Too many ideas

I feel overwhelmed because there are endless directions I can go with my book. There are thousands of cases of human trafficking, serial killers, SRA, and thousands of sexual abuse and sexual harassment cases, especially in (((Hollyweird)))/Babylon. I am not a planner more of a pantser. Should I just go with the flow and perhaps write a series instead of cramming it into one book? How creative must I be to turn headlines into a fictional thriller book? Sorry for repeating an old thread I posted!

 

You're thinking too much. Just sit down at your computer and start typing. It will come to you.

 

alsov I hope I can properly develop an a and b plot

 

It sounds like you may be better off planning some kind of serial. Like make a story summary for each type of crime you could go with. Then maybe a couple of these could be combined, and others saved for a sequel.

 

I'd plan a series. When I started writing my mystery novels, it quickly became apparent that I could not use the crime I'd planed on in the first book. It required an emotional connection to the characters which would need to be developed over time.
Moving back to square one, I began to carefully plan each of the crimes the books would center around. It was not easy to pick, but I chose those I thought would have the greatest impact on the reader. Crimes that would cause them to think about the world around them.
Best of luck with your writing and I hope this is helpful.

 

I have this problem as well. I generally go about it by seeing if I can work these new directions into some underdeveloped characters I'm working on, or even entirely new ones, if they fit. Sometimes, I decide I like the new direction better, and alter the entire story with it in mind. A lot of the time, though, I'll play with the idea, knowing it doesn't fit and I shouldn't try to make it fit, and get satisfied by the imagined story that comes out of it, before tossing it to the side to focus on the main show.

I'm not sure how viable this is for a professional thing, I'm just a filthy casual.

 

It sounds like you already know the answer; it's a series.

So now, it comes down to moving things forward! Start creating the beautiful disaster that will transform into a functioning series.

Being a pantser can work in your favor, as long as you're willing to adapt as the story unfolds.

You've got a plethora of ideas pouring from your gray matter! Not a bad problem to have.

Start writing, and see where you end up.

I look forward to reading some of your work!

 

I think the next book should be focused on Henry Lee Lucus, Otis Toole, and Becky Powell(The Hands of Death). The Book will be called SUMMER HARVEST and it begins with Henry Ray Wayne (Lucus) working on a mushroom farm after his release from prison for murder then he is fired for attempted rape, prompting him to drift and be on the lamb. Eventually, He goes to a soup kitchen in Georgia where he would meet his future partner in crime and red-neck lover Tommy Lee Cyrus (Toole) and his 17-year-old niece and future wife Annabelle. The three would travel across the United States leaving a trail of dead bodies wherever they go. The characters would also be inspired by the Toybox killers(a gang of murders who torture, rape, and kill alcoholic women)

 

If you're having difficulty picking between options, then I'd spend more time working out exactly what you are looking for. Set out some specific criteria, write them down even, figure out what you feel are the most important questions are that might differentiate between your options and then it may be much easier to evaluate which one or ones are best. I've found making this kind of decision often it's hard because you are kind of considering everything at once, and all the options will have pros and cons that can leave you feeling paralysed by not wanting to commit, but if you sit down and break it down into the essential differences it's much easier to process.
Consider both what would actually fit for your story (do the details of the case conflict with any of the ideas you already have about plot and setting? is it the right length of time occupied and complexity involved to fit the amount of space you have in your story for it? does it bring up people or issues you don't want to include in your story etc.) and what you feel you most want it to be like (are there specific issues you are interested in exploring here? what kind of people do you want to be involved? where do you want characters to go and want do you them to be doing? etc.). There may be things that you like about some of your options that make you reluctant to discard them that when you think about it might make them a great choice for some kind of story but no so much for the specific story you want to tell here.

 

I already have some crap written up but I struggle to get a review especially from someone of the horror genre. https://www.writingforums.org/threads/the-dreamer-of-the-dreams-chapters-1-3-abridged.170281/

 

Plan the book carefully before you write. The writers who prefer to 'wing it' rarely finish their work.
Plan, then plan. When you have done that plan again, then start your book.
Writing is not fun, it is hard work, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

 

Unless there's something that causes your head to explode when you've finished one book, you can just write more books, right?
Pick one thing, start writing that. If you're brimming with ideas, also start a second story. A third if you must.
If you're the kind of person who's able to work several stories at once, you can get stuff done quick, with the added bonus of possibly having a tightly woven universe, if that's something you want.

 

I don't care about that tedious pantser/plotter debate.
If you have too many ideas, focus on the ones you like the most, or that fit your goals the best. Then develop those ideas in greater detail and integrate the rest into the story or just discard them.

 

Just because you have multiple ideas doesn't mean they all need to be used in this one book or that you need to make them a series. Just because you have ideas doesn't mean you have a plot. I wouldn't recommend you start cramming things in or creating characters just to serve your ideas.

Look at your plot and your main character. And just write a one sentence summary of the main aspects of your story. Include your main character, main conflict, the stakes - a bit like a mixture between a short blurb and a tag line. This is your main plot line and that's what you focus on. Then you look at your other ideas and see which ones would enhance that story, including enhancing character motivation (more than it's just their job) and the plot. If an idea doesn't fit, put it aside for another project. But try to gather those ideas in a cohesive story and fits like a jig-saw puzzle. If a series comes out of it great, if it doesn't great - put your ideas into something different. Ideas gets scrapped in writing sometimes.

Hope this helped

 

Just be true to yourself.

Personally, I'm a planner, but that's as much of my personality as it is anything else, so I couldn't be a "winger" (Hate the word "pantser", as it casts images of a writer writing their book wearing nothing but their pants. Pants in the UK = Underwear). It's just who I am.

So yeah, be true to yourself, trust yourself and do what comes natural.