What do you do when you're torn between two similar ideas?

[Naruzeldamaster]

Sometimes I'll come up with more than one idea at once.
Every once in a while they'll be similar enough that I can combine the one I'm less interested in with the more interesting one.
But sometimes the ideas are too different (either in setting or in tone, usually tone) and I never know which one to pick.

 

[Super Fantasy]

Write about both separate.

 

[Finchbearer]

What is stopping you from writing both?

 

[skip.knox]

Caught in a riptide
Torn between two loves
The old and the new

The song never solves the problem, so I don't reckon I will either. Happens to me constantly.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

What is stopping you from writing both?

Honestly? Burnout more than anything, usually when I try to tackle more than one project at a time I get distracted by all of them and never make any progress on any of em. These two ideas are super similar to the point where I could pick one and be happy, but I am unsure what to pick ._.; Absolutely doesn't help that they're both fanfiction and also both for the same universe.

 

[Prince of Spires]

Novels generally require more than 1 idea. So in many cases you can just put multiple ideas into a single novel. That's one option.

The other is to simply pick the one you're most excited about and have the clearest idea for a story for and write that.

I generally have multiple ideas going through my head at a time. And usually when I'm writing a novel I'll get ideas for one or two more novels. Which means I come up with ideas at an exponential rate. The only way then to decide what to work on next is to think about what story I want to write the most and write that.

 

[Super Fantasy]

I like to combine two ideas together, especially if they are very different and can be combined somehow anyway.

 

[Michael-Kaye]

Sometimes I'll come up with more than one idea at once.
Every once in a while they'll be similar enough that I can combine the one I'm less interested in with the more interesting one.
But sometimes the ideas are too different (either in setting or in tone, usually tone) and I never know which one to pick.

Keep multiple ideas running in separate docs... when your hitting that wall with one storyline, take a deep breath, clear your mind, and open one of the other storylines... after all, the hardest thing to do is to write a blank page.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

I wouldn't say I'm an accomplished multitasker, but I'm juggling four projects at once right now, three novels and one short story due at the end of the month. It's a skill that all authors need to learn eventually, indie or trad. In this day and age, readers are used to seeing two or three releases a year from the authors they follow. Used to be one. Not so much anymore.

So, my advice is don't choose. You can totally poly projects and you'll find that with practice you may increase your focus in other areas, so another win!

 

[Super Fantasy]

Choose your favorite one while trying to integrate themes or topics from the less favorite to maximize creative potential.

 

[pmmg]

Sometimes I'll come up with more than one idea at once.
Every once in a while they'll be similar enough that I can combine the one I'm less interested in with the more interesting one.
But sometimes the ideas are too different (either in setting or in tone, usually tone) and I never know which one to pick.

Are you writing short stories? or a novel?

I dont really have this issue often. I have been known to write a scene, and then dump it what a better idea for it came along. I may waste some effort, but its all in service to making a better story. If its a novel, keeping ones eye on the goal helps, cause if a scene idea is not getting to where they story needs to go, its easy to put aside. If these are ideas for short stories, just do them both.

I'd say, if the idea is not strong enough to make you want to stay up late to write it, it can be stuck on the back-burner till it finds its place.