Help! I think I'm a commitment-phobe! (choosing a premise)

I have lots and lots of ideas for novels. I name the novels-in-waiting and give each its own folder on the computer. Periodically I'll jot down random musings in the Notes file of each of the folders as they come to me.

I've completed one novel from these ideas. It was a big one, over 130,000 words. I'm now paring it down. I'm also about two-thirds of the way through a second. I can't tell you any logical reason why I chose these two ideas/premises as my first and second efforts. My mind doesn't work that way. Evidently, it prefers to work on the unconcious/subconcious level.

So, at some level in my brain of which I'm not conciously aware, these ideas/premises engage in a competition to see which one makes into my conciousness and gives birth to the next novel. Sort of like which sperm gets to fertilize the egg. At the moment of this literary conception, I'll be driving to work or mowing the grass and the decision will be made (which is not the same as my making it) that my next effort will be this one, not that one, or that one, or the other one.

That sure isn't any help is it? But anyway, I have to wait to be told. I don't think I could just pick one. It wouldn't be that that idea was less worthy of another, but more like I have to really be committed to one in order to sustain the time and effort of writing a novel from it.

You're welcome. Thus far I've been able to keep ahead of my writing production schedule (which is slow, because I have a family and a full time job). So I know the novel that I will write once the one in progress is finished. After that one, though, no new candidate has risen to the surface. I guess that means the subconcious battle continues. I'm confident, though, that it will be sorted out before the next work is complete.

As for writing short stories, I can't be of help there. I've tried, but I'm just no good at them. I guess my mind just doesn't work that way. A few months ago, though, I did take one of the chapters from my first novel and edit it into a short story that I submitted to a magazine contest. It must not have been very good, because I didn't make into the top five. It was an interesting experiment for me, though. Good luck with your efforts.

By the way, I'm unpublished, so all this is coming from the rankest of amateurs.

I've had this one idea since I was 15 years old (I'll be 23 next month). I know everything about the concept, the premise, the characters, etc, and so forth. But why am I not writing it? Because I've come to realize throughout time that I don't care about it. Even though it's a solid idea and could probably be a good mainstream horror novel (if written effectively, of course) I just don't have any ambition to write it.

When I decide to make the long commitment on a project, whether it be a screenplay or a novel, I need to truly have my entire heart and soul wrapped in it or else it will just end up becoming one of those UNFINISHED CREATURES. Of those, I'm sure we all have. I tend to take a long time write a relatively short novel (my first took 4 months and it was only 40,000 words), and I've yet to even rewrite it (though I probably never will - it was a good learning process, nothing more).

I'm currently writing a lit-fiction novel based on the lives of a group of college students, and the reason I chose to write this is because I lived that life for four years and knew the ins and outs and had my heart and soul in the project for 2 years before I ever put pen to paper. I've been writing the first draft for about a month now and it has another one to two to go. After this, I already have the next project lined up, but once again it is because I have held the project deep WITHIN for some time already.

Sorry to ramble but I'm trying to procrastinate my writing *chuckles*. The point I'm making is, don't just jump in when you get the great idea and scream out "EUREKA!" Wait on it for awhile. You just may not want to write it.

Best wishes.

Wally K.

Well, I can't say that I put my "heart and soul" into my writing. I can't afford to. There's too much else going on, too many responsibilities. I do try to fit my WIP in with the rest of my life and give it as much attention as possible, but often work and family get in the way. It looks like you're young and enthusiastic, and those are great things, wish I had more of both, but as you get older, life gets more complicated.

So, I guess my point is that you may want to find some balance, so that writing does not become all-consuming. After all you've only got one heart and one soul (I'm assuming again) and they have to cover a lot of territory.

I put my heart and soul into my writing, but not all of my heart and soul... As Wrinkles said, other things require your heart and soul too (family, friends, day job, other interests etc).

Back to the original question, I too have folders with all my ideas, many more ideas than I have time to write. I regularly go through my folders and classify my ideas, from the ones I like the most to the least. It changes over time but when an idea has been at the top for 1 year, I know this is the one I'll write next.

Hi, Mayamolly!

When I first began my book, it began with a nice, good-looking detective who wanted to marry outside his race. I got about five very short chapters in--I think they were actually scenes--and on my face. I was bored with the direction of the story. It HAD NO DIRECTION. Okay, a few racial incidents in a normally peaceful town. Yawn. I asked myself "What's wrong here?" Well, it had no real purpose. It did not sing to me. It did not motivate me to write past the introductory few pages. The only thing I liked was the Main Character. He was great. He was also dull. Why? Because he was too perfect. No flaws. Just another tall stud.

Remedy. Stink him up. Change his race. Give him motivation. Put him in an era I give a F*ck about. WALLA! A new character. Still handsome. But with flaws. Serious ones. Secrets. A forgotten past. Blah blah blah. I liked the story, and it grew and grew. I think writers should write about something that interests them. Hopefully that will help motivate them to get past the first few chapters.

I think most novalists develop and live with their pet premises for a long time before writing about it. I don't think they just ask for one out of the blue. It has to be part of you before you write about it. I think if you can sit down and talk about something for hours, you can come up with a good story-- an example of the psychology.

(...don't rush this process and trust that the right premise will stand out (and stick with you)

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AMEN, MAYA, AMEN! Glad you found something you can work with! Good luck!

I'm nearing the end of my WIP (or should I say the end of the beginning now that rewrites are around the corner) and the next book is beginning to take some life form and trying to make me think about it. I told the voices to shutup but they won't. Jotted some notes down the other night. Although I thought my WIP would've been done a long time ago it's morphed into one of the most time-consuming projects ever, but at least I know what's next. It just needs to SHUTUP!....