I have had a problem with new ideas recently. They seem to be
invading my thinking nearly all of the time and I blame my writers’ group. Yes,
it’s your fault. All of you.
Little sayings, little phrases are sparking ideas at the
moment and drawing my attention away from where it should be; firmly focused on
my fantasy novel which seems to have stalled in a way, again. It is being
written, and edited, at the moment and I’m getting lots of fresh ideas for that
too.
But in a recent day dream of all the stories I would like to
write I started to think about those I have planned or started or had ideas
for. An action style women’s fiction I started some time ago, that is still in
the planning stages has been haunting me and the ending came into focus in the
car the other day. Another women’s fiction idea, still in the very early stages
of thinking about seemed to float back to the surface too and I ended up doing
half a day’s research for it.
All distractions from my current work.
Coming back to my writing group; imagine the cheek of some
people, actually inspiring writing in such an environment. But they have (and
they do regularly) and a couple of phrases are starting to grow into bigger
ideas. I think for the moment they are short stories but I have had to stop and
ask: is it worth me writing them now?
All of this thinking about stories, and more stories and
parts for old stories and unfinished stories is good in some ways. It helps my
confidence that there are that many stories locked away somewhere in my head.
And that my muse is working and I may never run dry for ideas. Yet it distracts
from what I want to finish now. Again with the unfinished work.
I want so much to finish my current fantasy because I want
to see how it ends, and because then I can legitimately get on with other
stories. I will have to write down the little ideas, so I don’t lose them, and
focus, focus and focus some more on one project at a time.
Happy Scribbling
