If you’re anything like me, you have no shortage of writing ideas. You’d think that wouldn’t be a problem.
But if you’re like me you’ve probably spent a perfectly good afternoon chasing rabbit-trails of creative thought instead of being productive.
Runaway creativity can be just as bad as writer’s block.
So what do you do when those artistic voices are clamouring in your head for attention? I don’t know about you, but I can’t just ignore them. I’m always afraid they’ll go away. Here’s what I’ve learned.
Pick your number 1 priority and stick with it. But have a back burner, too.
Have a system close at hand to “download” your ideas as they interrupt your writing flow.
If a rogue idea has something to do with the current work in progress, then I quickly find the spot it will go and enter it as a point form comment with square brackets [ … ] That way I can do a search for those brackets later and make sure I’ve fixed them all. I also make use of reviewer comments to highlight areas I need to work on later.
If the interloper has nothing to do with my current work, then I keep a container with blank index cards that I can jot a quick note on for later.
The key is simplicity. A back burner isn’t meant to be a fully developed idea.
Hope that helps. Feel free to share anything that has worked for you. 🙂
Erin E. M. Hatton 