Byron FG asked Josh Lanyon:

How deep do you get into any one set of characters while you are writing? I guess I am asking do you find it easier to concentrate on one story and set of characters for an extended time, a few days or weeks? Or do you find yourself shifting between books and series as a way of keeping your mind open and avoiding blocks?

Josh Lanyon Hi Byron,

Thanks for the question!

In the initial stages of writing--when I'm still half-dreaming-half-plotting, I can, and do, jump between projects.

If I know I'm going to be working on a trilogy or a series, I like to take a lot of time thinking about the characters, figuring out their backgrounds and sketching out a lot of the little details. This is one of the most fun parts of the creative process. It's the stage where I do a lot of jumping between projects.

Eventually, inevitably, when I'm starting to write for real, my focus narrows to the current project and that's all I can think about. That's the stage where any interruption makes me want to kill. :-D

Once in a while though, I do feel a need to get some distance between me and a manuscript, and that's when I'll often jump back to tinkering with the notes and characters of another project. It's a great palate cleanser, but it also keeps me in that creative state of mind.

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