Stop starting a million WIPs.

I am serious. Please. Do not do that. Do not start a million WIPs.

Why? Because then you won’t get any of them done. And why is that? Because you’ll lose motivation, get distracted, and hop on to the next thing, leaving a trail of heartbreak in your wake.

I have 131 stories on Archive of Our Own and have written over 2 million words of fiction. Two. Million. Words.

Don’t believe me? Look.

And then there’s more that is not accounted for here: Poesy (109k), Perseity (109k), 9 Years Yearning (31k), Pride Before a Fall (51k), Funeral of Hopes (59k), and What Is Cannot Be Unwritten (60k). So, all told, I have over 2.12 million words under my belt.

Are they all perfect? No, of course not, especially the older stuff. But is it done? Yep.

And I did that by doing each project one at a time.

If I get another story idea while I’m in the middle of another story, I write a note in my WIP list, but I don’t start it. Only when I’m letting a story “rest” before editing do I start outlining another book, but I still don’t start. I wait until I’ve finished one entire project before I do another one.

Your brain does not actually multitask. Our brains aren’t wired to do that. This article from Forbes explains:

Multitasking, as we understand it, is largely a myth. While the concept of doing more in less time seems appealing, the fact remains that only a minuscule 2.5% of the population may possess the rare ability to juggle tasks effectively. The term ‘multitasking’ itself, coined by IBM in the 1960s, was never intended to describe a human capability but was rather a function of computers— machines that do not have the cognitive constraints of humans.

You are highly unlikely to be part of that 2.5%, even if you think you are. I’m not, and you’re probably not either.

What you are really doing is task switching. Take it from the software management program Asana:

Multitasking is actually task switching in disguise. When you try to do two things at once—like checking your email during a meeting—you’re actually jumping between those two tasks at lightning speed. Task switching takes precious mental effort, meaning you’re likely to make more errors and get less done. In this article, we address common multitasking myths and what to do instead.

That article from Forbes elaborates:

When we attempt to multitask, what we’re really engaging in is task switching. Each switch may seem instantaneous and effortless, but it’s far from it. The transition from one task to another involves significant cognitive effort, causing mental and physical fatigue, reduced task performance, and a loss of concentration — a phenomenon known as the switch cost effect, according to ABLE, a knowledge acquisition and productivity app. This switch cost effect has profound implications for our mental health and work output. Multitasking temporarily increases stress levels which raises blood pressure and heart rate. Multitasking is also associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety, according to Lifespan Healthcare.

And it is even worse when you are hopping from one WIP to another, essentially changing contexts.

Pleexy, another task automation company, continues by discussing ‘context switching’:

Context switching means moving between separate, unrelated tasks. The term originally comes from the field of computer science, but it’s also commonly applied to the cognitive tasks we perform.

While classic multitasking involves doing more than one task simultaneously, context switching occurs when you abandon your current task and move on to another task without completing the first.

This rapid succession of unfinished tasks makes it impossible to get anything done. It not only robs us of our time but also curbs our ability to focus in a digital age where we need it the most. Context switching is particularly destructive because it takes a lot of time and effort to pick up where you left off and get back in the zone.

Every time you stop working on one WIP, you are switching contexts and pulling yourself out of the world you have created, jumping into another. Now your brain is struggling to reorient itself, and it’s not going to do its best work.

“But I love writing different WIPs and I get some of them done!”

I am sure you do, but is it your best effort? Would you have been able to write faster, more coherently, better, if you had only worked on one? Probably. And don’t you want to do your best?

“But I have ideas and if I don’t do them right now I’ll forget them!”

Then write them down. I have a whole WIP list of things I am intending to write later. Make a notepad document, a spreadsheet, whatever, for your different WIPs.

When you think of something interesting for that project, put down a small note underneath it, but don’t start writing! Your brain will let it marinate and when you’re done with your current project, you’ll have a better idea of what to do with it.

I like to visualize things before bed, so a lot of the time, I will use that visualization for a different project as my way to calm down, but I’m not devoting too much attention to it before I’m ready to work. I’ve got some scenes and images that I have daydreamed about, but I haven’t drawn attention away from my current WIP by actually beginning to write.

This way, I can devote all of my brainpower to my current project while reserving a little bit of attention and aspiration for the next one. I also avoid writer’s block because I have my next WIP lined up, waiting for me, and I can transition to it almost immediately.

Generally, I don’t go more than a few days without starting a new project (after completing one!) because I am prepared for it: I can give it my full attention. There’s no sitting around and waiting for inspiration.

“But I have so much inspiration for this project and want to start right away!”

Something I am learning as a writer is delayed gratification. I am an impulsive person and I want to jump into things right away, but then I get disappointed with the results. For example, I released 9 Years Yearning before commissioning a really good cover. I regretted that and commissioned the cover for Pride Before a Fall before finishing it.

By waiting, you get a better payoff.

I’ve got four different projects waiting to be released and one waiting for serious revisions. They are all finished, but they’re not polished. It would be very easy for me to spend a few hours formatting them and then just throw them up, but I won’t get the best payoff then.

Instead, I’ll wait for a break between projects before turning back to them and fixing them up, giving them all my attention. Yes, it means I only release two books a year, but it also means I release my best work.

Writing is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. It’s okay to give your projects a break.

By letting my stories rest, sometimes for entire months, I can come back to them with fresh eyes and make sure they’re perfect. The same is true of your WIPs. Let them sit and marinate for a while.

How to avoid having a billion WIPs:

• Make a list of future WIPs. Put it in one document. Add things as you think about them.
• Put this list of WIPs away and ignore it.
• Allow yourself to get some writer’s block if you’re struggling with your current project. Writer’s block is okay sometimes. Don’t use writer’s block as permission to start something else.
• Put reminders up that tell you not to start things. I like the phrase “bird by bird” which I got from the eponymous book by Anne Lamott (which is really good writing advice).
• Read up on task switching and the myth of multitasking to show why having a million WIPs doesn’t work.
• Interrogate yourself. When you have a bunch of WIPs, do you actually get any of them done? Be realistic and ruthless with yourself.
• Look back at how many WIPs you have in storage. Identify your WIP completion rate. It’s probably lower than you think.
• Read about the writing habits of other writers. You’ll find most successful writers do not have a ton of different projects at once. They also go one at a time.

“No I’m going to write a million WIPs anyway! You don’t know me!”

Okay, then go for it. You’re not obligated to take my advice. I can only tell you that the science – and my personal experience – says that’s not a good idea.

Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter to me if you continue to stop and start a gazillion different projects and get none of them done. That’s your problem, not mine.

But I’d rather you be able to finish something you’re proud of, because then you’re growing as a writer, and I always encourage personal growth.