How Many Is Too Many?

I write more than one story at a time, but never post more than one story at a time. I think it's better for my readers to focus on one story, especially as I have a group of loyal readers who always read my stuff. I think it would be harder for them if they were reading two or three.

However, I'm always working on more. At last count, I was working on between eighteen to twenty xD I don't know how I do it, but I just seem to work better when I have loads on the go.

I'm writing three right now, and it's really difficult for me. I just can't remember what happened last in which story or what the next chapter's emotion is meant to be.

Everyone is going to LOVE to hear these stats on me XD

As of right now I have 5 chaptered stories on the go (three posted two are just on the computer for now)

and 9 one shots saved on my computer, all uncompleted.

I probably have more unfinished stories lying around if I go through a couple of folders.

I like having lots on the go, sure sometimes it's harder to update the stories I have posted but it keeps me busy and it's great, if I'm uninspired about a certain story I can just move on and work on something different.

I have something like... 18 stories going.
All updated at different paces.

I'm bringing this thread back from the dead

I have a bunch of stories on the go. I have my NaNo story which I like to proof read in the middle of the night and then two other stories that I have actually posted on Mibba and I try to update regularly, then I also have one full length story I'm writing on my computer and another that I'm plotting out and planning to write. Then I have a prompt a day that I like to do and write though I never finish those and the contest entries that I always seem to be swamped with.

So I have probably anywhere from four to twenty stories on the go at any given time, right now I have probably eleven or twelve. I'm nutty in that way, but it always gives me something to work on.

I've got 3 chaptered stories posted on here that I update in random spurts. Then I have around 5-ish chaptered ones that aren't posted, but they have the first chapter done. I haven't posted them 'cause I know I'll forget about them.

I have a terrible habit of outlining/starting another story when I'm in the middle of another one, so I suck at updating consistently. The more story ideas I'm juggling with, the more stress it puts on.

I don't think there can ever be 'too many'. A lot of users who have a whole library (lol) of stories, well, most of them are one shots or short stories and stuff like that.
I don't think it matters.

I agree with the 'quality over quantity' thing. It's not about how many stories somebody has, but how good they are, to any individual.
But in saying that, I don't think having lots and lots of one-shots is too bad. Having a lot of uncompleted chaptered fictions is too much. Yeah, if you can keep updating them every 3-7 days, then it's okay. But if people aren't able to update them regularly, it gets a bit too much. I'm even guilty of not updating regularly.

I honestly don't know. I think you shouldn't judge a person for having too many or too few stories but at the same time if you want to only have that few or you want to have a bunch I think you should be welcome to it. And sometimes quantity has nothing to do with not updating. I can testify to it since no matter how many stories I have I usually have real life things to do that steal my attention as well.

I have a lot of unfinished chaptereds mostly because I can't have time to finish them. I've got lots of oneshots/shorts because those are the ones that I like to write the most. I start a lot of new ideas, though, and that sort of bites me in the ass later on because I'll have nine unfinished chaptered stories and people who want to read them all

I have heaps of stories up but I feel bad if I delete some. Cuz they're popular and stuff and I feel bad.

You can never have enough finished stories. I think if you have more than ten unfinished ones then there may be a problem. At that point you should organize them by size and start with the story that has the least amount of chapters and begin finishing them or at least working on them. That way they aren't rotting in your stories and taking up space.

Love Me Softly:

You can never have enough finished stories. I think if you have more than ten unfinished ones then there may be a problem. At that point you should organize them by size and start with the story that has the least amount of chapters and begin finishing them or at least working on them. That way they aren't rotting in your stories and taking up space.

I'm going to disagree with this, because I have a tendency to start chaptered stories and lose interest in them, mostly because my continuity sucks. I have one story that's not a one shot or drabble, which is completed. I have like ten stories I started and lost interest in.

I had about 44 stories at one point, but have shortened it to the current 19 that I have now c:

I think I have like, 16 projects right now xD It's the most I've ever had. When I get writers block on one I just go to another one and work on it for a while.

^ That's exactly what I do.

Personally, I feel like it depends on how you work. Me personally, I have to have my hands in a lot of different projects at one time, and sometimes that ends up coming back to bite me in the ass, but I've found that I get my best work done when I have a lot of options. I can't focus on solely one story because my attention span is too short. I'd lose interest, and the updates would be completely dry. I have to keep things in rotation and sort of update on a whim. For instance, it usually depends on my mood. If I'm in a more somber mood, I work on this story. If I'm in a more romantic mood, I work on another story.

But when I started out, I was the type to devote all of my time and attention to one project because adding more onto that would stress me out, but over time, my tendencies have changed, so I can sort of see from both sides of the coin.

I have to have a lot of stories to keep me occupied, but if I have too many, then I get writer's block with some and not others. Currently I have two stories on hiatus, three active stories and a few group writes. Group writes are easy to be involved in because you don't update frequently, but the three active stories I have on are enough for me to update frequently (well, as frequently as I can) and not lose interest in them.

I think I'd be the type to have 2-3 ongoing stories at once if I didn't have so many group writes I think when you hit about 10 in the solo department you might be overextending yourself.

I'm no one to judge because I generally have at least twenty different oneshots in progress at any given time, but at the same time, it's probably not the best idea to have a ton of different chaptered fics going on at once, especially if you're someone who updates on a schedule. That's cool if that's how you're most productive, but to me, it seems like there would be too much pressure and it would be too stressful.

I have to have a million different Word docs because if I get stuck on one piece, I can jump to another and work on that one until I get stuck and then jump to something else

Now that all my group writes are done, I really just like to have one story to work on at a time. I'm the type that likes to just pick one story and focus on it until I get it finished. I've found that I don't really get distracted by a bunch of ideas anymore, and I'm able to sit down and actually work on one thing without being all over the place. It must be my old age

I just really like the ease that only working on one story comes with. I don't get different ideas mixed up. I don't have to go back and re-read things to remember what had happened or see if I'm getting things confused. I'm able to get in the mindset of a few characters instead of a bunch across many different stories, and that makes it easier to sit down and write.