For starters, I am currently (to be read as: "trying to") writing a high-fantasy novel. A few months ago, though, a story idea for a near-future speculative crept into my head and now every time I sit down to write I feel like it's eating away at my brain the way a worm eats through a ripe peach. I can't get anywhere in either of these stories while they are violently warring for my conscious headspace... Does this happen to anyone else? How do I make it go away? Do they market an insecticide for pesky ideas, and where can I get some if they do?
Why don't you set aside some time to write each story? If you knew you'd get to it for sure at a certain time, maybe you'd be more at peace to work on the other one. Like, Mon, Wed and Fri for Story A. Tue, Thu and Sat for Story B. Or Morning between 9am-1pm for Story A, then 2pm-5pm for Story B. Whatever works for you, but you get the idea. If you can't work like that, then write down the idea for one of them, save it and store it away so you know for sure you won't forget anything, and then carry on with your chosen project. I think the key is to let yourself know that the other story WILL get written, and nothing will be forgotten - once you have that peace of mind, it might become easier to focus. Or, if you had the equipment, work on 2 different computers, with one story in each, forcing yourself to work on only one when you're on one computer, etc
The novel is, honestly, my main focus. I have been kicking around the idea of making the spec-fic a collaboration, mainly because it's only half of an idea right now. Unfortunately, I have no idea where I would find other writers willing to work off of a "seeded" idea. any suggestions? is there an area here on WF that I could possibly do that?
I have a similar problem. Too many ideas, not enough time. Scheduling writing time is what has been helping me. Go ahead jot down ideas as they come, but set them aside for later use until it comes time for that particular project's write-time.
