Do I Write One Novel at a Time?

Do I work on one novel at a time? Well, the answer is no.

I usually have two crime novels on the go, although they’re at different stages of development. This is how I’ve developed my own writing system, helping me maintain a rhythm and keep the ideas flowing.

Two novels at different stages

When I start a new novel, I write the first draft as quickly as I possibly can. It usually takes me about three months.

Once the first draft is complete, I move on to the revisions. I’ll usually work through five or six revisions, by which stage the novel is in good shape, but there’s still more work to be done.

That’s when I put it aside and start working on another novel.

I follow a similar process with the second book, writing the first draft and then working through the revisions until I reach around revision five or six. Then I put that one aside and return to the first novel, where I can begin the final revisions.

Giving a novel some breathing space

Putting a manuscript aside for a while gives me a little distance from it. When I return to it, I can look at it with fresh eyes and often see things I might have missed when I was immersed in the writing and earlier revisions.

It also means I’m not continually working on the same story for months on end. Switching between novels at different stages gives me a change of focus while keeping the writing moving forward.

Thinking ahead

While I’m working on these two novels, I’m also thinking about ideas and plots for another.

Ideas can come at any time, and I like to give them space to develop. I may not be ready to start writing that next novel, but I can begin thinking about characters, situations and possible storylines.

By the time I’m ready to start, I may already have some ideas taking shape.

Keeping the rhythm going

This approach allows me to keep writing without having to finish every last detail of one novel before beginning the next. It gives me a balance between drafting, revising and thinking about future stories.

Of course, every writer has their own way of working. Some prefer to concentrate on one book from beginning to end, while others work on several projects at once.

For me, having two novels at different stages, while thinking ahead to another, is what works.

It helps me maintain the rhythm of writing and, most importantly, keeps the ideas flowing.

That’s my writing system.

You can see more of my Author Insights My Writing System on my YouTube Channel