Shiny new ideas are derailing me from my WIP, but I want more than one project to work on project

The Second Moon · Aug 29, 2019

I have this linked short story collection series that I absolutely adore with all my heart called Barney and Mr. Thomas. The problem is I keep getting ideas for other linked short story collections (I only write linked short story collections). When I get a new idea I'm like, "Ooh yes!". I halt my progress in Barney and Mr. Thomas and set to work on the shiny new idea. I'll get 2,000 words into the new idea and think, "Naw. I don't really like this". Then I feel guilty that I wasn't working on Barney and Mr. Thomas.

This summer alone I've had too many of these shiny new ideas to keep track of. I haven't gotten very far on the Barney and Mr. Thomas series and I feel like I wasted my summer with all these derailing, shiny new ideas.

What do I do? I just feel this urge to have more than one project at a time going on, but I can't find one that gives me as much joy and the same vibes as Barney and Mr. Thomas.

Any help (even a hug emoji) would help.

Thanks in advance!

Introversion · Aug 29, 2019

I find the open-ended freewheeling creativity of "thinking up a story" is so much more fun than actually sticking your nose to the proverbial stone and grinding out the meat & potatoes & bones of the things.

My only advice would be to indulge yourself in the freewheelies, but maybe only in the times you couldn't be writing anyway? In the shower, on the toilet, commuting, etc.

Kat M · Aug 29, 2019

Let them fester. Think about them, jot down some notes, but don't try to make them happen yet, because you're not done with Barney and Mr. Thomas.

I was in a very similar situation with my previous WIP. I loved it. I loved the characters. They were living, breathing people to me.

Three things happened.
1.) I finished writing the first story and edited it intensely. It's not done yet, but I'm at peace that I've gotten the details down that I need to.
2.) All this editing made me a little tired of the story, to be honest. I was ready for a break.
3.) Someone very wise told me I may not ever love a story or characters as much as my first, and that's fine, but I will love other stories. So I sort of gave myself mental permission to write other things and—voilà, I've got a new story and those characters are all I can think about.

Your experience will be different, of course, but that's my advice. Good luck!

The Second Moon · Aug 31, 2019

Thanks so much everyone. I will try these tricks. (more advice is always welcome)

Undercover · Aug 31, 2019

It says at the bottom of your post that the Barney is in the process of being beta read. I don't think you should be working on the Barney story at the moment anyway. You should wait for your beta to get back to you. And yes, start on something new in the meantime. Now's a good time to do it.

The Second Moon · Aug 31, 2019

Undercover said:
It says at the bottom of your post that the Barney is in the process of being beta read. I don't think you should be working on the Barney story at the moment anyway. You should wait for your beta to get back to you. And yes, start on something new in the meantime. Now's a good time to do it.

I guess I forgot to mention that Barney and Mr. Thomas is a 13-book (and still growing) MG series, soI'm going to work on the second book Barney, Mr. Thomas,and the Alligator Creature.

But thanks for your concern, Undercover!

Undercover · Aug 31, 2019

The Second Moon said:
I guess I forgot to mention that Barney and Mr. Thomas is a 13-book (and still growing) MG series, soI'm going to work on the second book Barney, Mr. Thomas,and the Alligator Creature.

But thanks for your concern, Undercover!

Oh, wow, I didn't think it was a long series like that, must forgive. But I'm still confused. So it's novels of short stories in a series of 13 books? Or is each short story one in the series? If so, what's the word count? Are these considered chapbooks for MG? You have my curiosity.

talktidy · Aug 31, 2019

I am working on a ridiculously long piece that has mutated into a trilogy, which has become something of a slog on bad days, so I know all about a brain being pestered and distracted with shiny new notions.

If the idea is persistent, I open up a new document within my current Scrivener project and disgorge everything onto that page. If there is more material than I expected, I migrate it into a new project, otherwise it will eventually end up in my frags project.

This tends to do the trick, and I can return to my primary piece. Something about committing a new potential narrative to a blank document makes it less shiny, less compelling.

The Second Moon · Aug 31, 2019

Undercover said:
Oh, wow, I didn't think it was a long series like that, must forgive. But I'm still confused. So it's novels of short stories in a series of 13 books? Or is each short story one in the series? If so, what's the word count? Are these considered chapbooks for MG? You have my curiosity.

They are linked short stories collections about Barney and Mr. Thomas. Each collection has 8 linked stories in it. Also, each collection has it's own antagonist. The word count is around 54,000 in the first book and I'm hoping to keep it similar or a little lower then that number for the rest of the series, but I defiantly won't be going over 55,000.

Think of it like a TV show with multiple seasons. Each book is a "season" and each of the short stories is an "episode".

Honestly, I've been looking for something like Barney and Mr. Thomas, ( a linked short story collection that spans multiple books) but I haven't found anything like it.

Undercover · Aug 31, 2019

The Second Moon said:
They are linked short stories collections about Barney and Mr. Thomas. Each collection has 8 linked stories in it. Also, each collection has it's own antagonist. The word count is around 54,000 in the first book and I'm hoping to keep it similar or a little lower then that number for the rest of the series, but I defiantly won't be going over 55,000.

Think of it like a TV show with multiple seasons. Each book is a "season" and each of the short stories is an "episode".

Honestly, I've been looking for something like Barney and Mr. Thomas, ( a linked short story collection that spans multiple books) but I haven't found anything like it.

Oh, okay. Got it. That does sound very intriguing. Very complex, I don't think I've come across it either. Either way, good luck with it. It's a massive project. That's for sure.

KBooks · Aug 31, 2019

I like to have multiple projects going on at once so that if I get blocked on one, I can pull back for a day or two and let it stew in my subconscious without getting frustrated.

What I do is set a writing schedule. If I know I have so much time to write, I devote maybe 2/3 of my time to the project that's up next, and 1/3 to the newest thing. I wonder if that would give you some time to explore new ideas every day, but also keep you on track for where you want to be with Barney and Mr. Thomas.

cool pop · Aug 31, 2019

This is where discipline comes in. You're gonna have to learn how to be more disciplined. Whenever I get a new idea I write it down for later but I don't let it derail what I am working on. If you continue to jump around you'll never finish anything. You have to be motivated and tough on yourself so you can finish something. Pick one of the projects and work on it until it's finished. Writers who jump around tend to end up with a million unfinished manuscripts and nothing to show for it. The biggest part of writing is discipline. It won't always be fun or easy but you gotta get something done. Some writers use rewards to help them stay motivated. They reward themselves whenever they finish their writing for that day and it helps them stay on track. Maybe something like that would help you.

Samscript · Sep 3, 2019

For me, I always see my WIP as a sort of marriage. If I start working on something else, it feels like infidelity and that my WIP will suffer for my actions.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with what you're doing as long as you have follow through. If you can't follow through on any WIP, then you'll need to practice better discipline.

Enlightened · Sep 3, 2019

I created a database of ideas with ranking system. Before I write anything, I spent time generating ideas. I have about 20 or so. Some I still think are really good and others I have lost interest in. For me, letting the initial excitement pass helps. Now I know what order to work the projects that stood the test of time based on the ranking system.

BPhillipYork · Sep 13, 2019

Maybe just make a rule that for every hour you spend on a new idea, you have to spend an hour at the grindstone. And maybe break it up, spend 30 minutes on the new idea getting the particulars in motion so you don't forget them, then do your hour on the grindstone, then you get the last half hour on the new idea.

Paul Lamb · Oct 4, 2019

I'm very location specific with my writing. I pretty much MUST be at my desk in my room in the quiet. (I also rise freakishly early in the morning to get the quiet and solitude I need.)

But I also have several projects going at once and one idea I had for achieving balance is to devote different TIMES of the day to different projects. My "literary" stuff gets the early morning hours. But the cozy mysteries could be during the afternoons. Or even at the library.

Compartmentalizing your efforts might help you control them more.

But as others have said, there's no such thing as wasted writing. If the ideas a flowing, get them down!

Shiny new ideas are derailing me from my WIP, but I want more than one project to work on project

The Second Moon

Introversion

Pie aren't squared, pie are round!

Kat M

Ooh, look! String!

The Second Moon

Undercover

I got it covered

The Second Moon

Undercover

I got it covered

talktidy

The Second Moon

Undercover

I got it covered

KBooks

cool pop

It's Cool, Miss Pop if You're Nasty

Samscript

Enlightened

Always Learning

BPhillipYork

Sphinx of black quartz judge my vow

Paul Lamb