tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468643916756368998.post6504526517136201320..comments2023-06-26T02:58:39.010-07:00Comments on The Muse's Library: Resisting the Shiny New IdeaErin Latimerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06966784285634663955noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468643916756368998.post-81139930292534540152013-03-13T21:07:54.749-07:002013-03-13T21:07:54.749-07:00I hope so too! Glad I could help! (And good luck!)...I hope so too! Glad I could help! (And good luck!)Erin Latimerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06966784285634663955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468643916756368998.post-9145708300081657392013-03-03T16:52:01.191-08:002013-03-03T16:52:01.191-08:00Oh my good golly gumdrops! SNIS is my biggest prob...Oh my good golly gumdrops! SNIS is my biggest problem when it comes to writing. I currently have nine novels going (all with less than 15 chapters because I can never make it far before a new idea hits me....) because I keep getting hit with new ideas! Hopefully the tips you gave will help....Rhapsodichttp://wattpad.com/rhapsodicnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468643916756368998.post-18483223151092366792013-01-21T13:51:33.484-08:002013-01-21T13:51:33.484-08:00Oh, perfectionism can be the downfall of authors j...Oh, perfectionism can be the downfall of authors just as much as SNIS though! Sounds like you need to force yourself to stick to a number of drafts (most authors do four or five at the most)edit ONE manuscript instead of rewriting, and then send them out to beta readers. Writers have to cope with the idea that our book is never ever going to be perfect, we can only polish it up the best we can before we send it out. Otherwise you'll never finish anything!Erin Latimerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06966784285634663955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468643916756368998.post-52781259059868750582013-01-21T11:52:54.093-08:002013-01-21T11:52:54.093-08:00SNIS, sounds kind of wonderful... I have about... ...SNIS, sounds kind of wonderful... I have about... 17 "rough drafts" of one idea that has been hounding me for 9 years... 9 YEARS. <br />I suffer from perfectionism. My coping mechanisms always fail, because I put it away, and when I return I find three new things I hate, so instead of fixing those three things, plus the ones i hated while writing and just kept going anyways, I rewrite the whole thing... Thusly... 17 rough drafts. 4 Banker's boxes full of the same manuscript.. It' a horrid loop, that I will hopefully eventually break...<br />As for SNIS, never had a case of it.. ever... hope I never do, it's bad enough with just this one book... two scares me.. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468643916756368998.post-59077330811185211072012-12-03T17:29:00.855-08:002012-12-03T17:29:00.855-08:00I'm glad I read this before SNIS has ever happ...I'm glad I read this before SNIS has ever happened to me...when it does, I'll make sure to resist the temptation!Jaimie Krychohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04065611005472592459noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468643916756368998.post-74732230058221849952012-11-28T16:05:10.821-08:002012-11-28T16:05:10.821-08:00You must have stronger will power than I do! Maybe...You must have stronger will power than I do! Maybe you're not as flighty and excitable, haha. I am VERY easily distracted. Erin Latimerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06966784285634663955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468643916756368998.post-51163173680155348702012-11-27T08:37:41.725-08:002012-11-27T08:37:41.725-08:00If I get a new idea while writing a story, I do ju...If I get a new idea while writing a story, I do just shelve it away until I'm finished with the current story. After that, the new idea just seems like any other idea.Mark Muratahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03562597698193306363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468643916756368998.post-39047724393544221532012-11-26T14:43:50.394-08:002012-11-26T14:43:50.394-08:00Thank you! I'll do my best to give that a go :...Thank you! I'll do my best to give that a go :D Also, I love the fact that you give everyone a reply. ^^ Edenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06301307265795054891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468643916756368998.post-12391206276991145162012-11-26T11:14:57.391-08:002012-11-26T11:14:57.391-08:00I find it difficult too. It's hard having a cr...I find it difficult too. It's hard having a creative, busy mind and trying to concentrate on just ONE story line and group of characters! I think that as writers keep writing they learn more and more about themselves and how they can deal with the distraction of SNIS. ;)Erin Latimerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06966784285634663955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468643916756368998.post-38494079538648073832012-11-26T11:12:54.999-08:002012-11-26T11:12:54.999-08:00I would suggest thinking about that shiny new idea...I would suggest thinking about that shiny new idea a bit longer before you start writing. Let it snowball in your brain, getting larger and larger and more exciting. The more genius ideas you come up with involving that particular idea for a book, the more excited you'll be, hence the "shiny new" stage will last a lot longer. Try outlining your story completely, doing character profiles, maps, ect. Until you know your story front and back. That should make it real for you, and make you really want to write it (and keep writing). And don't worry about having an "awful" first draft. That's what a first draft is. You get it all out, reread it and sigh over how terrible it is, then you do another two drafts and keep polishing it until it's actually pretty. ;)Erin Latimerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06966784285634663955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468643916756368998.post-74199607880846108242012-11-26T11:09:46.709-08:002012-11-26T11:09:46.709-08:00I think that's what I'm afraid of (them fa...I think that's what I'm afraid of (them fading away). For wattpad I try not to have more than two stories going at a time (though right now I'm bad and have three) it's just too much.Erin Latimerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06966784285634663955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468643916756368998.post-87373243616652496832012-11-26T11:09:00.398-08:002012-11-26T11:09:00.398-08:00You're absolutely not alone! I too have notebo...You're absolutely not alone! I too have notebooks jammed full of shiny ideas! :)Erin Latimerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06966784285634663955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468643916756368998.post-35577274340390425062012-11-26T11:08:31.245-08:002012-11-26T11:08:31.245-08:00I used to do the same thing, but now I learned I d...I used to do the same thing, but now I learned I don't get anything done if I let myself wander down "distraction lane" <-- I like that, by the way. So now I force myself to power through the first draft. I'm hoping with my current SNI it will be different, because I'm so excited about it. Try to pump yourself back up about your old idea so you can finish!Erin Latimerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06966784285634663955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468643916756368998.post-29004282118360009842012-11-25T18:07:35.405-08:002012-11-25T18:07:35.405-08:00I have the same problem too. I probably have a cou...I have the same problem too. I probably have a couple of notebooks which have one or two chapters containing a great story, then I'd have a new idea and either skip a few pages ahead to write that one or just use a new notebook. It gets really annoying but at the same time I learn few things about the type of story ideas I get when re-reading past written works.<br /><br />So that's how I usually solve it. Not a good thing. I try extremely hard to finish one story before going to another, which is difficult as I am quite an impatient person. But I will keep your advice in mind. Ali Purplehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00323948029913564461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468643916756368998.post-33935287799997770132012-11-25T13:45:14.542-08:002012-11-25T13:45:14.542-08:00That was a great blog article! (I don't know w...That was a great blog article! (I don't know what you call these things...)<br /><br />I actually don't struggle from this as much, I have almost the opposite. I come up with new ideas every now and then, but they only stay exciting for a day. I begin writing thinking this is the best idea that I have ever found, and come back to it the next day and think it's worthless. <br /><br />This means that the most I've ever written on the same story was about 6 types pages (that idea stuck around for about a month) and then the next time I read it I think it's awful, or it doesn't make sense and then I spent ages trying to edit the tiny bit I've written, or change the entire plot in the middle of writing it.<br /><br />Any ideas? I long to be a published author, but while my plots don't work, and I stay so self-critical, I can't finish a book! Help! ^^Edenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06301307265795054891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468643916756368998.post-65989268897194128932012-11-25T13:06:24.542-08:002012-11-25T13:06:24.542-08:00I do this ALOT if you go on wattpad and look at li...I do this ALOT if you go on wattpad and look at like five or more storys i start but never finish, it drives me crazy, every once in a while i go through and write a chapter here and there but never finish what i started. I hate when this happens and what i do is write the 'new' idea down and make it into a chapter asking what anyone else thinks of it and if they like it, it makes me want to write more of it. I then dont go back to my 'old' idea and finish it. But i suppose that one day i'll have all my 'old' ideas etheir complete or in the back of my mind fading away...<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />~GabriellaScarlett at Wattpad.comGabriellaScarletthttp://www.wattpad.com/user/GabriellaScarlettnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468643916756368998.post-27070880066517734862012-11-25T13:00:08.689-08:002012-11-25T13:00:08.689-08:00Oh my gosh- I'm right with you there on this o...Oh my gosh- I'm right with you there on this one! I have literally five notebooks filled from cover to cover with new story ideas, along with basic outlines so I don't forget! It's great to know I'm not the only writer with this HORRID probelm!! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00294943582587475784noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5468643916756368998.post-5963352556557789492012-11-25T12:47:46.683-08:002012-11-25T12:47:46.683-08:00I've come to realize that this is a horrible h...I've come to realize that this is a horrible habit. Horrible, horrible, horrible! But I just can't shake it. Hopefully, this helps, and I'll finish my current project. x) As for tips on how I cope... I don't. SNIS attacks me at random. And I'll just scribble the idea down and carry on my merry way down distraction lane. Of course, months later I'll go back to my original project, wide-eyed and in awe of the fact that I ever had this idea. The equivalent of SNIS will attack me again, and I'll abandon my shiny new idea for my old one. D: I'm stuck in a loop!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com