That’s a question I’ve been asking myself lately.  I’m working on a new novel, which focuses on a brother/sister relationship, a piano prodigy, a schizophrenic mother, a guilt-ridden father, a conniving committee, and who knows what else before it’s all done. Keeps me up at night thinking about what bad things might happen to characters I love. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I’d also like to write a sequel to “I Am the Gratest,” and would also like to — need to — revise my previous novel, the one I alternatively call “Displaced” or “1946: A Novel.”  How do I create enough time in the day to do all that and maintain my career as a lawyer?

The question itself suggests the obvious answer, i.e., if it’s clear that too many things are on the burners, move some of them off for a while.  Yet, it’s not that simple.  The creative urge cannot be easily chopped into pieces such that some of them are ignored while the rest get to play.  So I will accept that I have an inner need to pursue a lot of projects simultaneously.  I will tell myself that it’s not healthy to fight that inner need.  With luck, the projects will emerge when and as they can.