So I'm buzzing away on my wip. Well, maybe not buzzing away. More like slugging along at the pace of a snail. But that's more work than I've done lately, so I will NOT complain. And I start listening to the radio.
I like music while I write and I was stuck, so I turned on the radio for a few minutes. Of course commercials start playing, so I realize that was a stupid idea and turn off the radio. But not before one of those commercials plants an idea for a story in my head.
So I figure I'll put that on the back burner and save it for later. But all of a sudden characters start popping up. And I think, who are these people? Then I start having details pop up about them, like their names and hang-ups. I'm busy here on my current story. Shoot, I'm only around 20,000 words. I can't think about other characters right now. I have several people in a the makings of a real mess and it's up to me to get them out of it.
Only now there's these other characters and they're loud. Really loud. So I open a blank document and write a concept about them to satisfy their haranguing. And it worked. For a full ten minutes I was able to go back to writing. Then they came back. They want me to work on their conflict apparently. But I can't!! What to do??
In the mean time, I'm now at 20,250 and the wip is working out well. If only I can stay focused on it. What do you do when a new idea invades?
April
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6 comments:
LOL at debbyj's comment!
I have this problem ALL the time...and it's even worse when I'm having trouble with my current wip! That new idea just looks SO much more exciting.
I do what you did - go ahead and write some of it. Then, I'm at least satisfied that I won't forget about the idea later. But it's a constant struggle.
And now I have a stockpile of like 20 scenes/first-chapters written at various times. Maybe one day I'll have time to write a book for them all! :)
Good luck with the wip!
LOL April! This happens to me all the time - especially when I'm needing to take a break from writing.
Can you believe I'm still only 31,000 in on my first wip (and I started it in March)?!!
Sue :-)
Well, I'm like Emma. I've learned how to tell them to shut up and wait their turn. But sometimes they're so insistent I have to write a quick little something to get them to shut up. And it usually works.
I just wish these ideas that are knocking around my brain would come to some sort of fruition! :)
LOL -- I don't know - each time its different! Sometimes I answer the call, sometimes I get bosy and continue to ignore them. Good luck! ;)
Cole
Oh what a problem to have. That happens to me too. And I have to get it written down, right away. Usually they pop in while I'm about to fall asleep, and I have to get up, find a pen, and write random stuff down. Then I forget about them and they go away. Hopefully they'll still be there when I'm ready for them!
I'm the same as Julie, the ideas come right when I'm trying to sleep so I've gotten smart and put my binder by the bed so i can scribble them down (though reading what i wrote the next morning is a 50/50 chance)
But if its a good idea, some times I'll work on more then 1 story at a time
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