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| Photo credit: avianto on Flickr |
I would like to have that problem, but most times, that’s not the case.
Now that’s not to say that I never have any ideas at all—like most writers, I keep an ideas list and jot down snippets or a character or scene or premise as it comes to me. But most of the time, out of the many scribblings I put down, I’ll pull out maybe one or two lines to explore further. And after that exploration, more times than not, I’ll decide it’s not strong enough and move on.
For me, coming up with a novel-worthy idea takes time. A lot of it. Oftentimes I’ll brainstorm something for days, then decide it’s not strong enough. Or I’ll brainstorm, love the idea, start writing it and immediately realize it’s not going to work. Or I’ll brainstorm, love the idea, start writing it, and lose interest a few thousand words in.
All are scenarios that happen pretty frequently while I’m working. I have loads of documents and notebooks full of what I call explorations—partially baked ideas that I tried out, then lost interest in.
Very rarely will I come up with more than one novel-worthy idea at the same time, or even within a couple weeks of each other. And as scary as it is sometimes, particularly when I’ve started querying and I’m blindly grabbing at ghostly wisps of an idea, I’m ok with it.
Part of me wishes it was different—I would love to have a folder of ready-to-go novel ideas so I could jump right into a new idea after finishing one. But that’s just not the way I work, at least, not right now. Everyone’s process is different, and it’s ok.
But I won’t lie—sometimes I finish a book and start querying and a part of me wonders if I’ll ever come up with a good idea again. Sometimes I’ll scrap idea after idea and a little panicky voice whispers this is it. You’ve run out of good ideas.
But the thing is, I’ve been through that frustrating between-WIP stage enough times to know it’s not true. Sure, sometimes it takes longer than I’d like, but inevitably the ideas do develop, the characters start to come alive, and a new story forms.
And every time it does, I smile smugly at that panicky part of myself and get to work.
That’s my process—now I want to hear from you: do you generate several ideas at once? Or do you take more time to develop an idea?
Twitter-sized bites:
What is your book idea generation process like? Join the discussion at @Ava_Jae's blog. (Click to tweet)
Do you have loads of book ideas, or does it take you longer to generate them? Join the discussion. (Click to tweet)
I have lots of ideas, but they're just snippets too - a character, a situation, a first line. When I'm ready to start something new, I have to go through them all to see if I can turn any of them into an actual story. Sometimes, it's been so long since I wrote down the idea that the "magic" is gone, and I don't think I'll ever get it back.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that you figure out early if an idea is novel-worthy or not. Smetimes I get the feeling my current WIP is a 75k-word, not-novel-worthy idea. *cringe* (Forget I said that. I'll get there.)
And I think many of us have those doubts about whether we'll ever have another good idea. I know I do. Guess it's just a sign of experience to know you have to wait it out and/or fight through it.
Hmmm yes, your snippets sound similar to my snippet list. I tend to find, however, that if I go back to that mini-line or idea wisp and I'm no longer interest in it (or the magic is gone, as you put it) then it wasn't novel-worthy to begin with, so it's not a problem. My subconscious eliminated the idea for me. :)
ReplyDeleteAs for your current WIP...if you're talking about the one I think you're talking about, then allow me to reassure you that it's absolutely novel-worthy and a fantastic idea. But I totally understand your doubts—as you said, we all get them from time to time. It's just part of being a writer.
Haha, Thanks Ava. I actually meant something else I'm working on that isn't beta-ready yet. :-)
ReplyDeleteI always start with a one-liner for my books, and I keep a file of ideas so I can go back to them. I tried a number of different genres before I found my niche. Now I force myself to stay in that genre...at least for now...though there's all kinds of crazy ideas in my file ;-)
ReplyDeleteJust checking. :) (But I think you're right—you'll get there).
ReplyDeleteIdea lists are definitely helpful. I keep one, too (or several...) and it can definitely help jog some inspiration. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't write down every snippet. I let ideas ruminate until there is a story. Then I pour it all into a notebook and let it sit. I add to the notebooks whenever an idea pertaining to that story comes to my mind, whether it's a scene, a character or something about the world. I have several notebooks going at the same time, some are prequels/sequels and some are new stories, waiting to be typed into something coherent. The original idea for the novel I'm working on right now is 20 years old, but I only figured out the setting for it a few months ago. I'm glad I saved it.
ReplyDeletePersonally I'm a total daydreamer and my inspiration is overly active. When I am alone and do not do anything special I usually day dream, and more often then not I talk to myself in my mind. This converstaions are usually what begins a story idea for me, an idea that I later explore in my head the next time I daydream.
ReplyDeleteI really can't say how many snippets idea I get and I definitly do not write all of them down, this weak I've gotten at least two that I still remmember. Most of the ideas that I get I forget sooner or later but some remain in my head and develop into something else. Something that has a main charachter, a few side charachters and a hum about what the plot will be. I always write down these sort of ideas.
The reason I began writing in the first place was that I had so many wonderful ideas I wanted to write down and remember, so many ideas I didn't want to forget. For me it's always a struggle to choose which idea I should write on, or which idea has the best potential.
Wow! That is SO interesting! Sounds much more organized than my mess of idea notes.
ReplyDeleteI think it's totally great that you always have a trove of ideas. You're exactly the kind of idea-generator that makes me a tad bit envious. :)
ReplyDeleteBut I completely relate with your wanting to write out the ideas that you get. One of the many reasons I love writing so much is because it allows you to take a story that exists in your head and make it something tangible that others can explore at least for a couple hours.
I have too many ideas. Its a problem. Some ideas take a back seat and may never get written (I have one that's been on the "to-write" list for years and now its at least #4 on the waiting list. Just keeps getting pushed back) but I have two specifically I want to write now. Like yesterday but I have to have paitence cause otherwise I'll get overwhelmed (it's happened)
ReplyDeleteAll processes have their positives and negatives ( not that I'm complaining *strokes ideas*) you just have to learn to deal with yours.
I agree completely about the processes—there are always pros and cons and the most important thing is that you learn to work with it. I'm comfortable with the way I work (usually), and I just find it interesting to compare notes with other writers. :)
ReplyDeleteOn that note, I'm relatively sure that having too many ideas will never be a problem for me. But I guess you never know!
I have too many ideas, but the problem is, I'm not sure how to connect them into an actual story. I also have a to-write list but most of the ideas are just short summaries and endings to that story. I'm not sure how to fill in the rest of the story's blanks, like the beginning and middle. :/
ReplyDeleteHah! I used to live - LIVE - on your boat!
ReplyDeleteI think I commented on an older post saying something similar (or maybe it was someone else's blog) but I spent 8 years writing nothing but one story. I now have nine drafts - one for every year. I got so stuck in that world and developing it (it's the one I pitched for #pitmad) that I feared that when I wrote the last-ish chapter, I was done for.
I was waiting to wake in a cold sweat to find I'm not a writer but someone with one idea that I'll prattle on about until my end of days. As it turned out, two weeks later, the dreams and late night conversations happened and now I have a folder and note book bloated with ideas. It's exciting and frustrating, mainly because it can serve as an unwelcome distraction when trying to stick to one project. The other thing is I have a feeling that even if I develop all my ideas into stories, not all will be winners...so which one should I pour my heart and soul into?!
And utter devotion to one WIP at a time is one thing you WON'T have to worry about. Better to be a master of one than a jack of many, as they say.
That's pretty much how I come up with ideas too. I have folders and files of nuggets, most that haven't been explored enough. I've started writing ideas I thought had potential (several chapters), then lost interest or decided it wasn't good enough to continue. That's not to say I'm afraid to commit to an idea--but getting a fully formed novel-worthy idea takes a lot of time for me. I have to marinate in ideas, day dream about them, outline them, write snippets. It's a lot of fun, but also a little frustrating when I really just want to complete something amazing that I'm proud of. Thanks for the great post!
ReplyDeleteHmmm...sounds like you may want to try out some outlining? I have quite a few posts on brainstorming, plotting, etc. if you're interested. But basically the key to turning those ideas into a full plot involves a lot of brainstorming and (if you're a plotter, or open to trying plotting), writing down some points along the way.
ReplyDeleteWow! I'm not sure if you've told me this before...maybe you have (but I've read hundreds of comments so I don't really remember them all, heh). At any rate, eight years on one manuscript is...wow. Congrats on finally starting to get it out there! And a notebook full of new ideas—that's fantastic!
ReplyDeleteAs for choosing ideas...I don't think there are winners so-to-speak as much as there are ideas that you're more passionate about. I'd say try out the ones that grab your attention, and chances are, one will really demand to be written once you start. :)
You're so welcome, Stacy! Sounds like your process is very similar to mine, and I definitely understand your frustration. It can be tough when you really want to write, but the ideas just don't work out. In the end, though, when you hit that idea that does work, it's totally worth the struggle. :)
ReplyDeleteI forgot about that! Yes, that's another good one. People love fake books, especially when they want to request it and find out it doesn't exist.
ReplyDeleteThere are times I feel like I need a bucket to catch all the ideas coming out of my head. Other times are fairly dry.
ReplyDeleteNot every idea is novel worthy, of course. Short stories, sometimes just blog posts. Sometimes just a jotted sentence that doesn't mean anything when I look at it days/weeks/years later.
Idea generation is a funny thing and works a little differently for everyone. The important thing is that we remember to keep track of our ideas, because you never know what might jog some inspiration later on. :)
ReplyDeleteYou might be mixing idea up with story. An idea is only a launch point to get you started; it's not the entire story. It could be a picture or an object or a person you see at the store. I just submitted a story that was launched by a pillow (yes, really), and my novel started with a marble (which is not in the story at all, but merely reminded me of the paperweight museum). My current short story comes from the idea two separate anthology themes and enlisted soldiers. It's not as hard coming up with the once you stop thinking the idea has to be an entire story.
ReplyDeleteIn fact I said the same thing for many years. I just had an idea workshop, and I hadn't realized how much story and idea had merged together from all the writing advice I'd read over the years. Yes, not every idea instantly turns itself into a story, but I'm also not analyzing the idea to see if it's worthy of being a book or a short story. That'll kill it faster than anything else because then I'm thinking, "But I don't know what this is about. I don't know what I'll do with it." I just finished a story where I very nearly did that, and it turned out a great story that almost didn't get written. So now I'm just trying to focus on, "Do I want to write this?" and "Am I ready to write this?"
ReplyDeleteThose are great questions to ask. Usually ideas that I deem not novel-worthy are ideas that I lose interest in (and thus no longer want to spend the time to write and work on it). Basically, if I don't love it enough to fully plot it and write it, then I know it won't make it to the fully polished stage, and so I deem it unworthy.
ReplyDeleteOne of my biggest pet peeves with these twitter events are the people who have multiple manuscripts and pitch each on each half hour. I'm glad they have more than one manuscript ready to go - I truly am. But, pitching all five (not a made up number) each half hour just pushes everyone else's tweets down and annoys them. There are 24 half hour blocks available - pitch one MS one half hour and another the next. It'll keep the flow going and keep people from muting/blocking you.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've ever seen anyone do FIVE at once, but...yeah that could get tiresome quickly. I'd advise against that anyway as you really should try to focus on one submission at a time when querying...so five at once is a little iffy.
ReplyDelete