Monogamy? You must be joking.

[Sam Wyer]

I need help (clearly) and I’m curious about other people’s process.

 

In general, I’d say I’m a ‘one at a time’ kind of guy, in almost every area of my life - except maybe Haribo.  I’m thorough, methodical, probably a little boring.  I might well read all of the instruction manual before plugging it in.  But when I’m writing, I seem to find it impossible to stay focussed on one story at a time.  Right now I have three stories underway, all of which are being (at least semi) actively worked on, just in a chaotic and unpredictable order.  Quite apart from the risk of annoying my rather awesome editors, I find it frustrating that I can’t just finish one.  Then I can get it posted, and move on, leaving me with even more time to finish the others.

 

But no, I jump from one to the other, a chapter here and there for one, re-arranging scenes for another, beginning a rewrite for another, of but what about that scene at the theatre, I can’t get there without first doing the thing with the... oh wait - ice--cream, that’s totally what they would eat, but then the whole house move is out of context, and why would he not have mentioned that before now, I should go back and at least introduce it earlier.  Yes, that’s it, let’s start a whole new story based on him because that’s going to be... AAARRRGGGHH!

 

Maybe your world is nothing like this, but if it is, HOW DO I MAKE IT STOP!?

Edited January 11, 2018 by Sam Wyer
Spelling, it’s too hard

[Brayon]

I have this issue as well, and @MacGreg shared with me a link to some great advice: https://ryanlanz.com/2017/11/14/what-to-do-when-you-have-too-many-story-ideas/

Also, if you look in this club, there is a couple of different threads, that approach this topic from different angles.

 

My advice. Don't worry about. If you can focus on one story, do so. If you can't, then write which one you feel drawn too. If you absolutely need to create a new story. Save a few chapters before posting it, that way, it may be a bit more complete.

[Sam Wyer]

6 minutes ago, BHopper2 said:

I have this issue as well, and @MacGreg shared with me a link to some great advice: https://ryanlanz.com/2017/11/14/what-to-do-when-you-have-too-many-story-ideas/

Also, if you look in this club, there is a couple of different threads, that approach this topic from different angles.

 

My advice. Don't worry about. If you can focus on one story, do so. If you can't, then write which one you feel drawn too. If you absolutely need to create a new story. Save a few chapters before posting it, that way, it may be a bit more complete.

Thanks - I’ll take a look.
I’m definitely not going to be posting anything until the whole thing is done, it’s way too much pressure otherwise!

[VampireMystic]

There's an article @Comicality wrote. The title is "Oh nos the Dreaded Writers' Block," for some such. ( When I find it I'll edit the end of the post.) Paraphrasing, it discusses the certain stories or certain scenes require a certain frame of mind in order to appear genuine to the characters and the mood. It might be hard to write a happy scene after a shitty day at work, etc. 

 

I agree with the philosophy.  There are times when I have to stop typing but the scene keeps playing in my head and it's great.  But if I'm trying to write it down later when I'm in a different mood, it falls flat, even even if I'm to covering the same conversation/plot points.

 

 Follow your fickle muses, and just be grateful you can get anything on paper you like. 

 

 Also, your topic title is fabulous.

Edited January 11, 2018 by VampireMystic

[Sam Wyer]

17 minutes ago, VampireMystic said:

There's an article @Comicality wrote. The title is "Oh nos the Dreaded Writers' Block," for some such. ( When I find it I'll edit the end of the post.) Paraphrasing, it discusses the certain stories or certain scenes require a certain frame of mind in order to appear genuine to the characters and the mood. It might be hard to write a happy scene after a shitty day at work, etc. 

 

I agree with the philosophy.  There are times when I have to stop typing but the scene keeps playing in my head and it's great.  But if I'm trying to write it down later when I'm in a different mood, it falls flat, even even if I'm to covering the same conversation/plot points.

 

 Follow your fickle muses, and just be grateful you can get anything on paper you like. 

 

 Also, your topic title is fabulous.

Thanks - I’m happy to take ‘fabulous’  

 

And yes, whilst I haven’t read the post you mention, I think I know what you mean.  If only capturing everything that is in my head (wow, what a terribly frightening idea) was possible.

[VampireMystic]

1 minute ago, Sam Wyer said:

Thanks - I’m happy to take ‘fabulous’  

 

And yes, whilst I haven’t read the post you mention, I think I know what you mean.  If only capturing everything that is in my head (wow, what a terribly frightening idea) was possible.

 I've started carrying a tape recorder, to try to frame ideas as I have them if I can't write them down when I have them. I've actually got four hours recorded that were epic and would've written some very intense chapters. Alas... if you go that route, on your phone or otherwise, do a sound check every once in a while ,but especially at the beginning. Trust me...

[Sam Wyer]

2 minutes ago, VampireMystic said:

 I've started carrying a tape recorder, to try to frame ideas as I have them if I can't write them down when I have them. I've actually got four hours recorded that were epic and would've written some very intense chapters. Alas... if you go that route, on your phone or otherwise, do a sound check every once in a while ,but especially at the beginning. Trust me...

Oh - that doesn’t sound like a fun moment of realisation  

[LJCC]

I guess the trick is to make sure the characters of your current story are well alive in your thoughts. It's very jarring to be interacting with multiple fictionalised characters inside your head across multiple universes or stories. As what I've always believed, you can only serve one master...

 

It's all about the quality of the writing and the time expended to focus on one scene at a time that makes the characters and the storyline very fluid and cohesive. I'm not implying that some writers don't have multiple scenes in their head, it's just that the smaller details usually provides the paramout focal for the readers.

 

In the story I'm currently writing, I already have the end in my mind. But not all stories take shape as to how you'd want it to be. Even the characters inside your head tends to grow depending on how you've moulded them to become. 

 

I had the interesting option of making a revelation in my story have several choices: 

 

a. Father meets up with bestfriend at the board room

b. Sister shows up instead

c. Mother shows up in lieu of the father

d. Ex fiance shows up

f. One night stand dude ends up working for the father

g. No one shows up...

 

But what eventually surprised me when the writing took place is that the least person I was expecting turned out to be the person in question in the given scene. Because it ended up to be an emotionally gratifying confrontation without the bull like the Grey's Anatomy heartwrenching sappy storyline of 'choose me, pick me...' blah blah blah. (I did love that scene though)

 

Instead it became Jennifer Holiday's 'Tear down the mountains, yell scream and shout. You can say what you want but I'm not walking out. Tell all the rivers, push strike and kill. I'm not gonna leave you, there's no way I will..." without the music of course.

 

 

 

 

[Sam Wyer]

18 minutes ago, LJCC said:

I guess the trick is to make sure the characters of your current story are well alive in your thoughts. It's very jarring to be interacting with multiple fictionalised characters inside your head across multiple universes or stories. As what I've always believed, you can only serve one master...

 

It's all about the quality of the writing and the time expended to focus on one scene at a time that makes the characters and the storyline very fluid and cohesive. I'm not implying that some writers don't have multiple scenes in their head, it's just that the smaller details usually provides the paramout focal for the readers.

 

In the story I'm currently writing, I already have the end in my mind. But not all stories take shape as to how you'd want it to be. Even the characters inside your head tends to grow depending on how you've moulded them to become. 

 

I had the interesting option of making a revelation in my story have several choices: 

 

a. Father meets up with bestfriend at the board room

b. Sister shows up instead

c. Mother shows up in lieu of the father

d. Ex fiance shows up

f. One night stand dude ends up working for the father

g. No one shows up...

 

But what eventually surprised me when the writing took place is that the least person I was expecting turned out to be the person in question in the given scene. Because it ended up to be an emotionally gratifying confrontation without the bull like the Grey's Anatomy heartwrenching sappy storyline of 'choose me, pick me...' blah blah blah. (I did love that scene though)

 

Instead it became Jennifer Holiday's 'Tear down the mountains, yell scream and shout. You can say what you want but I'm not walking out. Tell all the rivers, push strike and kill. I'm not gonna leave you, there's no way I will..." without the music of course.

 

 

 

 

That is a great scene, and a truly awesome song!  You've Reminded me of it now, so I’m listening as I reply, and also thinking that I need to add this to my writing playlist for a new character That’s floating around.

 

[Comicality]

Well, there's a quote that I am drawing a blank on right now, but the idea is...there's a difference between a writer that wants to say something, and a writer that has something to say. This is something to keep in mind while you're working on your stories. If you want to say something with your story, and it's in your mind, then go ahead and type it out whenever you see fit. Don't force it or try to fit it into your current story. Try to stay focused and finish your story, beginning to end, and tell the story you wanted to tell. However, I'm probably more in the camp of what you described above. You might be an author with something to say. And you may be searching for the best outlet for all of the emotions and inner discussions that you want to put out there for readers to absorb and understand. And all of those emotions don't fit into the same story.

 

Anybody that's read my stories knows that the themes and big ideas behind each story is vastly different from the one that came before it. One may have to do with a new kid in the neighborhood, another might deal with wealth and class status, another might deal with being in or 'out' of the closet, and the next might be about someone being extremely attractive and the insecurity of another boy who feels inferior. These are all themes that don't fit in the same story. Not if I want to focus on them with any sort of potency. So different stories are necessary. Some about YouTube fame, some about domestic abuse, some about cheating, some about...the zombie apocalypse! Hehehe! But...when I get that inspirational 'tug' on my brain, I strike while the iron is hot. And I write what I'm feeling at that moment.

 

Trying to write something else can only have one of two outcomes...

 

1- I 'fake' my emotions and try to write a story that I'm not really excited about at that particular moment. Making it kind of stale and lacking in emotion.

 

or 2 - I write this other story and end up 'erasing' everything that I wanted to write for the story hat I really WANTED to write in the first place, and now I can't go back and recapture that feeling again, because I lost my mojo when I had it.

 

Bottom line, sometimes an author has a lot that they want to say, and it isn't always something that you can forcibly CRAM into one single series without it feeling congested and clogged up with extra garbage! Sometimes it takes more than one story to explore the complexities of who you are as a person and as a writer. So explore that. Why not? Why box yourself in? That's like...the OPPOSITE of what a creative mind is supposed to accomplish!

 

You're a 3-dimensional being, so give the world a 3-dimensional expression. Why put limits on yourselfwhen you don't have to?

 

[Comicality]

By the way, High fives for the Jennifer Holiday quote! LOL! I'm listening to that too right now!

 

Have you seen "Dreamgirls"? Wow!

[VampireMystic]

29 minutes ago, Comicality said:

Well, there's a quote that I am drawing a blank on right now, but the idea is...there's a difference between a writer that wants to say something, and a writer that has something to say. This is something to keep in mind while you're working on your stories. If you want to say something with your story, and it's in your mind, then go ahead and type it out whenever you see fit. Don't force it or try to fit it into your current story. Try to stay focused and finish your story, beginning to end, and tell the story you wanted to tell. However, I'm probably more in the camp of what you described above. You might be an author with something to say. And you may be searching for the best outlet for all of the emotions and inner discussions that you want to put out there for readers to absorb and understand. And all of those emotions don't fit into the same story.

 

Anybody that's read my stories knows that the themes and big ideas behind each story is vastly different from the one that came before it. One may have to do with a new kid in the neighborhood, another might deal with wealth and class status, another might deal with being in or 'out' of the closet, and the next might be about someone being extremely attractive and the insecurity of another boy who feels inferior. These are all themes that don't fit in the same story. Not if I want to focus on them with any sort of potency. So different stories are necessary. Some about YouTube fame, some about domestic abuse, some about cheating, some about...the zombie apocalypse! Hehehe! But...when I get that inspirational 'tug' on my brain, I strike while the iron is hot. And I write what I'm feeling at that moment.

 

Trying to write something else can only have one of two outcomes...

 

1- I 'fake' my emotions and try to write a story that I'm not really excited about at that particular moment. Making it kind of stale and lacking in emotion.

 

or 2 - I write this other story and end up 'erasing' everything that I wanted to write for the story hat I really WANTED to write in the first place, and now I can't go back and recapture that feeling again, because I lost my mojo when I had it.

 

Bottom line, sometimes an author has a lot that they want to say, and it isn't always something that you can forcibly CRAM into one single series without it feeling congested and clogged up with extra garbage! Sometimes it takes more than one story to explore the complexities of who you are as a person and as a writer. So explore that. Why not? Why box yourself in? That's like...the OPPOSITE of what a creative mind is supposed to accomplish!

 

You're a 3-dimensional being, so give the world a 3-dimensional expression. Why put limits on yourselfwhen you don't have to?

 

 well now I don't have to go find his writer's block one...

 

Says it even better here.

[Former Author]

On 1/11/2018 at 2:25 PM, Sam Wyer said:

But no, I jump from one to the other, a chapter here and there for one, re-arranging scenes for another, beginning a rewrite for another, of but what about that scene at the theatre, I can’t get there without first doing the thing with the... oh wait - ice--cream, that’s totally what they would eat, but then the whole house move is out of context, and why would he not have mentioned that before now, I should go back and at least introduce it earlier.

 

Are the different books/stories all part of a series? Would the various subplots crossover or are the works mutually exclusive? It isn't really bad if it is the former.

[Myr]

I tend to write on a lot of different things.  Aside from writing stories, I'm also messing with blogs and far too much software specification and feature definitions.

Stories, I tend to jot down ideas and sometimes scenes as they hit.  They sometimes hit for different stories.  I've stopped writing one story to write a scene for another.  The way I look at it, as long as I'm writing something, good enough

I have 25 years of writing files on the computer with all sorts of stuff that will hopefully see the light of day sometime.

[MrM]

I have many different ideas all competing in my schizoid brain at any given moment. When I started writing I wanted to work on them all because it was exciting, but I found that it was bogging me down in actually finishing anything. So a little diciplined deal I've made with myself is that I will work on three stories in rotation. When I get to finish one the reward will be my being able to work on another idea that's been nibbling at me. I also make music outlines in Spotify that help me keep the emotions of the stories I write in order. This expresses some of the energy the unstarted works are generating. I can listen to the playlist and meditate in the back of my mind where the story might go when I get around to it. I also take little notes here and there to keep ideas so I don't lose them.

 

Have faith that if your ideas are good and you are excited about them that you will return to them and fulfill them. Writing is a lifelong thing and you have a lifetime to tell as many stories as you can. 

 

I cannot work on just one thing. I need to work on multiple stories at once because the switching from one story to another keeps my energy and interest going. When I finish one chapter of one story, I am already anticipating the chapters I will write for the next story. It makes a little wheel in my head that turns and keeps my writing momentum going. So I think it's actually healthy for an author to work on a few projects at the same time. It might slow the writing process a bit, but it gives you time to think and formulate your next moves in one story while you are expressing the ideas you have for the story you are currently working on. In this way it might actually speed up your writing process by limiting the times you have writers block.

Edited January 18, 2018 by MrM