emotional Backstory.
Quick next step: Save this post for later, then pick one tiny writing task you can finish today. Tiny counts.
How to Manage Multiple Works in Progress Without Chaos
The risk is not having multiple works in progress. The risk is having everything started and nothing moving. Here are simple ways to keep your projects from turning into a pile of abandoned notebooks.
1) Choose a primary project
Pick one project that gets the most energy right now. Not forever. Just for this season. Your other projects can still exist, but they are not competing for the same top spot.
2) Create a rotation system
Rotate by day or by mood. For example:
- Deep focus days: drafting your novel
- Light days: blog posts, scene edits, brainstorming
- Reset days: outlining, research, or polishing
This way, your brain gets variety, but you still have structure.
3) Keep a simple “next step” list
For each project, write one next step that is so small it feels almost silly. Examples: “Write 200 words,” “fix one paragraph,” “name the new character,” or “outline the next scene.” When you return to a project, you will not waste time figuring out where you left off.
4) Finish small things on purpose
Even if your novel is a long-haul project, finishing something regularly trains your brain to trust you. Finish a blog post. Finish a chapter revision. Finish a short scene. Completion is a muscle.
Final Encouragement
If you are balancing multiple works in progress, you are not behind. You are building a body of work. You are learning what your creative mind needs to stay alive and producing.
And if you are worried you will never finish anything, start small. Choose a primary project, give your side projects a safe container, and keep taking the next tiny step. Over time, tiny steps turn into finished books.
Yes, your stories might still shout “write me now.” But with a little structure, you can be the kind of writer who answers without dropping everything else on the floor. That is the real superpower of multiple works in progress.
