Too Many Ideas?
Have you ever found yourself in this predicament? You want to write or create something and you find yourself with - too many ideas? What? Too many ideas! How is that possible?
If you are a writer, you have probably heard of the term "writer's block" - a condition that cripples the writer into producing nothing but a blank page. Well, sometimes, I have the opposite problem - too many ideas - that often produces the same result. I have so much to write about, I don't know which idea to start with, so I just...don't. I hem, I haw, I conduct research for yet another idea, but I don't actually write.
Such is my problem now. I have so many ideas for stories in my head, I just don't know which one to concentrate on first. The next installment in Dante's story. The series about the shapeshifters and the empath fighting a sinister Institute intent on exploiting them. The YA story about the plain girl in love with the popular boy next door. Oh, a nice Regency love story a la Jane Austen sounds good right about now, too...
See my dilemma? And now, with the advent of NaNo, the pressure to produce words has only increased. What do I do now? Somebody help me!
No, seriously, if you have any advice for me, please comment! And now, write.
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4 Moonbeams (comments):
Hey Margay!
I too am always loaded with too many ideas. Here's how I clear out my head:
First, I start with a new document and put down about as much of the story as I can - it doesn't need to be the "full" story, but I map out as much as I can. Give it some title so I can distinguish it from the other stories floating around on my drive and in my brain.
I do this for each story. Then, when I have all of my ideas down, my brain is clear to focus on just 1 of the other stories.
Unfortunately, the characters choose when I get the "inspiration" or the next "installment" to their life histories, lol!
Margay, boy oh boy, have I ever had this problem! I follow the same pattern as Carrie. I can't say it always works either. The only other thing I find that does help is I will chat with someone about the thoughts in my head. Usually some comment they make will snag in my head and set the ball to rolling on ONE story in particular.
I'm sucking at NaNo right now. Only about 3,000 words and I've lost the flavor for my story. *shrugs* I think it's because Muse only wants to write on The Road to Hell series and no other idea. That can be just as big of a hindrance too when you need to focus on other projects, like two unedited, but completed books! *glares at Muse*
Good luck, Margay, and let us know if you break through your "writer's block". If you want to chat about a story or two just to get the juices flowing in one direction or another, you know where to email me!
~huggles~
Gracen
Thanks, C & G, these are great ideas! I think the dilemma is when each new idea gets you so excited, you want to work on it right away - and you don't know which one to do first!
Oh, I just thought of something! Maybe I could set up a schedule for myself in which I work a little bit of each idea for a certain period of time a day - one hour for idea one, one hour for idea two, etc. Hhmmm....might have to try that out!
Margay
That might work for you! Let me know how it goes. I wish I could choose which stories I get ideas for, but oh well. I'm ruled by the men in my head, and not the other way around, lol!
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