Shiny New Ideas For a Shiny New Year

It's almost time to start the year! So what better time to pay attention to some of those shiny new ideas that have been floating around in your head like willow the wisps? You know the ones. The ones that you brush away like flies because you're trying to focus on revisions. 

Once in a while one of those lovely little wisps grows bright and shiny and demands your focus, despite your attempts otherwise. It might even wake you in the middle of the night because it's so bright. 

My advice? Pay attention. Get up and write what demands to be written. Jot down those characters and problems and first pages (that probably won't be first pages forever) and whatever else you need to. Start a file for it. Give in. Because there's nothing like that joy in discovering something new that was inside of you all along. 

Do you have to let it take over? No. You can - and probably should - finish what you need to. But you might as well take a break on occasion when the muse strikes. Because it'll refresh you and remind you what you love about this work. Yes, even if you enjoy revisions. :D 

So happy new ideas to you all!!!

Brain Storms

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Shiny new ideas are so much fun! But how many of your shiny new ideas become full fledged books? If you're like me, you have numerous false starts on your laptop. Though hopefully they eventually become something, they may not. I don't fret over it because I know that each time I set fingers to keyboard, I'm furthering my writing abilities. 


But have you had the opposite happen? You feel like you need to write something and can't come up with an original idea? I suppose it depends on the writer. But here are a few suggestions that can be used to take an ordinary idea and flip it on its head OR take that shiny new idea that's not going anywhere and uncover the hidden gold.

1. Flip the premise around. Let's take a tired idea as an example. Girl falls for mysterious guy who is really a demon/werewolf/vampire/paranormal creature. Eh. How about if he tries to get her to fall for him, but she isn't interested and it turns out she's actually a demon hunter who has become the hunted? A little better...
2. Change the gender roles. What if it's a girl that's the creature and the normal boy falls for her? Still not great, but it's got more promise.
3. Take a necessary supporting character and look at it from her POV. Maybe it's about a girl who knows the guy's secret all along and has loved him for years, but has to watch as he makes a fool of himself going after the other girl.
4. Combine several: The girl above has to protect the demon from the hunter because he can't see the danger ahead. Yeah, I like that one. What do you think? 

Sometimes it takes time to find the heart of your story. Sometimes it's a character that won't leave you alone. Don't ever count anything as waste, you never know what will occur to you later!

Dangerous Distractions

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I have a problem. I get easily distracted by shiny objects and ideas. That can make it hard to focus on a project, especially if that project is in the "why am I doing this?" phase. I'm not the only one that gets that, right? Where you've stared at it so long, you're afraid your eye balls might start to bleed? The good news is that this stage does pass and you fall in love again - I've been there. BUT the bad news is that sparkly little idea might try to get your attention. 


So what to do? 


I try, in these times to remind myself that if my shiny new friend is as good as it looks, it's worth waiting for. If I do then:

1. I can give it the full attention it deserves when I'm ready.
2. I will have the satisfaction of knowing that my other project, which was once the shiny new idea, worked out.
3. If I can't stay focused on the other idea, what makes me think this will go any better?

If all else fails, I write a little of it to try and get it out of my system. Mostly I know I just have to prioritize though and treat this like a job, because that's what ultimately works. 

Any other ideas?