Overwhelmed

[madelinemasoch]

I have wayyy too many ideas that are just fragments, puzzle pieces that don’t fit together, some of which are so shrouded with mystery that I don’t even know who the characters really are yet. I have no clue what to do. It’s kinda funny. I’m overwhelmed with all these small ideas and still waiting for a big one. Can anyone relate? What do you do in this type of situation?

 

[EmilyMiller]

Pick something interesting out of your ideas. Try to write 1 - 2k words on it. See if it’s going anywhere. If not pick another, rinse, and repeat. If it is, keep writing. Or - if that’s more your vibe - write an outline, or a short treatment, or write the end and work to it.

 

[iwatchus]

My suggestion is to focus on one fragment. Which ever one tickles your fancy. Talk to someone about the character or characters. Your cat will do if you have a cat. How did they get in this situation? Are they happy? Then write a little back story for the fragment. If you can, write something to bring some minimal closure to whatever questions you raised in their back story.

Try this several times. You can try getting someone to read any of them that have some promise to you and get feedback. Maybe more questions to answer. You don't need much of a character arc or story arc to write a simple vignette. And they can be publishable here.

It sounds like you have practiced your basic writing skills, but you need to work on your story telling skills.

 

[TheWorldBuilder]

Keep thinking them out. Try to spot a few that do have something in common. Part-formed ideas are a good thing, they're better than no muse at all.

 

[NuclearFairy]

It doesn't even have to be a full 1k words, start off with a goal of just 100. Then after that, reassess; is this idea still holding your attention? Were you able to ignore the others long enough to write this bit?

 

[Kelliezgirl]

Keep a journal or notebook of some sort and write them all down. Some day you might hit a creative dry spell and wonder where they all went.
Once you have them written down, try and prioritize. Which ones do you think have the most potential?
I've done that before and realized that several ideas weren't really stories, they were scenes, but I could fold them into one of the ideas that was story worthy.

 

[madelinemasoch]

Keep a journal or notebook of some sort and write them all down. Some day you might hit a creative dry spell and wonder where they all went.
Once you have them written down, try and prioritize. Which ones do you think have the most potential?
I've done that before and realized that several ideas weren't really stories, they were scenes, but I could fold them into one of the ideas that was story worthy.

Thanks to everyone else who responded as well.

I have written them down in a list. Some of them I can see vividly in my mind but I’m not sure how to translate into words. Some of them are laden with potential but don’t fit in with the others.

I might have to just keep working at it.

 

[Bramblethorn]

What works for me:

Take two or three of those. Ask myself "if these were in a story together, how would that work?" Treat it like trying to solve a crossword puzzle where I have a few letters in a word and I need to fill in the rest.

 

[TheWorldBuilder]

Even if they don't make a story or scene, describe the 'image' ones as clearly as you can.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

Several writers (here and in meatlife) have recommended writing just the ending of one of the stories. Once you have a goal, you might find it easier to write scenes that lead up to it.

If you can't formulate an ending, Brandon Sanderson's advice when stuck (what he does) is write stuff you know you won't use. Write out two or three pages that is bad, unusable. The editor in your head will then start saying, "Hey, Madeline, that's wrong! Jenny should be secretly desiring Nancy, but too shy to say it, so she is writing the anonymous notes!"

(Or whatever.)

--Annie

 

[IWroteThis]

I use a piece of software called yWriter that breaks things down into chapters and scenes. I have one file (for Literotica) that I use as an Idea Vault. I have a chapter for each category, plus one for things where I'm unsure on a category, and add a new scene for each idea. I may combine multiple ideas later, but I try to capture each idea independently. I also don't judge ideas at this point, but just capture them for later review. It's all about getting the clutter out of my head and organized. I find it so much easier and useful than a bunch of individual files or a bloated Word document.

When a story advances enough, I move it to it's own file. I currently have just over 50 stories with their own file. One of those is currently Pending approval here, two are in final editing, and five are on hold for the 750 Word Project in February. There are several others I've worked on in the last week, but a lot more that I'm kind of stuck on and haven't added anything significant in months.

Therein lies the beauty of my system, in my opinion. Most of the time, when I have the urge to write, it's an urge to work on a specific story, so I go straight to it. If not, I browse through all of my WiP stories. If nothing there speaks to me, I open the Idea Vault and start going through it. I'll quite often add little notes or details to ideas as I go through, until I find the one idea that my brain latches onto. At that point, I move it to its own file and start writing. It's rare that I get through the entire vault without something speaking to me. When it does happen, I can always ramble on in the forums!

 

[SmilingLez]

I have wayyy too many ideas that are just fragments, puzzle pieces that don’t fit together, some of which are so shrouded with mystery that I don’t even know who the characters really are yet. I have no clue what to do. It’s kinda funny. I’m overwhelmed with all these small ideas and still waiting for a big one. Can anyone relate? What do you do in this type of situation.

I use paper and pen to write. When a random idea pops in my head, I jot it down on a separate sheet of paper with an appropriate title and put it in a my "Ideas" notebook (alphabetical order). This way my ideas are always available.

 

[TheRedChamber]

If this site has taught me anything , it's that everyone's writing process is different.

For me, most stories start with a 'spark' which is often not the underlying theme or point of the story, but which is an idea which seems unique enough to have its own character and which I can start to make logical deductions about. (While writing prose might be 10% inspiration and 90% perperation, I find plotting a similar mix of inspiration and logic)

Find an image or idea you have that is erotic and distinct then work backwards to how two people (or ten) would realistically find themselves in that situation. Don't worry overly about character yet except to assign traits that are needed for the story to happen (You'd need to be pretty dumb to get your head stuck in a washing machine door, so...character C is indeed a little dumb) Character will deepen as you write prose and fill in the 'details that don't matter but kinda do' (e.g what type of clothes character C is putting in the washing machine)

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I have wayyy too many ideas that are just fragments, puzzle pieces that don’t fit together, some of which are so shrouded with mystery that I don’t even know who the characters really are yet. I have no clue what to do. It’s kinda funny. I’m overwhelmed with all these small ideas and still waiting for a big one. Can anyone relate? What do you do in this type of situation?

Of course. It’s called an imaginative, creative mind. You are, seriously, entitled to both congratulations and sympathy.

Short term solution? Many have suggested latching on to just one. That’s not a bad way.

Long term? Well, I have acres of plot bunnies just chilling. Every so often, I go back through them and find one that’s just right for Now.

Good luck!

 

[SmilingLez]

(While writing prose might be 10% inspiration and 90% perperation, I find plotting a similar mix of inspiration and logic)

As a poet, I find writing poetry/prose 100% inspiration. I can take a walk in the park and describe it in words (my non-erotic story (still) pending). The inspiration for my newest prose entitled "Click", was a combination of TV and apathy. It should post tomorrow.

For me there is no preparation, I just let the words flow from my mind, to the pen, and finally to the paper.

 

[Actingup]

Lots of useful advice here. My experience is that if you just choose one, you'll find the other relevant ideas knocking on the door soon enough, while the irrelevant ones are off having a little orgy somewhere. Invite the relevant ones into your house, and then let them brew you a cup of tea while you go off to find the orgy.

 

[Wonderer67]

I write mostly poetry, and I get ideas and lines all the time. Mostly when I’m driving.

I do voice to text on a note page on my phone. Sometimes the ideas or lines pan put. Sometimes they don’t.

But I have a big note page of ideas.

Dont lose the ideas!!!

 

[TheRedChamber]

As a poet, I find writing poetry/prose 100% inspiration. I can take a walk in the park and describe it in words (my non-erotic story (still) pending). The inspiration for my newest prose entitled "Click", was a combination of TV and apathy. It should post tomorrow.

For me there is no preparation, I just let the words flow from my mind, to the pen, and finally to the paper.

Everyone is different, as I said, and poetry maybe is different from a story. I find with the right spark the skeleton of the rest can be deduced.

 

[sirhugs]

Of course. It’s called an imaginative, creative mind. You are, seriously, entitled to both congratulations and sympathy.

Short term solution? Many have suggested latching on to just one. That’s not a bad way.

Long term? Well, I have acres of plot bunnies just chilling. Every so often, I go back through them and find one that’s just right for Now.

Good luck!

Thanks to everyone else who responded as well.

I have written them down in a list. Some of them I can see vividly in my mind but I’m not sure how to translate into words. Some of them are laden with potential but don’t fit in with the others.

I might have to just keep working at it.

I picture them like characters in a movie and type out what I see and hear in my mind. If I get stuck, I ask "what happens next?" Sounds silly, but often works. And is less silly than my next trick, which is to flip a coin to decide. I am not bound by the coin flip. It is a values clarification exercise. If it turns up heads and my soul says "shit I wish it was tails", I write the tails trail.

 

[sirhugs]

Of course. It’s called an imaginative, creative mind. You are, seriously, entitled to both congratulations and sympathy.

Short term solution? Many have suggested latching on to just one. That’s not a bad way.

Long term? Well, I have acres of plot bunnies just chilling. Every so often, I go back through them and find one that’s just right for Now.

Good luck!

don't forget the carrots for the plot bunnies

 

[DeMont]

I have wayyy too many ideas that are just fragments, puzzle pieces that don’t fit together, some of which are so shrouded with mystery that I don’t even know who the characters really are yet. I have no clue what to do. It’s kinda funny. I’m overwhelmed with all these small ideas and still waiting for a big one. Can anyone relate? What do you do in this type of situation?

@madelinemasoch,
I Excel, spreadsheet that is. Columns for Character/s, Category/Activity, Setting/Location so on and so forth. Each field has short "remember" items/words in it and sometimes I can look over it and choose field A1 to go with B4 and D7 - Bingo!!! Idea.

I find that to be a simple way to keep the "shards" gathered together and be able to review them easily. Along the way, during the day, if I get an idea, or "plot bunny", I put it in my phone and transfer it to the spreadsheet as I have the time.

Just an idea.
Deepest respects,
D.