The written word holds a power both bewitching and dread. The right words can topple kingdoms, grant immortality—even change the course of the world. Join me in The Laboratory as I delve into the foundations and principles of writing, from developing ideas and crafting an authorial voice to caring for yourself and building your community as a writer. New episodes are released every other Wednesday. Pull up a chair and settle in amongst the bubbling brews and frothing phials of the writer’s craft.
The Great Juggling Writer: How to Manage Multiple Writing Projects
As creatives we often worry about having enough to say and getting stuck for ideas. But, on the other end of the spectrum of writerly lament, is the fact that our minds are often alight with too many ideas to comfortably fit into one lifetime.
It can be a good problem to have, if you can wrangle them all and tune out the noise, but too often it can get us stuck, frozen in place and unsure of what we should devote ourselves to in a set spate of time. Having too many projects on the go can start to look alarmingly similar to the existential dread we face on the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to the creative process.
So how do we orient ourselves and decide between so many glittering treasures? In today’s episode we tackle the age-old question of how to handle multiple writing projects.
Worldbuilding: The Case for a Compendium
Worldbuilding is, perhaps fittingly, a massive, all-encompassing topic that’s easy to get lost in. When you have a world’s worth of detail to develop, it’s hard to tell, not only where to start, but also where to stop so you can shift focus to your actual story. For some writers, developing a setting might even be the end goal. Regardless of why you’re embarking on the endeavor, at some point you’ll likely find yourself asking the question “How do I keep everything organized?”
Enter: the compendium.
Outlines: The Road Map for Your Work
Starting with the structure of your work can not only strengthen your writing, it can also save you lots of time and effort down the road. But where should you organize all of your ideas? This week we’ll be looking into writing outlines.
Writing Fundamentals: Structure for Longevity
In the first of a series on the fundamentals of writing, we’ll be looking at building writing structures that stand against the sands of time.