Writing

The Shiny New Idea — Blessing Or Curse?

When writers get stuck, a mysterious saviour is reaching out to us. It’s the ‘shiny new idea.’ In this article, we ask if that’s a blessing — or a curse.

Every writer knows this. You’re in a project and suddenly a shiny new idea comes along. It seems so much more attractive than the current project. Sound familiar? How do you react? Is it a blessing you’re thankful for? Or, is it a curse and you keep away?

I think we need more information about the nature of the shiny new idea.

What Exactly Is The ‘Shiny New Idea’?

A shiny new idea is a glittering, exciting adventure that promises all the frills and thrills of a newborn idea. It is also a way out of a project that seems boring, difficult, and seemingly unrewarding. So, it’s a blessing, right?

Not so fast. Following that idea is the easy way out of a difficult situation. That decision leads to an unfinished manuscript. Which leads to frustration. Which potentially leads to a feeling of low self-esteem as a writer. So, it’s a curse, right?

Before we decide, let’s look at when the shiny new idea appears.

The Birth Of The Shiny New Idea

Shiny new ideas never appear when all is going well in your writing. You’re completely immune to it when you feel the flow of writing.

It’s when you get stuck, when you run out of steam, when your plot falls flat, and you need to start making decisions. That’s when the shiny new idea sends out its beckoning call.

Psychologically, that’s interesting because that also shows us the alternatives.

The Psychology Behind It

Writers are incredibly creative people. We conjure up a whole universe just by thinking about it and we even put it down on paper. Any brain able to do that is good at problem-solving. But the brain tries to solve problems with the least necessary effort.

When writers get stuck, their creative (but lazy) brains answer the problem, a story, with the same category — an idea for another story. Talk about a dilemma! But the problem here is not ‘old story’ versus ‘new story.’ The real issue here is: why do you get stuck?

Why You Get Stuck

Ask yourself why you get stuck and what you truly need at this point. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

Do you need

• A break?

Maybe you’ve been at your desk too long. Or you need something to eat or drink. Maybe you need some rest.

• A diversion?

Maybe you find your current project tiring. Why is that? Is the topic emotionally challenging? Do you need to do a lot of research? Ask a friend to take a look at your writing. Sometimes we find our texts boring because we’ve been thinking about them for so long. A fresh reader might find them more exciting than you.

• A decision?

Maybe your plot doesn’t flow the way you want it to because you’ve been putting off a decision. This may concern any level of your text: a pet phrase, a character, your setting, or an event. There might be a darling you need to kill. You’d be amazed how plot arcs change once you manage to do that. Here’s some advice on how to kill your darlings.

See what it all boils down to? The shiny new idea is just another form of procrastination. But take heart: there are many ways to beat this.

What To Do Instead

➙ Pat yourself on the shoulder. Having shiny new ideas means you’re creative. Most people don’t have story ideas in the first place! But writers have them all the time. We create ideas to help us in moments of crisis. That’s great!

➙ Give it five minutes of fame. Acknowledge that you have that shiny idea. Give it no more than five minutes. Wallow in it, explore it, but set a time limit. Then move on to the next point.

➙ Never put an idea in the bin. Shiny new ideas may not be the most detailed and thought-through plots. But they could They have potential. Write them down.

➙ Find out what you truly need. Ask yourself why your brain sent you that idea. Use it as a pointer to your true needs. Whatever you come up with — that’s what your brain is trying to tell you. Find the answers to these questions to enable yourself to finish your project.

Worse Than A Curse

Now that you’ve learnt all that you can, you’re ready to let go of the shiny new idea. I can hear you say: ‘But why? It’s so attractive!’ You need to let it go because it’s worse than a curse: it’s a pattern. Following shiny new ideas is so easy that you’ll be tempted to do it every time you’re stuck. That pattern will lead you to a heap of unfinished manuscripts. It’s the road to a writer’s misery.

Writing teacher Mia Botha once told me: ‘Finishing is a form of self-care.’ Let it sink in for a moment. What it means to me is this: if I don’t follow that shiny new idea, I get a finished manuscript. Writing ‘The End’ is so rewarding! Nothing can give you more pride and self-confidence as a writer.

Finishing also builds up a pattern, which, in turn, builds up writing muscle. You will gain strength and stamina when you follow that road. Now, that’s what you need for your next story!

The Take-Away

Shiny new ideas are messages in disguise. Learn to decode them so you can finish your projects. Be proud of all those ideas you have — but be careful which ones you follow. Happy writing!