Yeah, but that is my problem. I can't decide which one to write.. I mean, I don't have a plot for my next idea, just a base world / idea that has huge potential, but is also in need of a definite plot... and I am more of one to want to finish what I started first before starting something else, focusing on one project at a time, so starting the next story conflicts with me in that way too. Maybe I just need to give myself some more time, another day or so, then sit down and run through my original story doing edits and what not to help me regain my focus. Thanks =)
I understand your pain and struggle as i also have literally hundreds of ideas floating around in my head and this can sometimes lead to peices being uncompleted, (i am currently seemingly working on several short stories, 3 feature lenght scripts, a novel and trying to develop a tv series (the latter is pretty much done development wise i just have to write the dang thing) although am considering just trying to sell the pitch (i have two whole seasons planned out completly) However it can also be a good thing, afetr all as a writer then inspiration is always a good thing, and you can never have too many ideas, (take a look at Pratchetts discworld series for instance, still going strong!)
You could be one of those tortured, prolific geniuses like Mozart or Frank Zappa and write and write and write all the amazing ideas that come to you and let it totally consume you and ruin all your personal relationships and leave massive amounts of unpublished work behind when you die cuz you were too busy writing to bother getting them all published. That'd be sweet.
You could start with some freewriting and see where thay takes you. It could lead you to the idea you should be focusing on. Even writers who do need to have more than one roject going do need a certain amount of focus.
Bullet points~! Bullet points! Bullet points! Bullet points~![/sing-song voice] Or a mind-map =P Mind-maps have actually been proven (ha!) to help people develop complex or sprawling ideas while still keeping a rein on things. If you're worried about the whole thing overtaking you, get a big piece of paper and map your ideas out with points to iterate the finer details. Doing this could help you figure out which direction is more realistic/appealing/dramatic/*good* I know it sounds dorkish, but give it a shot =)
A student went to his master one morning, asking why the master had not been teaching the student. "Master, why are you not teaching me lately?" The master looked at his own tea, and looked at his student's tea. The master began pouring more tea into the student's cup until it was over flowing. "Master! What are you doing? Tea is everywhere!" "You must drink all of your own tea before I can give you any more" ~~~ Do only one thing at a time.
Get a little notebook, and write down plot ideas in it: one plot per page. I generally write a short summary and possible a 'tagline' for the plot, plus any names, ideas, or dialogue snippits I think would work in it. Then I go back to working on my current WIP. When I'm finished with the story I've got, I take out the notebook and see what I want to write next. If the idea is as good as it seemed at the time, I'll write it then.
What MumblingSage says (or mumbles) makes good sense. New ideas always seem more attractive, simply because of the novelty they possess. Write them down and check back later to see if they're still any good. I know how you feel - the "wow" moment of getting a fresh idea can become addictive.
Okay so I've always been a bit over-imaginitive, if that's possible. I have quite a few ideas, but they're all so very different that I can't possibly incorporate them together into one main project. Right now I have quite a few character ideas, and I really don't want to write a million different stories at one time, because I obviously only want to focus my attention on one "project". But I have two issues with that: One is that my characters and their surroundings are so different that they simply can't interact with each other in one story, and two, I like to be in a certain "mood" when writing certain characters and stories, and these characters are so different that I wouldn't be able to get in the right mindset. I was wondering if you experience these same issues, and maybe if you had any advice for making characters work together. If not, could anyone maybe steer me in the right direction, as to what you'd personally be more interested in reading about? The ideas and random characters are as follows: -A mysterious boy with Marxist ideals, and a naive girl he meets and wants to educate, all in the midst of World War II. -A 19th century English death-obsessed undertaker who takes his job too seriously and lets it interfere with his personal life. -A vicious, thuggish young boy whose violent escapades are videotaped and broadcasted on the internet, turning him into a pop culture icon among college students who don't realise how real the violence actually is. ..So I guess that's not too many ideas, but there is no possible way I can incorporate these together. So which idea sounds the most appealing?
I mean, you should write whichever one intrigues YOU more, since you are the one who has to put in the hours working with the material. If you're looking for opinions though I like the last one the best. It's interesting and could make a good novel I think, maybe even a good YA work. But again, you are the one who will be writing it.
Thank you. I see what you mean, it's just that I could probably write any of the three stories, I'm equally as enthusiastic about each. But I do see your point as I'll be the one writing it. Just interested in hearing some opinions. And thank you for yours.
A story concept means nothing. I can tell you now, it has been done before. What matters is how you write it, the characterization, the flow, the imagery, all of it. There's no benefit in asking what other people think of the concept! They'll either say,"Sounds great," or, "it sounds like a ripoff of..." If the idea stirs you, write it. Then ask people what they think of the final story. After they tell you what they don't like about it, revise it, usually several times, until you're happy with it or until you throw up your hands and say the hell with it. Please read this thread about What is Plot Creation and Development? Write whichever one inspires you the most.
No problem I think number three is most original, and at least would be what I would be more interested in reading. But then again, I really prefer modern novels so that may be my bias.
Father-Son? Why couldn't you make the boy the sun of the undertaker? You could either do a two generation thing or I would try to move the undertaker up to the World War II era? Does that work?
Which one has the best plot evolution, the richest character development and is written with extraordinary style? That's the one I will read.
Write an anthology. Heinlein's Martian Chronicles is a good example. Make the three themes tie into one another in a time line. The undertaker story ties in to the WW11 Marxist ties into the modern day icon.
I think every author has to come to terms with the fact that he can't fit all of his ideas into a single story. The worst thing a writer can do with this is try and cram all his ideas together, to force largely unrelated topics/characters/themes/whatever together for the sake of saying what he wants to say in one sitting. My advice is to break it up, focus on the characters/plot that inspire you the most and produce the highest quality writing. I can't tell you which is best. You can always write more than one story- there's no need to toss aside all your ideas save one. What's wrong with writing them all?
Don't try to incorporate the ideas into one story. You probably already have a thread of each story in your mind and they do not readily converge. They are separate and distinct stories. They are just all vying for your attention at the same time. Did you ever watch Sesame Street when you were a kid? If so, you might remember the recurring segment of "One of these things doesn't belong here. One of these things is not the same ...". Well, in your case, that would be all of them! I have the same problem and I am quite confident most other writers do, too. I have more than a dozen story concepts in hard copy in a filing cabinet and at least a dozen more stored in my computer files. I will never be able to write them all but I will complete and market some of them. And then there is the problem of the new story ideas that keep insinuating themselves into my brain. I have probably forgotten more story concepts that jumped to the fore than I will ever be able to complete in a hundred lifetimes! But the ones about which I feel a strong passion I will make notes regarding characters, situations, and plot. I give them a working title of some sort (usually a main character's name just to start) and stuff them away for future reference. Often, when I find myself bogged down with one work, I pull something else of a different genre from the magician's hat that is my slush pile and work on that for a while. Sometimes, those stories begin to flow so well they take on lives of their own and are added to the list of first string projects. (I always have two or three projects in the works at any given time because of this personal character glitch. Currently the count is five and a couple of them are, I am certain, beginning to feel quite neglected!) I would say, as Cogito suggested previously, find the one you are most passionate about. Focus on that, then take the other story ideas and file them away for future reference. And don't live and die by someone else's impression of your story ideas. No one else knows how you percieve the story playing out. No one else knows what your concept for any given storyline may be. Everyone here may see each of these story ideas completely different from you and each other and everyone will think this or that one is the best for totally different reasons. Follow your own passion not someone else's!
Thank you so much everyone. I will probably end up writing 3 different stories, but that will help me see which one I am most inspired by, and the most interested in. You've all helped
If this is a little too silly or nonsensical for you, please, don't waste your time. That's not my goal I had an idea for a new novel/story, something different from what I am currently writing. I had other plans, so I figured I'd write it out after. I went to see Inception in theaters. Came back. Here I am. I forgot my idea. Is this a lesson? Should I try harder to remember it? Should I just give up and remember to write down good ideas before I forget? I suppose I should do both. Have you ever forgotten an idea? Have you ever remembered it? How did it turn out? Discuss. P.S., I'll tell you if I remember my idea, and if you're the one to help me remember, I'll give you major props!
I try to jot down my ideas whenever they come to me. It's not always practical for me to carry a notebook but I've always got my cellphone. It has a notepad function and a voice recorder... either way I can quickly "protect" any ideas that come by me. Don't give up on trying to remember your idea. It may come back to you, it may not; but who knows, you may develop another idea in the process.
Obviously, my solution may not be practical for everyone, but... I recently bought an Asus EEE PC running Linux for about $50 on EBay. I physically can't handwrite, so carrying around a notebook does me no good, and my disability makes texting impractical as well--but this tiny PC weighs about 2 lbs. and fits in my purse, so it works fine for me. I've known people who carry voice recorders, but this seems slightly less awkward to navigate to me. It seems to work so far for various bits and bobs of writing, something I've never been quite able to rein in previously owing to my particular issues. With regards to the actual question: I have pretty lucid dreams; it always bugs me when I can't remember them as well as I'd have liked or hoped. With any luck the itty bitty Asus will negate that issue as well!
I always have a pen on my person no matter where I am (except in bed). I also always have business cards in my wallet. If I come up with something I need to remember I jot it down on the back of one of those.
Hey, my sister got an Asus E PC or whatever they're called. I was so jealous! I'm going to have to start carrying around pens/pencils if I'm going to actively write in the future. Still haven't remembered >.< something about a cell phone...
