In the past I have many ideas for stories bouncing around, I have created many of them but all with the same fate; they where unfinished because of a combination of lack of ambition (which is my greatest re-occurring enemy) or just losing interest in the story. I tried to go back on my ideas and fuse them and do things like that. But after thinking up a few more ideas and seriously going into them and exploring, I have come-up with a few solids idea which I may post here if they take a more concrete form. But I was really asking about the condition of having so many ideas/stories and not being able to shape them into a satisfactory/interesting story and even when doing so, losing interest/motivation or going-off on another idea all together.
I love this thread's title. Almost like a poem. Arrakna, I had the SAME problem. Everytime I wrote something, it was for someone. All of my fan fictions and novels were for the sole entertainment of a certain forum I go to, and because of the lack of comments and praise, I gave up and like you, lost interest. But now, I have, i believe, the perfect plot, amount of characters, and style to create and finish a novel. Don't give up--that's the one thing you must learn. Do not be discouraged by things that don't work the way you wanted. Also: To help you on your writer's block, you should think about combining all of your ideas into one new story, incorporating each part in places of the story you would not imagine it to be. it's always cool to try things out.
I'm exactly the same, so many things you start you don't finish, just in general. But one thing is, I would never throw any of them out. However bad they may seem in retrospect, there was a spark there which is why you wrote in the first place. I have one and a half notebooks filled with old ideas that I never had the time or inclination to go further with. As for story ideas, i've had a few 'genius' scenarios lie forgotten. But like you say, you can go back and fuse them etc. And maybe don't be too quick to judge waht a 'soild' idea is anyway - leave an idea for a few weeks, then revisit it afresh and see if it still seems good. One way to look at it is that the most important ones are the ones you do make yourself follow up
Sometimes all you can do is just force yourself to stick with it. You can excuse your behavior with names like "lack of ambition/interest" or reasons like "not solid-enough ideas" but in the end you're the only one who can make yourself sit and FINISH a story, see an idea through to its end. There's no special technique or anything. You just have to do it. If you're not willing to sit and finish something, then...well...you're just not willing enough. And yes, it would be hard. But that's what makes finishing a story such an accomplishment. How many people out there who say, "I could write a story if I wanted to" actually sit down and do so? Check out some online writing sites and see how many of the people who have novels in progress have actually finished the novels. The people who have are usually in the minority. Most of the others say things like, "Well, I kind of lost interest" or "I don't have time" or whatever, because they just weren't willing enough. (If you WANT to finish a story, you MAKE interest and you MAKE time.) I have all kinds of unfinished ideas and stories floating around. I admit I lost interest or ambition for some of them. But I've also finished some. Because I stuck to it. *shrug*
I can identify with this very well. When I was into fanfiction, it's all I focused on. For about 3 years I ignored writing original stuff for fanfiction. Once I would either get no or very little reviews or too many reviews, I'd either grow annoyed with the fanfiction for the former, or for the latter become overwhelmed and back down from the story. I made myself quit fanfiction, because for me it was a distraction. Anyway, I agree with everything else that you said. I just wanted to share that bit.
that's the difference between 'fiddling around' and 'being serious' about something... if/when you ever become serious about being a writer, you'll stop fiddling and start writing [as opposed to the 'doodling' you're doing now]...
In the end it takes self-discipline to sit down, start a story, get the first draft down, then edit/revise and get it ready for submission, submit and then go to the next project. Even if the goal is not to get a work published, not allowing oneself to get distracted and of track is important. It's easy to make excuses and it's hard to do the writing. And 'hard' doesn't necessarily mean it's not enjoyable, interesting or challenging. Knowing that being distracted and not finishing what has been started (the numerous projects begun but not finished and not looking like it's going to happen any time soon) is a problem makes it all that much easier to correct once you're serious, and that ties in with what Mammamaia just said in the post above. Terry
Arrakna, I have to say I agree with everything Terry said. It is difficult, but you can do it if you're committed to writing. It will happen. I've been where you are now, still am some days when a new idea pops in my head while I'm driving down the freeway. All of a sudden I'm excited about where the idea might go and my fingers itching to get started on the first few chapters. In the past, I always let these new ideas lead me astray and I never finished anything. Now, I jot the ideas down, a real quick sketch in a Word File I keep named "Future Story Ideas" and then I make myself forget them. (Seems just jotting them down and getting them out of my head helps for some reason.) Then I open up the novel I"m working on and I work. I'm actually three fourths of the way through the rough draft of this one when in all my past work, I rarely made it past Chapter 3 before I was off on another tangent. Make yourself focus. It's your brain and you tell it what to do, not the other way around.
No matter how hard you try, new ideas will always pop up and try to distract you so you'll have to live with it. You can try to record it somewhere then return later or combine your ideas, if they relate, into one large project until idea exhaustion forces you to work with what you have. You can force yourself to work, but if you don't feel like doing it, your mood may affect your writing. In the end, you just need the proper movitation.
