Thursday, April 8, 2010

Too many ideas

Since I started my first draft a week ago, I’ve changed much of my plot that I spent weeks perfecting. I’ve also had a great idea for a different book. Although, I have to admit that many ideas sound great in my head but aren’t as great when I get them on paper. I’m ready to start plotting this one to find out. I’ve also had an idea about how to revise a book I wrote several years ago.

I’m resisting all my urges to push this work in progress aside to work on something else, and I’m still on track with 1,000 words a day! I just need to stick with it.

Why is it that you get a great idea for a different book when you’ve just started a first draft? Is it because the creative juices are flowing? Is it because I’m so good at procrastinating that I don’t even realize I’m doing it?

14 comments:

  1. Love it. You can do it! Push through the words and by the time you know it you will be finished.

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  2. Good job on your 1000 words a day! I know what you mean about coming up with strong ideas while already working on something else. My good ideas usually come when I'm trying to press through the hard parts of my current WIP. Never fails!

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  3. Sometimes, it's necessary to step a way from a work. Let it sit. It's amazing how fresh it looks when you return

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  4. I am so happy that you are keeping up with your word count. I've had that happen too-- I start with one and get ideas for another.Stash them away for the next one:)

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  5. That's a great cartoon!

    When I'm bombarded with other story ideas, I open a new document, write a wicked fast synopsis, pouring out whatever ideas are bottlenecked in brain.

    This seems to be cathartic. Once I get it all out on paper, I lose the sense of panic that I won't be able to remember it when I have time to get back to it, and I can relax and focus on my original project. I save the document in my "Maybe Someday" file.

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  6. Better to have more than one idea brewing than none it all. I hear you, though. I hate it when a new idea keeps bugging me while I'm working on an existing project. Love the little cartoon. It's the story of my life. :)

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  7. First yay 1K a day! That's the same number I strive for. Next, don't stop your WIP! Let the other idea percolate and write down a thing or two, but other ideas will always be there trying to woo you away from whatever you're working on. Have a great weekend!

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  8. Don't set this one aside!! You're right, we always get great ideas for the next book when we're in the middle of writing or revising. The ideas will wait!

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  9. That seems to happen to me a lot! I just try to get the thoughts down in a new document, get them out of my head, and then keep plugging away with that WIP I'm working on now.

    P.S. I'm glad I'm not the only one who forgets how old I am! At least you overestimated! :)

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  10. Isn't like totally the nature of the beast that you get your best ideas when you are knee deep in another project??? Glad I am not alone.

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  11. Keep plugging away on your current book until it's done. You can always take notes on future books and work on those later. If you get stuck in the current book, move forward to a scene that happens much later in the book. Sometimes doing that will jumpstart your creativity!

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  12. i'd love to know the answer to this, so when you figure it out, let me know! i always get another idea when i start something. always. :)

    jeannie
    The Character Therapist

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  13. Good job on the daily word count! I'm a HUGE procrastinator. But not just that--my best stuff comes under pressure. I was fairly consistent in writing on this last book, where I had almost a year to complete it (vs the usual 6 months). I ended up scrapping and rewriting the first 1/3 three different times. So sometimes we procrastinators just need to embrace our "gift." ; )

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  14. I push partial works aside all the time to work on something else. I think it is probably best to finish one to move on to another, but at the same time, I have lost ideas b/c I didn't jump on them right away and at least put the basic gist down on paper.

    Could be a number of things that cause us to jump from one work to another - procrastination, lack of commitment, etc. But I figure that in 2 years I'll come out with 15 books at once! (Just kidding).

    Linked here from Bookingit (Jessica's blog).

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