too many ideas? - Writers Forum

fadeintoyou · 03-05-2006, 04:04 PM

I have a problem with having too many ideas. I have a whole binder filled with ideas and plotlines and potentially great novels. I'm torn between which one I want to pursue. I already wrote about 18,000 words towards a novel and haven't touched it in over a year now. Writing is so time consuming and I don't want to waste time on a story that isn't even going to be interesting. I guess that's my biggest fear - to spend months working on something to realize it's crap.

I'm writing about 4 novels simultaneously now. (which is driving me a little nutty)

Any advice on how to move past my fears and just write?

AshBeanNun · 03-05-2006, 04:30 PM

Well, it might help if you tried concentrating on one thing at a time. For example, your biggest or most completed project: reread it, refresh the plot and where it's headed, and continue writing in that vein. Unless your binder is snitched or consumed by flames, the other ideas aren't going anywhere, so you can take your time.

Writing should be fun, so don't worry about the quality of the finished product on the get-go. Once you have the finished product, after the scribbling and editing and all that jazz, the only real test of its quality is if you're satisfied with it. Having a fear of dissatisfaction will shoot you in the foot before you start running.

simon woodhouse · 03-05-2006, 05:31 PM

Why not combine two or three of your favourite ideas into one novel, that's what I do. This keeps me interested in writing, as there's more than one idea to use, and I hope makes it interesting to read too.

If you think about the story long enough before you start writing it, you should be able to get some sort of idea as to whether it's going to be any good or not.

Though I've never tried writing more than one novel at a time, I can imagine it would be a nightmare. I would get all the themes jumbled up and probably come out with four variations of the same story.

CZ · 03-05-2006, 05:33 PM

I mold about 90% of the new ideas I get into fitting my novel. The other 10% goes into a graveyard file. I don't write anything outside my novel except nonfiction.

I think it's really a matter of self-discipline. I'd love to write some of the ideas I get into short stories or other novels, but honestly, ideas can be a dime a dozen, whereas the actual process of writing takes quite awhile. When I shelve the ideas I simply cannot do, they stay shelved, period, so that I don't waste time on a project other than my book or what I write for the newspapers or in my freelance work.

Titania · 03-05-2006, 05:39 PM

I kind of agree with simon; I tend to have more than one story going at a time, but recently I've been forcing myself to focus on two in particular, and I find that I end up working some of my favorite ideas from others into the two main ones.

And definitely try not to worry about whether or not what you're writing is any good. Just write, and let the creative juices flow

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