It's time for the last IWSG post of 2013! For more information on IWSG, check out Alex J. Cavanaugh's blog, or the IWSG website.
One of the nice things about being a writer is that I always get to ask 'What's next?' What is going to happen in the next scene? The next chapter? The next book?
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I think most writers are plagued by a surfeit of ideas. The problem is picking one that you want to live with for any length of time, to really dig in and explore. The insecurity comes from worrying that none of your ideas merit such examination.
So what's a writer to do? I think the key is to keep writing. Pick an idea and play around with it. Maybe it will work, maybe it won't, but at least you're trying. You may find that a tiny seed of an idea sprouts into a fully-developed story.
What about you? Do you have the same worries? What's your approach to overcoming the stress of the unknown?
Hi Lara, I could very well relate to this problem,
ReplyDeleteI think your solution to this problem will work.-)
This is the first IWSG I am reading this Dec.
Chapter. Keep Inform.
Best.
Phil
Thanks, Phil! Hope you have a good month!
DeleteGood post! (and good thing to think on)
ReplyDeleteI have this notion that if I don't capture a thought, it will vanish. So I write them down. And sometimes I go back to them and fiddle with them (usually in a paper notebook with a pen).
It's a good feeling to know that I have a bunch of things I can fiddle with if I'm stuck. If I remember. And if I can find them. THAT's a biggie...
Diana at About Myself By Myself
I've gotten better about writing things down--I started carrying around a small notebook, and it's come in handy several times!
DeleteUmm… yeah! I do have the same worries AND excitement!
ReplyDeleteAt the moment, and during the first ten or so rewrite and revisions, I'm very excited about what's coming. The last ten or so rewrite and revision sessions make me wonder why I didn't invest in some good wigs for when I'm done pulling my hair off my head. Great post :D
I know what you mean--at some point, you just want it to end so you can move on to the next thing, whatever it may be.
DeleteI'm afraid I'm in a bit of a rut (overwhelmed with life) and the only unknown I worry about is, will I EVER finish? Sometimes I feel I'll just be learning, revising and tinkering forever. I know in my mind that's not true, it wasn't true with the last book and it won't be true of this one. But there's always a stage or two where you wonder.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! Sometimes it can be difficult to see how things are going to work out, and it seems like things will never change. But they do!
DeleteI think you're right about having a surfeit of ideas! My biggest worry is that I'm not enough of a writer to do them justice--I often find myself thinking that I should go and find a 'real' writer to get this story down.
ReplyDeleteThen I realize that the only person who can write this the way it needs writing is me, and that I need to learn everything I can about storytelling to make it work.
And I keep writing. :)
Great point! They're your ideas, and you are the only one who can tell the story the way it's meant to be told! :)
DeleteYou're right - we do so often have too many ideas! It's hard to choose the right one. I mean, it's embarking on a very long-term relationship :) I also have the fear that I won't have ANY ideas one day. All part of the joyful terror of writing, I think.
ReplyDeleteYou'll never run out of ideas--just keep your eyes and ears open :)
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