The subject of creativity is a popular one in the writer set. Given
the central role that creativity plays in the fiction profession, it’s
no wonder that writers obsess about it. I’ve met some writers who
agonize over coming up with ideas for any kind of writing. It’s a
legitimate struggle they face, and I feel for them. Not having ideas
when you want to create is awful.
Yet, I suspect, at
least half of the writers out there struggle with the opposite problem.
They have too many ideas. Way, way, way too many ideas to ever execute
on all of them. Granted, not every idea is a good idea. I’ve got some
complete short stories that will never see the light of day to attest to
that. They aren’t terrible stories. They hang together okay, but they
don’t have that special something. Sometimes, my execution was subpar,
but the idea usually was just b-grade stuff.
Unfortunately, plenty of ideas are
good ideas. When you start layering on years of experience, even some
of those b-grade ideas can be elevated into something better because
your execution of the idea is so much better than it was say five or ten
years ago. Beyond that, you start training your brain to think in terms
of narrative. These days, I find that I have to avoid opening up a new
file on my computer for an idea because I won’t just jot down the idea.
I’ll start writing. Then, all of a sudden, I’ve got a partially
completed short story or, more often these days, the first couple
chapters of a book that I’m pretty confident has legs.
There’s a
reason why I’ve got like four series in progress, six partially
completed novels, and something like another 15 books just to wrap those
up those series. Plus, there will be new ideas. There will always be
new ideas. Before I finished the first draft of Rinn’s Run, I had ideas
for at least three or four more books in that series. I could probably
make it 10 if I sat down and worked at it.
So, the question I always face is: “How do I sort through the ideas and pick the ones to work on?”
Historically,
I didn’t pick. I just tried to work on everything. See above, six
partially completed novels. These days, I’m more selective. Now, I’m
about to say the least writer-y, least artistic thing you can possibly
say about creative endeavors.
Rule One: Be pragmatic.
If
you’re 19 and only answerable to yourself, you’ve got a lot of freedom
about how you spend your time. For most people, there are adult concerns
that vie for your attention. You’ve probably got a job, maybe a spouse,
and maybe kids. You’ve definitely got bills. Sure, you may have an idea
for a 7-part, epic fantasy series, but do you have the time to work on
it? Will you still want to be working on it 10 years from now if you can
only devote 45 minutes a day to working on it? If you’ve got 3-5 hours a
week to write around all your other responsibilities, you probably want
to focus on short stories and novellas. It’s not that short fiction is
easier to write well, but it’s less time-consuming in the execution.
Rule Two: Phone a Friend
You’ll get a feel for what ideas are gold and which ones aren’t, but it’s not foolproof. You will
get excited about ideas that aren’t top-shelf. If you’re thinking about
sinking some real time into a writing project, especially at the
expense of other writing projects, run the idea by a friend whose
reading judgment you trust. Ask them if that’s a story they’d want to
read. They can help you pick out the wheat from the chaff.
Rule Three: Finish What You Start
Almost
every writer has partially completed short stories or partially
completed novels sitting in a drawer or sitting on their hard drive.
Don’t do that. Finish what you start. There are lots of teaching reasons
to do that. You’ll still learn things about plotting, characterization,
and world-building from those failed attempts, but that’s not my main
reason for advising this. Have you ever had an unfinished task or a task
that you knew you needed to do that you kept putting off? Ever notice
how that task starts taking up more and more brain space. Partially
completed stories and books are just like that. They take up psychic
space as they compete for your attention. Finishing, even if it’s not
great, frees up that psychic space for the next project.
Rule Four: Ignore Me
So,
with all that being said, you should ignore me. I’m not saying you
shouldn’t try those rules, because you should. I’m saying that if you
give those rules a real try and they don’t work for you, drop them. For
the record, one attempt isn’t a real try. Six months or a year is a real
try because the timeline for writing can prove long.
_______________________________________________
Eric Dontigney is the author of the highly regarded novel, THE MIDNIGHT GROUND, as well as the Samuel Branch urban fantasy series and the short story collection, Contingency Jones: The Complete Season One.
Raised in Western New York, he currently resides near Dayton, OH. You
can find him haunting obscure sections of libraries, in Chinese
restaurants or occasionally online at ericdontigney.com.
SHAMELESS ADVERT: If you like Harry Dresden or John Constantine, you’ll love THE MIDNIGHT GROUND. READ IT NOW!
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