What to write next?

[Writer61]

Last night, I sent the final two parts of my WIP to my beta reader. Now I have to decide what to start next. Unfortunately, my pipeline contains an embarrassing number of choices:

• Historic series set in Edo period Japan
• Spy/Thriller series
• Crime/Mystery series
• Mature one-off
• Romance one-off
• Horror one-off
• Fantasy one-off

All of which already have some words written, but none are close to completion. Then there's a bunch of ideas.

How do you choose what to write next?

 

[TheLobster]

The wheel sayeth...



(courtesy of spinthewheel dot io, if you wanna do it yourself)

 

[KittyOfSteele]

How do you choose what to write next?

I have a flowchart for it.

Does any of the list have a deadline? If yes, do that one. If yes, but several of them, prioritize the closest deadline. If not, keep going.

Use a randomizer. It could be something like a random number generator online, a coin, a deck of cards, or some dice. I use dice, so I write those on a list, and begin to roll the dice. Whatever the result I get is the one I focus, or the one I discard. However, if I get a result that I don't like, and my mind goes "oh, but I wanted to do this story instead," then I ignore the result and do the story that I want.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

The wheel sayeth...

View attachment 2699714

(courtesy of spinthewheel dot io, if you wanna do it yourself)

Erle Stanley Gardner used wheels to come up with plots too.

 

[sijopunk]

Historic series set in Edo period Japan

This gets my vote!

 

[IWroteThis]

Unfortunately, my pipeline contains an embarrassing number of choices:

Yes, that list is embarrassingly short. Those are rookie numbers…

While I will force myself to edit a particular story, I won't force myself to write one. I've found that the quality suffers and I end up spending more time in rewrites fixing it. When nothing is actively calling for my attention, I go through through my WiP list and read what I've already written. If that sparks my interest again, I stick with that one. If not, I move on to the next. If none of those show promise, I go through my idea folders. If I'm still not pulled into a story, I either read other people's work or do some mind-numbing chore, like mowing the lawn, that leaves my mind free to wander and come up with something new.

 

[Mastered_again]

How do you choose what to write next?

Edo japan. What could be better than swords and concubines?

 

[Writer61]

Edo japan. What could be better than swords and concubines?

It's tempting, but I am a bit daunted. The outline calls for five parts, and I've only written half of the first. I'm leaning toward a one-off for now.

 

[TheLobster]

I'm leaning toward a one-off for now.

Good! Now it's only four options to put on the wheel then

 

[Mastered_again]

It's tempting, but I am a bit daunted. The outline calls for five parts, and I've only written half of the first. I'm leaning toward a one-off for now.

See, you've narrowed it down to 3 options already

 

[KittyOfSteele]

Edo japan. What could be better than swords and concubines?

Psst. That's the Sengoku period, not the Edo period.

 

[ClintonBrooks]

It's tempting, but I am a bit daunted. The outline calls for five parts, and I've only written half of the first. I'm leaning toward a one-off for now.

Seems like your muse is a 40 y/o woman looking for a 21 y/o present under her Christmas tree.

 

[Writer61]

See, you've narrowed it down to 3 options already

Yes, but, I was looking for how YOU choose what to write next.

 

[Writer61]

Seems like your muse is a 40 y/o woman looking for a 21 y/o present under her Christmas tree.

Er.

 

[KittyOfSteele]

Seems like your muse is a 40 y/o woman looking for a 21 y/o present under her Christmas tree.

*Sigh*

There goes another plot bunny...

 

[Britva415]

How do you choose what to write next?

Which of them is choosing you?

Sorry to answer your question with a question but that is my answer That's how I do it.

 

[ClintonBrooks]

*Sigh*

There goes another plot bunny...

Sorry Kitty.

 

[Writer61]

Sorry to answer your question with a question but that is my answer That's how I do it.

That's OK. My question was: how do YOU do it? Which you have answered. So, thank you.

 

[Mastered_again]

Yes, but, I was looking for how YOU choose what to write next.

At first it was easy. I wrote 8 or so chapters about one couple only for them to tell me they still had lots to do. They didn't warn me it would take 25 chapters before they were satisfied.
Then I wrote what I thought would be a stand alone. Its sequel is giving me fits. Imagining things I haven't done before is fine, putting that into words, not so easy.

 

[ElectricBlue]

It's tempting, but I am a bit daunted. The outline calls for five parts, and I've only written half of the first. I'm leaning toward a one-off for now.

There's the downside of plans and outlines. You've given yourself a preconceived notion for a story that doesn't want to write itself.

Pantsers never have this problem, we just write the the next thing .

 

[anthrodisiac]

Use a randomizer. It could be something like a random number generator online, a coin, a deck of cards, or some dice. I use dice, so I write those on a list, and begin to roll the dice. Whatever the result I get is the one I focus, or the one I discard. However, if I get a result that I don't like, and my mind goes "oh, but I wanted to do this story instead," then I ignore the result and do the story that I want.

I also do dice rolls. Similar thing, it'll land on a story, and a lot of the time I'll go, "Erm... well, lemme roll again." It helps clarify which story you're actually satisfied working on. The brain is a weird-ass gloopy machine, it won't always tell you what it wants, but once you start forcing decisions on it that it doesn't like, it'll reject it, and you keep going until you find one that your brain's like, "Good, let's do that. Just ignore that it took twelve rolls."

 

[anthrodisiac]

There's the downside of plans and outlines. You've given yourself a preconceived notion for a story that doesn't want to write itself.

Pantsers never have this problem, we just write the the next thing .

Even as a heavy pantser, I kinda have this problem, in that I have basic ideas for stories I want to do. Not a ton of info of plotting, just a brief synopsis: "Dragon on thief, but thief is actually a prostitute roleplaying a thief," "Sexy futa snake Mommy," "Anthro deathclaw roleplaying big bad deathclaw with human boyfriend," or "Adorable chinchilla who runs an enchilada stand." Usually a sentence or two, if that. Then I get out the dice if none strike my fancy right off the bat, gets clarified real quick. That's assuming I don't already have one I'm like, "Oh yeah, we're doing multiverse-hopping, shapeshifting sex scout bangs/gets banged by weird aliens."

 

[Britva415]

There's the downside of plans and outlines. You've given yourself a preconceived notion for a story that doesn't want to write itself.

Pantsers never have this problem, we just write the the next thing .

Speaking for myself, I feel like the better I get as a writer, the less of a problem this would / will (?) become.

 

[TheLobster]

I also do dice rolls. Similar thing, it'll land on a story, and a lot of the time I'll go, "Erm... well, lemme roll again."

The site I mentioned let’s you throw away the option you rolled and spin the wheel again. Simply repeat until you get the outcome you want

 

[TropicalTwist]

I don't have much in the pipeline so that helps.

Lately it's been challenges and contests popping up and that gives me enough focus to come up with some sort of idea/an impetus to get to writing on one specific thing. Or tea. Tea seems to be something that causes the focus and determination to come together.