By the way, as you can see by my drawing, I should stick to writing 🙂
At first, this question may appear a tad silly. After all, don’t we, writers, want all the creativity we can get? Whatever the muse decides to throw our way?
- Yes.
- Definitely.
- Because we can rely on these little hints of plots, characters whenever we go through a dry spell (and they do happen, don’t they?)
- Because it may become the next great story.
- Because we just love those random ideas
However, I am finding myself being distracted by bursts of creativity which have nothing to do with my current WIP and I do not want to start working on something else. My aim is to finish this novel, to finally put the word “end” to a first draft…
I do write these other ideas down briefly to make sure I don’t lose them but it is a bit frustrating to see my inspiration not going the way I want it to be.
I find it more difficult to meet my daily writing goal. I am going through one of these moments where I believe that everything I write will need to be tossed away once I go through the editing stage because none of the ideas or the scenes are as good as the ones I cannot currently write.
Now my own little prep talk 🙂
Luckily, nobody said it would be easy. I’m up to the challenge because deep down I know that my WIP is worth it…Plus I know now that after this one is done, I will still have inspiration to go on to another project.
In the mean time if you have any advice, feel free to throw them my way…if you want to sympathize, please also feel free to leave a comment (I never say no to some cheering up)
Elodie Nowodazkij 
Thanks for entering the contest on my blog and good luck! May the randomness or random.org be with you 😉 Also, I’m subscribing to your blog too! I ❤ it.
Thanks 🙂 (currently smiling at compliment :-))
This is the same thing I am struggling with right now. I have hit a road block on my current WIP & instead of trying to bust through it I am spending time with 2 different writing ideas that have popped in my head since. I know if I don’t push through my current WIP I will end up bailing on those other story ideas once I hit a similar road block!!
I do force myself to just keep on working on my current WIP hoping the muse will turn its head to it at some point again 🙂 That is when I am thinking that more outlining would have maybe helped. Do you outline your plot at all? Good luck and let me know if you find a magical solution 🙂
Keep a note book/diary, jot down the ideas/get a voice recording of the basic plot etc, however long they may be, but don’t let that become your focus. Give the ideas the time they deserve, they could, after all be your next big thing.
When your ideas – however many there are – are written down, put them in a drawer or somewhere where they can be out of your mind, so you can focus more on the WIP you are doing at the time.
Thanks for the advice…will try to organize them a bit and then put them away so that I can re-focus 🙂
I have a friend who talks about her need for “creativity birth control”, and she would definitely sympathize with you right now. I suffer from this somewhat less, but I still know what you mean. I think it’s good to be able to give your brain a break from one project, but it’s tricky to balance how much time to allow myself for the new ideas before I start going nowhere on anything. I’ll second the suggestion to keep these new ideas in a drawer or a notebook. Once I have my first burst of brainstorming for a new idea down on paper, it’s easier to go back to my WIP with more focus. Good luck!
Thanks 🙂 I will try that…by the way had to laugh out loud at the expression “creativity birth control” let me know if your friend comes up with one 🙂
getting through to the end is so important… and so, so hard. You’re on the right track i reckon in jotting the other ideas down. Doesn’t make it any easier though. Here you go *doles out some sympathy*.
Awww thanks for the sympathy 🙂 and for the pep talk! I appreciate it 🙂
I totally understand. I have finally reached the point where I know which direction my novel is headed, but in order to get there, I had to sort through subplot ideas of all shapes and sizes. Some of those ideas were really cool, and they helped me get to know my characters a lot better, but the vast majority of them were irrelevant to the story.
But you kept going and I am sure that you now have a great plot! Thanks for the comment, I will try to see those bursts as wonderful gifts to keep wrapped until my current WIP can go explore the world 🙂
I go through this too. Ideas breed other ideas, and they all seem so cool, and I want to jam them all in. But on my WIP, I’m trying to stick to my chapter outline and make all the extra ideas behave. I’m writing them down in a separate file, and telling myself that I can include them later, at the editing stage. I have no idea how it will turn out, but it’s much different from how I wrote my first novel, in which I was frequently distracted by new ideas!
I think I need to try chapter outlining. I currently “write with the flow” so to speak and while I have an idea where I am going, I do get distracted a tad too often. Good luck with keeping your creativity in check 🙂
I definitely think that writing them down for use later helps! That way they aren’t gone…. You WILL use them someday. Maybe… And that way you can plow full speed ahead toward that “end!”
I am trying hard and I think it is working…plus I now know that I have plenty of ideas for future novels which I also find somewhat reassuring 🙂 thanks for the advice
I totally understand trying to finish one story before beginning another. It’s hard to do though. I’m writing a novel and trying to get published, so it’s taking all of me to focus on this one drama.
When I get a new idea, I jot notes down in different notebooks. That way each story has it’s own place, and when I have time to start my rough drafts, I’ll remember everything I was going for.
I think most writers feel the same way you’re feeling, especially during the editing stage. I just finished a post about how I was excited about finishing my first draft but knew I had a LONG way to go before I could be truly proud of my story. If I could finish my draft (I’m a huge procrastinator), then I know you can too.
To keep motivated, remember once you finish this WIP, you can move on to your next creative idea without feeling guilty.
Keep smiling,
Yawatta
Thanks Yawatta for the encouraging words and congrats on finishing your draft! I am getting there one step at a time and I keep the happy thoughts that I know I have more ideas after I am finished with this WIP 🙂