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If there’s one thing Anthoney Pate has demonstrated his abilities in aside from being a forklift driver, it’s successfully juggling multiple projects at once.
It’s basic logic for authors that the more books they publish, the higher the possibility they’d gather more followers and income. After all, as much as it’s a product of passion, writing boils down to numbers game as a career. However, multitasking is no easy feat, especially for a job that requires brain fuel to burn. For authors, finishing a single book already puts them at risk for burnout; what more if they add another or two to their pile, juggling multiple projects simultaneously?
Authors’ desire to write is undoubtedly strong, or they won’t be in the field. However, this drive is a double-edged sword. It has its rewards sandwiched between possible consequences – a situation offering highs and lows to authors.
This strong drive to write allows them to create smoothly. With inspiration coursing through their veins, finishing a book can be achieved in a breeze. Yet, at the same time, this drive often becomes so strong that they’re tempted to start another even before they’ve closed a previous chapter. This may push them to their wits’ end, causing their motivation to burn out even before finishing their work.
However, is it possible to be productive across multiple projects before the lights go out?
Hearing It From a Successful Author
Anthoney Pate is among the authors who’ve attempted to dabble between separate projects simultaneously. The author, whose most known works are “The Taco Shack Killer” and “Anthoney’s Return from Hell,” recently shared how he’s already working on his following projects – emphasis on how his next endeavor has been toward multiple projects.
After successfully finishing his two previous books, Anthoney had high hopes about his career trajectory that he wasted no time getting started on two other books. One was the third installment of his “The Taco Shack Killer” series, and the other was a new title, “Loneliness, Prostitutes, and Love.” By reading the titles alone, one can deduce that the books are entirely separate, with topics or plot points that are uniquely apart.
While a fantastic feat from the author, this fact adds to the wonder of how they could do it.
Perhaps, if these books were closely similar, it could be relatively easy to imagine juggling multiple projects simultaneously. But with two completely different plots, the complexity of the task also doubles. For one, how does he manage to jump from one title to the other without confusing himself, and two, how does he avoid falling into the dreadful pits of burnout?
One trait Anthoney Pate has always taken pride in himself was his passion for the media and writing. This may have contributed to his pace and how he continuously racked his brain for ideas. After all, passion does help power one throughout the tasks one loves.
However, is this enough?
The Truth About Juggling Multiple Projects
Most authors stick to creating a single book in a year (or more). Working across multiple projects simultaneously is simply among the most intimidating ideas for authors. There’s the arduous process of developing ideas for both stories and ensuring they don’t overlap.
Working on multiple projects can be comparable to stepping into a cage filled with numerous wild animals waiting to attack. It looks intimidating, but it’s also easy to believe that the events can be manageable only before things become erratic. Once the animals attack, the focus is always the first thing to leave, and people lose which animal they must prioritize warding off.
Such is also the case when it comes to writing. It can be easy plotting things on a calendar or having a concise idea of how to proceed. However, once authors begin writing, the drive and their ideas immediately surge through, destroying their initial plan.
Self-Control
Working on multiple projects only becomes a mess if authors allow themselves to slip up. After all, the risk of getting lost in the sea of projects and plots only exists if they get mixed up. When working on one title, authors must focus on that title alone. It can be tempting whenever an idea for the other title pops up. Some authors can’t simply let it go, scribble it down, and allow themselves to return later. Instead, when they get an idea, they want to flesh it out, leaving their previous project unattended. That isn’t how it should proceed.
Things will only get overwhelming when there’s a lack of self-control—the self-control to compartmentalize and separate multiple projects across different timelines truly. Simply because one has started to envision different books, this doesn’t mean they have to be published at the same time. Instead, authors must allow themselves to separate each book and slowly work on each other fully. They’re creating life within pages, and it’s something that can’t be rushed.
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