How to Decide What Project to Stick With
When you lose enthusiasm for a specific story you’re working
on, it can be hard to force yourself to keep going with it—especially if your
heart’s not into it. However, many writers skip from project to project and
don’t allow themselves to focus on one idea. It’s nice to be able to jump
around, but that makes it hard to ever finish anything.
So how do you decide what project to stick with? What should
your next step be if you’re not excited about your writing? Here are a few things to consider:
Go with your gut
I know it sounds silly, but one of the best ways to decide
what you should work on is to go with your gut instincts. What excites you?
What characters inspire you? If you’ve written a character that doesn’t
necessarily do anything for you any more, there’s always the opportunity to
refocus your ideas. In the end, it really depends on what gets your creative
juices flowing.
Don’t always
entertain every idea
Not every idea is a good one. Not every idea will make it to
the next stage. It’s totally okay to let some ideas go. I think some writers,
myself included, get too hung up on ideas and we get too attached to ideas that
just aren’t working anymore. Be willing to switch things up. I promise you’ll
always have more ideas!
Think about what has
the most potential
Original ideas should lead to bigger and better ideas. Work
on combining ideas to build something more powerful. This might take some time,
so don’t worry if it isn’t all coming to you at once. Let ideas settle and see
if you can make them into something more. Brainstorm often. I usually go with
the project I think has the most potential—something I can continually build on
and make more exciting. A dead end idea is not something you normally want to
pursue.
Try rethinking the
idea
Just because an idea doesn’t work right away doesn’t mean
you need to toss it. Think about the idea from a new angle. Like I said before,
don’t be afraid to get rid of ideas that aren’t working for your story. Think
about your story from a different character’s perspective or try changing some
details. Stay creative!
-Kris Noel
