If you’re someone who has a million and one ideas swirling around in your head, you’ll want to hear this.
One of my friends told me that he is struggling to figure out which project to work on next. This can be challenging as you have reasons why you want to focus on each one and why each project idea is compelling. That’s great, it really is because that means you have creative fodder. A seed that can sprout should you choose to plant and water it.
However, you find it difficult to choose one to focus on. I understand. In this world of rapid-fire information it can be difficult to isolate one idea to dedicate your energies to without getting distracted by emails, coworkers, family emergencies, sick pets and random food cravings (not that I would know). And it is important to focus on one or a select few projects.
I would say work on no more than three projects. Shifting between four or more projects will tax your mental energy and decision-making willpower. You will have to remember what you’ve already written, important details about character, plot and the world as well as what direction you want it to take for each project you work on. You will also want to be able to sustain your focus over the duration of the project and bring it to completion.
Whew! That’s a lot of work. So how do you know which choice is the right one?
So let’s take this problem (or opportunity) of choosing ONE writing project to work on this week.
Make three columns on a sheet of paper or on a chart/spreadsheet.
Write down all the project ideas you have in the first column.
In the second, write down how complex the idea would be to execute. You can use a scale of 1 to 5, one being relatively simple to five being most complex.
Then in the next column, rate how much interest you personally have in the story idea or writing project. How much excitement do you feel when you think of starting this project? 1 to 5, 1 being little to no interest and 5 being so excited that you’ve been telling all your friends that this story will be the next bestseller.
This next column is optional. If you need to churn out something in a short amount of time or have limited energy or time to dedicate to writing, make one extra column and that is how developed the idea is. If you have a rough outline, it would be easier to execute that idea as there is less friction to start writing and you already know what direction you’re going to take. I would give each project a rating out of three. Give it a 1 if you only have a basic idea and rough ideas of characters, a 2 if you have a general outline or many details ready to go such as genre, setting, character arcs, major plot points, target readers and a 3 if you have most of it drafted in your head and you just have to put pen to paper or start typing.
Add up all points for each project and total them. Whichever project has the most points, that’s the project you should focus on next!
You can use this for choosing any type of creative project to work on, not just writing. Feel free to change and personalize it to suit your needs by adding columns, changing the weights of each factor, etc.
If you’ve done all the steps above and have made your decision, comment to share with us what idea you’ve chosen to seal the deal. Writing down your commitment to a story idea will help you especially if you are indecisive and tend to change direction often.
If you need more personalized help or want book coaching services which includes regular check ins for accountability, brainstorming, discussion of your ideas and guidance to resolve your writing troubles, please contact me.
Otherwise, look forward to my future article on how you can plan strategically to finish your writing project!
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