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Monday, November 8, 2010

Too Many Ideas?

by Cheri Chesley

I feel really blessed to be a member of the Cedar Fort team. I love being able to say I’m a Cedar Fort author, even though getting my second book submitted for possible publication has taken much longer than I had planned. But I’m working on it. :)

As some of you know, through my blog posts and Facebook, I’ve struggled with the second book of my trilogy for some time. I thought it had it all in the bag, but then I realized how lacking in actual plot it turned out to be. Recently, I sorted it out, and now am on my way to editing and submitting book three—which is now book two. I even came up with a really great plot for the new book three.

Coming up with ideas has never been my problem. At the moment, my brain is backlogged with story ideas. That can be as challenging as not having inspiration hit. Why? Because it’s difficult to choose which story to concentrate on and bring to focus.

As I type this, ideas for my trilogy, two YA contemporaries, and two middle grade series are swimming around in my head. It’s moments like these that I truly feel schizophrenic, since the characters speak to me so clearly in my mind it’s almost a challenge to decide which one is speaking loudest.

Time is my other enemy. Sometimes I feel as though I’m racing death, like I’ll never get all my stories out of my head before I’m either too old to write, or I die. When I pray, I pray for focus and energy. Because I always seem to need both.

Good luck to all writers. We need it.

4 comments:

Steve Westover said...

I am always impressed when I hear people talk about the multitude of book ideas going on in their head. With me, there's really not much going on up there. I'm lucky if I can come up with an idea for 1 book. Thank goodness...otherwise I think my head would explode.

Good post.

Steve

Michael Knudsen said...

I'm with you, Steve. Ideas are easy enough to come up with, but ideas that will result in a powerful, gripping story takes a lot more work.

Cheri - you're fortunate to have all those ideas just busting to come out, but you're far too young to be worried about getting old and dying. You have plent of time, just do your best each day!

Cheri Chesley said...

thanks, guys :)

Tina Scott, author, artist said...

I kind of know how you feel--too many stories to write--not enough time in the day to write them.