I HAVE FOUND THE SOLUTION

I've had this problem since forever, which is that I will be working super hard on a writing project, one of my novels, and then BAM another idea suddenly hits me and I'll have to plot that thing out before I lose it, but then the inspiration starts to possess me and all I want to do is start writing the story and learn more about these characters but I know that if I start writing this new story I'll either lose the novel I've been working so hard on for months or have the new one fade out. And I don't want that to happen, because I love all my stories equally, it just so happens that sometimes one needs food more than the others. But I can't start a new project when I'm in the middle of a different one, or else one starts to take priority, and then the other one goes cold and I won't be able to pick it up again.

But I think I've found the solution. And not only have I found the solution to this little problem, it also serves as a solution to a different writing problem. This has been happening to me for a while, where I have this great idea for a story, but the plot and the characters and the world just won't flesh itself out. I have some basic ideas for the characters, but nothing concrete. I cannot tell you how irritating this is, where the world just refuses to be created.

There is one solution to both of these problems, and that is trial stories.

I recently started writing a couple trial stories for this great story idea. While ultimately, I want it to be a novel, it turns out that writing the world in a short story format (or at least in a disconnected chapter format) for a while actually helps to make the world and characters and plot a lot more concrete. I've already changed things from my original plan, and it's starting to make a whole lot more sense. Also, the characters were unfortunately in a bit of Harry, Ron and Hermione format before (one valiant main character, the goofy friend and the girl constantly playing devil's advocate), but luckily with my trial stories I've managed to develop them beyond that, as well as a few other characters. So that's one use for the trial stories which have served me wonderfully.

The other use for the trial stories is that it feeds the hunger. Because, really, when you're just longing to start writing a story but can't for the sake of project management, that's really what it is. It's a hunger to explore another world. And writing the trial stories not only feeds the hunger, it feeds the hunger in a short way so that you don't get too distracted from the main project, but also get a bit of a break from it (often the inspiration will come when your imagination has kind of exhausted a particular world for the time being. It's never permanent, but you wouldn't hang out with the same person every day for three weeks straight).

And I really do enjoy the trial stories that have come out of this little experiment, and I'm actually rather proud of them. I was actually quite tempted to post one of them up here. But I realized that the stories don't make sense to other people. You see, since my mind is making up the rules of the universe as I go, nothing's really explained. I could post it up here, but you wouldn't know what was going on. The thing about us writers is that our minds fill in the blanks, especially when we're not writing for any particular audience. Which means in general, there are a lot of blanks in my trial stories where there aren't blanks for me.

The other thing about these trial stories is that they're quite exciting to write. I'm one of those writers that has to plot out their story extensively before they start. It doesn't always follow the plan, but the plan has to be there in case I ever get the dreaded disease, writer's block. This is generally a good thing.

The negative side to this is that I'm very rarely surprised with where my stories end up going. Because I planned them. There have been a few moments that surprised me, which is always wonderful (in my greek mythology story, when Ares punched Hermes in the face? I was having emotions about that little twist for about a week), but it doesn't happen very often. Which actually means that I've gotten worse at just rolling with the energy. There was a scene in one of my stories in which a wife agreed to stay with her husband in order to help him survive an assassin - it's a long story - but it was important to my plot that she DIDN'T end up staying. So she ended up leaving in a really forced and cowardly way, which wasn't ideal, but the plot I'd planned wasn't following the energy of the story itself.

To be fair, I'm usually pretty good about this - there've been a few major plot points that were not at all written in my plan, but that were impossible to not have happen with the way things were going. But to write a short story with next to no plan about where it's going - it's exciting. Especially when it actually ends up going places. That's the best part, when you're looking it over and you go, "Hey, I think that was actually some plot development" or "Hey, that was actually some character development" it's like "I DID IT GUYS I WROTE AN INTERESTING STORY WITH NO PLOT PLANNED OUT BE PROUD OF ME".

I wouldn't recommend a strategy like that for a work you intend people to read - please, plot your stories - but as far as experimental trial stories go, it's a good strategy. It allows you to try things that you may end up liking with a lot more freedom, and also the elbow room to just kind of have fun and explore a little.

But the thing about writing is everyone has different techniques that work for them. I currently really really like the trial story strategy, but that might not work for everyone. But it certainly works for me I'm very happy about this this is a happy thing.

I don't think anyone but writers can fully understand the amount of frustration that has just been lifted from me. This is like discovering you can still live at Hogwarts while taking occasional day trips to Narnia. It's fantastic.

...

Yes, writers are crazy and have crazy problems, what did you expect?

Favourite Thing of the Week: #7

Bastille.

The wonderful, beautiful, amazing band, Bastille.

Even though they pronounce it Basteel, when it's actually more like Bastee because French Immersion. I forgive them because A) they're English, and 2) their songs are beautiful and wonderful.

I bought their entire album Bad Blood, and good golly I was not disappointed. I mean, it's only their debut album, and already it's currently the only thing I listen to. They're just awesome. I'm in love. Also the lead singer's voice is very attractive. But also the music is made of beauty.

Current favourite songs by them include:

Pompeii (yep, a direct reference to the historical event with the volcano)

Icarus (yep, a direct reference to the greek myth about Daedalus and Icarus and the wings)

Daniel in the Den (yep, a direct reference to the biblical story about Daniel and the lion's den)

Laura Palmer (yep, a direct reference to the iconic mystery show Twin Peaks, as in, "Who killed Laura Palmer?")

Flaws (not a reference to anything but it's just wonderful)

With all these references everywhere, small wonder I adore this band so much. THEY JUST GET IT.