My problem is too many ideas, and lack of discipline. Unless I compete a short story within a fairly brief timeframe I become eager to develop a new idea rather than stick to completing and editing the current work. Its bad enough with short stories but I'm dreading starting a novel - every idea is more worthy of my attention than the last because its new and exciting. How do you kerb the idea to jump on new projects?
I join you with my similar butterfly brain: But doesn't it terrify you that you might lose a good idea because you could not break off finishing something else first?
I find that ploughing on with a project when I feel the pulled of a new idea doesn't help me. I just get frustrated and start to feel 'uncreative' and it becomes more like a work-work. So, although I have managed to finish one or two projects, this was driven by deadlines imposed by a writing course.
I suspect my writing is better if I juggle several balls at once. This seems to give my aged brain the time to generate new ideas for my 'open' projects so I go back to them with a fresh approach.
I agree with Rosie-deadlines focus you-but acceptance letters don't come very often and idea do.
You are making me laugh. That's my problem too. But recently I've done what Paul suggested and started writing every day and I'm now trying to make sure the 'next' novel I start is the one I am burning to write, so I'm taking my time in planning it. Also I've started a writer's group so I have a deadline every month, with people expecting new work from me. Don't know about you but I get to a stage where I hit a wall with a story and that's when I start looking around for something else to do. I have about four novels that I've started and got to about chapter ten with and not finished. I've tried lots of ways to conquer this - lol I even took up running believe it or not cos someone said it would show me that I could keep going when things were tough. But I think that is the answer, day after day, don't go over what you wrote before just plough on and keep going even if you think you are writing rubbish until you have a finished product. Someone also told me recently to write three chapters and a synopsis and send it off to a publisher - that would give you a deadline if they accepted it (liked THAT suggestion!). Thing is we are just avoiding the hard bit......
Hi Dan,
I suffer the same problem mate, I start something then jump to something else then something catches my attention and I start to think of other ideas for other stories, for me what I realised was that other things were getting in the way as it were. So I'd start some writing but then get pulled away by work or social life or something like that and by the time I got back to writing the original story I had started something else.
Some of the others have suggested what I'm going to say and that possibly schedule some time to writing every day. That helps to focus the attention on getting the writing done and hopefully would give you a good enough stint that the story would progress. Dont ignore the other ideas though, they could be a great story so I tend to jot down all my ideas for other stories but return to my original story, that way there is a slight relief that I havent lost those thoughts completely.
Also I know it feels like a bit of a pain but think how great is it that you are having all these ideas?
Hope that has helped and best of luck,
Paul