Every writer has a million and one ideas for a book. Once you start opening that ‘what if’ door, things get hectic pretty quickly. The problem is that an idea will only be just that – an idea, if you don’t have the rest of the world built around it.
My Pending Stories folder has at least 20 documents in there from ideas I’ve had over the years. In the heat of the moment, I get absolutely convinced that the latest idea is the bomb and I’ll just write it in a month because I’m so inspired to finish it. Around 80 percent of the time, it doesn’t happen that way.
So how do you wade through the million ideas you have? Here’s what I do. Hopefully you get some good tips here, too.
Write them down
No matter how small your idea is, write it down. In your journal, your computer, your phone, whichever is easiest. Write down as many details as you can (or as many as you can remember if you got your idea from a dream). If you don’t have names for your characters yet, that’s fine. Just define these characters and leave the names for later. Once that’s done, leave it in your folder and check the next step.
Be sensitive to your mind
When you’re doing mundane stuff, like chores or riding public transport, be sensitive as to which idea surfaces more. That one idea that pops up the most is the one that’s closest to your heart and has the best chance of getting through the book writing process. Hold on to that idea and expand it while you’re doing other things. Let your mind wander and see where it leads you. Write down whatever you think of. It all helps when you’re ready to start writing.
Pick one and develop it
You will know quite quickly which idea excites you more. You’ll feel it in your bones – the giddiness of starting world building and character development. I had three works in progress when I started writing the fourth book of The Engkantasia Chronicles. I was already halfway through writing a fifth standalone book when I realised I wanted to write book four so I had to press the pause button on that fifth project. Once I finished editing the first draft of book four, and was about to continue my fifth book, another idea came rushing into my head — one that I couldn’t let go. So I just wrote down whatever details came to my brain. It’ll stay in my folder until I finish my current project.
Last tip
There are writers who have novels that aren’t finished, or ones that they end up never finishing. It’s normal to have them. But for me, it’s not good practice. Having said that, have a think before you write. Maybe that one idea is better off a short story. There’s nothing wrong with that. The short stories you write will still help sharpen your writing skills. The idea is to just keep writing away!
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