From Ideas into Novels

“Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait. The grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of will and energy to execute your ideas.” ~~ Henry Ford

I have tons of ideas. I keep them locked away inside my mind, testing and twisting them until they become viable storylines…then I put my stories in my files, ready to become new novels. If I wrote every story I’ve entertained at one time I would never accomplish an entire novel. Simply because I’d be writing more that two or three at one time!

As I entertain these ideas, I often become honed into the stories I have floating in my mind and lose track of my writing time. I’ve found this is NOT a good practice for a beginning novelist. With great determination, I am learning to just put that idea into a simple synopsis and store it for later use. Maybe by then the story will be no longer as exciting as I’d originally thought, maybe it will have grown and become my next project. I have a problem I suppose many writers experience…I think too much!

Today I am working mainly on one storyline, while another lurks in the back of my mind….impatiently wanting to be written. Another sits on the sidelines…partially written and also impatiently waiting for my return. Three storylines…all at once. This is why I have learned to save my stories to my files for I’d never get them all written. I am learning to pace myself for the sake of my characters and for my readers. Writing a novel is almost like raising a child…it needs attention and it is hard to divide attention between several works at once.

As a friend recently told me, this division of my attention can also affect other parts of my writing. A great and new aspect of a writer’s world is social networking. Making friends with authors and readers alike, I maintain a fairly active Facebook life. The jury is still out on whether I am a successful Tweeter…it is so hard to keep my thoughts under a certain number of characters. Not to mention I still do not completely understand the Twittering world! My blog is a mainstay of my communication with the world, and I need to visit this site more often…I promise to reach out to my readers more often. It is here that I share more than just thoughts on writing…but on life and being me as well. I apologize if I’ve been remiss.

Thanks for being there, my blog friends are important to me,

KW