"Navigating Your Think Tank: Getting Ideas on the Page" by Ethan Gross

Image Source: Photo taken by Glenn Carstens-Peters, uploaded on Unsplash

When you first start developing a project, it’s not uncommon to have an idea for a different piece before you finish. Most writers keep some form of running list of ideas the way most people have a list of shows they want to get around to watching. That list can get inexorably long before you know it, and thus become rather daunting. So what can we do about it?

The first thing is to get those thoughts organized. This doesn’t need to be a complex system, it just needs to bring some order to your notes. It’s worth trying a few different methods to see what works for you. Much like everything in the writing process, how you catalogue ideas is likely to vary from how your peers do it. The key isn’t to find the “right” way, it’s to find your way. This can be anything from a simple numbered list, to a set of index cards, or a group of digital files. It’ll help if you look for a method that you find easy to navigate, as you yourself are the client for this system.

Once you’ve got that all set up, the real fun can begin. Whenever you’re ready to write, take a look through your concepts and drafts. See if anything excites you and follow that feeling. Flesh out a concept, create the main characters, anything that you’re happy to get on the page. It can also be helpful to browse through your catalogue when you hit a wall in a project. You may find a concept you can integrate into your work, or you may simply find a little inspiration. Check in whenever you’re feeling creative. Or, maybe more importantly, check in when you’re having trouble getting started. Use the ideas you put down previously to jump-start a writing session. 

Personally, I’ve found it useful to have two or sometimes even three works in progress at the same time. That way, if I’ve been working on a singular piece for a long time, I can take a break while maintaining momentum. It’s helped me avoid burning out on any one project, while simultaneously keeping my idea vault from filling quite so quickly. I’ve found it helps for the projects to be fairly different from one another, in length, genre, or subject matter, in order to keep things from feeling too similar. It's hard to take a break if the thing you move to is more of the same. However, I would advise against spreading yourself too thin. Having a bunch of pieces that you’ve started but haven’t finished can be discouraging and create a habit of abandoning works before they’re done. I try not to go past three projects at a time, though your number may be higher or lower.

Remember that you don’t need a lot of details to add something to your catalogue—it can be anything from a scene to a pitch line. If anything, I encourage you to jot down those less developed ideas because they’re the ones that are easy to dismiss, even if they’ve got legs. You never know, a wayward thought could lead to your next big breakthrough.