Do you have any 'side' ideas tickling your writing muscles right now?

[A. E. Lowan]

I love the lil evil snow globe!

Look closer. Search your feelings.

 

[Demesnedenoir]

Always.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

Always.

It's constant with me.
So many dumb plot bunnies I've had to either murder or set aside til later.

 

[Gurkhal]

I have so many ideas right now that I don't know which one is a side idea and which one is a main idea anymore.

 

[Lynea]

I came up with an alternate timeline kind of thing a few months ago. I haven't written much down, but the idea lives rent free in my mind these days.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

I came up with an alternate timeline kind of thing a few months ago. I haven't written much down, but the idea lives rent free in my mind these days.

I tell people we write our own fanfics.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

I tell people we write our own fanfics.

And some of us have guilty pleasures writing our own fanfics of fictional shows/games/movies.
Or Planning them at least, gosh if I wrote down every fanfiction idea I'd never get my original work done lol

 

[Lynea]

I tell people we write our own fanfics.

Lol, yess! I never thought I'd get to that point-- especially not before releasing the OG stuff, but here we are

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

Lol, yess! I never thought I'd get to that point-- especially not before releasing the OG stuff, but here we are

My 'trick' for my brain is to write chapter 1 of an idea and get the feelers out if said idea will stick (If it's fanfiction of a show/game/movie etc)
If it doesn't 'stick' I take notes, scrap the idea and save the notes for another idea.
If it does stick, the chapter 1 goes in a 'waiting room' folder while I work on my 'main' project, out of sight out of mind, and it's working surprisingly well.

 

[Lynea]

That sounds very efficient. I consider my AU idea strong enough to put effort into it later down the line, but I don't intend to finish it anytime soon.

 

[Susannosaurus]

I am a bit cursed in this department, whenever a new 'idea' forms it starts harassing me nonstop until I write at least Chapter 1.
It's a major reason why I haven't finished a book yet. But I refuse to write anything else until I finish Sinbad.

I'm plugging away at Sinbad and will be finishing the first chapter of act 2 soon.

Use the new ideas as rewards! Definitely jot them down somewhere so they don't get lost.
What I do sometimes is to tell myself that if I get my quota on my current project done for the day, I get to work on whatever I want for the rest of the day (if there's any day left...). I call the side projects 'sugar' because they're something I treat myself to like a kind of dessert.
For me personally I've found that it's better to stick to one project at a time. If I do more than one, they tend to assume a similar flavour and the characters lose definition. I need to grow the atmosphere of that one story to give it its unique flavour.
Okay, that sounds a bit gross

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

Use the new ideas as rewards! Definitely jot them down somewhere so they don't get lost.
What I do sometimes is to tell myself that if I get my quota on my current project done for the day, I get to work on whatever I want for the rest of the day (if there's any day left...). I call the side projects 'sugar' because they're something I treat myself to like a kind of dessert.
For me personally I've found that it's better to stick to one project at a time. If I do more than one, they tend to assume a similar flavour and the characters lose definition. I need to grow the atmosphere of that one story to give it its unique flavour.
Okay, that sounds a bit gross

Counting the projects I have available as side ideas.
I have 2 Original Fiction and two Fanfictions rolling. With one other Original fiction idea in the 'notes taking' phase.
I do not need more projects at the moment lol Not meaning any offense to those who have the condition. But My 'writing brain' absolutely has ADHD even though I don't have the disorder. (I do have a disorder but not that one) My writing muscles get distracted by every shiny new idea that poops into my brain and I hate it. lol

I had to force myself to stop being tempted to work on my other stuff so I can finish sinbad. It's been going well but I'm slowly plugging away.

Honestly I'd rather have too many ideas than not enough ideas, but please brain can we work together and have them for the SAME dang story? Please?? lol

 

[A. E. Lowan]

I had to force myself to stop being tempted to work on my other stuff so I can finish sinbad. It's been going well but I'm slowly plugging away.

Honestly I'd rather have too many ideas than not enough ideas, but please brain can we work together and have them for the SAME dang story? Please?? lol

And then we have us, where I tried to have two standalones, and instead made two prequels firmly rooted in the Books of Binding.

Correction. Two more prequels. fml

Also tried to create a totally not-Binding trilogy. Now it's five books, and they will all be chonkers. Epic Fantasy. There's a talking pig.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

And then we have us, where I tried to have two standalones, and instead made two prequels firmly rooted in the Books of Binding.

Correction. Two more prequels. fml

At least your brain's ideas stick to the same story / story series. Mine? All over the place. My brain goes 'oo Rom com idea' 'oo epic fantasy' 'oo fanfic idea' lol

Also tried to create a totally not-Binding trilogy. Now it's five books, and they will all be chonkers. Epic Fantasy. There's a talking pig.

I don't have talking pigs but I do have talking Raccoons (I've called them Tanuki because 'raccoon' takes some of the fun out of it) they're a lot more human like and very short (unless they're half human, then for some reason they're super tall) more like raccoon size, but big enough for the human anatomy to make sense. Little hoarders the lot of them. Not just treasure, anything valuable, especially information. They have a whole 'network' even. It's very tricky to bribe them into helping you (each Tanuki group has different interests) but if you do, very useful set of friends to have. Even better if you befriend their current chief. (She's half human)

 

[ThinkerX]

I tapped out some notes last night for another idea that had been bubbling in the background for a long while. Setting, no story yet.

An uninhabitable planet with alien artifacts and deposits of trans-Plutonian elements in a distant star system. A hastily built survey base where 'something happened.'

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

I tapped out some notes last night for another idea that had been bubbling in the background for a long while. Setting, no story yet.

An uninhabitable planet with alien artifacts and deposits of trans-Plutonian elements in a distant star system. A hastily built survey base where 'something happened.'

Somehow, palpatine Returned.

I kid, but that is a dangerous game to play lol

Case in point me: I have this big over arching plot (Possibly a trio at minimum) but I have no clue on the finer points. I'm a pantser as a guilty pleasure and if I can smash out a good book doing that I'll be pleased. I have a general idea of where I want the plot to go, and story beats that need to happen for each character, otherwise? Bupkis, nothin is planned down to the final letter of the chapter.

 

[ThinkerX]

Somehow, palpatine Returned.

I kid, but that is a dangerous game to play lol

Case in point me: I have this big over arching plot (Possibly a trio at minimum) but I have no clue on the finer points. I'm a pantser as a guilty pleasure and if I can smash out a good book doing that I'll be pleased. I have a general idea of where I want the plot to go, and story beats that need to happen for each character, otherwise? Bupkis, nothin is planned down to the final letter of the chapter.

For me, this is one element in something that might or might not become a story, or part of a story.

I did the same thing with another idea a couple of weeks ago.

My computer is littered with such.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

For me, this is one element in something that might or might not become a story, or part of a story.

I did the same thing with another idea a couple of weeks ago.

My computer is littered with such.

my idea? try gathering a lot of those notes into 'groups' and see if you can make a story out of them.
I have a fun idea for a world (It's like Who Framed Rogger Rabbit but darker) but I have next to no actual plot for it.
Pmming gave me a fun idea and with some refining it's just comical enough to work.

 

[ThinkerX]

my idea? try gathering a lot of those notes into 'groups' and see if you can make a story out of them.
I have a fun idea for a world (It's like Who Framed Rogger Rabbit but darker) but I have next to no actual plot for it.
Pmming gave me a fun idea and with some refining it's just comical enough to work.

That has happened. It might happen again.

 

[BlueFire]

I am a bit cursed in this department, whenever a new 'idea' forms it starts harassing me nonstop until I write at least Chapter 1.
It's a major reason why I haven't finished a book yet. But I refuse to write anything else until I finish Sinbad.

I'm plugging away at Sinbad and will be finishing the first chapter of act 2 soon.

I say write a brief fragment of the idea and get back to writing Sinbad. Revision can work wonders.