Module 4, Lesson 4: Beating Analysis Paralysis
Brainstorming story ideas and bringing them to fruition.
A creative writing rut can take several forms, so we’re unpacking all of them. Missed the first post? Here it is below.
The final factor that could be cramping your creative style could be analysis paralysis. This is one I’m devilishly familiar with because I am an editor, former literary agent, publishing professional, reader, writer, and book developer. I have seen and thought of and consumed probably millions of story ideas. (I’m not that special, we all consume storytelling on a daily basis!) So how does this affect my creativity? Well, I am an expert at nipping my own ideas in the bud.
I have an idea and it’s, Ugh, that’s not even enough for a novel. I think of something that seems interesting, and the next day it’s like, Yuck, that blends an element from this comp title and that TV show and it seems too derivative. For every positive thing I could say about my own ideas—especially in the early phases, before an outline exists—I can also come up with about ten thousand reasons that the premise won’t work.
And if I can’t figure out a way for myself to decide that an idea has potential, I will not move on it. Knowing the industry and having all these thoughts in my dumb head all the time saddles me with analysis paralysis more often than not.
So what’s the answer, if you recognize yourself in this description? Hell, if I knew, I’d bottle it and make a fortune, because I feel like writers are especially prone to this issue. That being said, I think we need to get more comfortable with composing our stories in snippets. The road to ruin is expecting a story idea to come to us fully formed. (They sometimes do, but that tends to be an exception.) More often, we think of a piece, then another piece, then another, and one day they marinate long enough that they collide into a sum that’s greater than the parts.
If you’ve heard people talk about mind-mapping or index cards but haven’t tried it because of busyness, discussed previously, and not having the time to settle in for a precious little craft project, there’s good news. Tools like Miro, Canva, Slack, Freeform (available with the latest Mac iOS update), even Zoom have whiteboard tools where you can sketch some of your ideas out in more of a chaotic, visual format. (Linear yet still visual software like Plottr and Aeon Timeline can also help, as well as other writing software like Scrivener. There are a ton of ways to get organized!)
Here’s a blurred version of something I’m working on (because even though I sell a “Don’t Be Fucking Precious” sticker, I am, myself, a little precious:
I’ve pulled together some articles and comps and ideas I like, and put little crowns above things I think are good nuggets, and attempted to pull various elements together. Will this turn into anything? I don’t know. I go through a lot of various story layers, as I talk about in my new writing guide, How to Write a Book Now.
But before I jumped on Freeform, which is the whiteboard I used to make this, I was super stuck and disparaged every idea I had. To break out of analysis paralysis, I decided to be as messy as possible, with the hopes that I would one day take this to outline, which can be another helpful tool to organize those ideas and break out of the mud.
Some writers don’t feel comfortable outlining until they have more layers to their ideas. This can be a mistake. You can take a patchwork approach to your premise and story development, especially if you start getting your thoughts organized in an outline. Here’s a story framework that I’ve developed that can help you take a more gradual approach: Story Mastermind Framework.
The good part about analysis paralysis (even if it doesn’t feel very good) is that you have ideas, you just don’t know which ones to follow or what to do with them. When I’m editing, I always say that I like having more word count or ideas or chapters or character developments or plot points, rather than fewer. It can be much easier to focus and pare back once you have a lot of material. That’s why I like this Freeform mind vomit that I did, because at least now it’s out there, and I can theoretically do something with it, rather than swirling around in my own skull.
Stay tuned for our Taking Artistic Responsibility conclusion! Become a subscriber so new updates are sent automatically to your email.
About Good Story Company: If you have a story in your head, we’re here to help you get it out into the world. We help writers of all skill sets, all genres, and all categories, at all stages of the writing process. Need a hand with brainstorming? Want to find a critique partner? Looking for an editor to help polish up your pitch, your idea, or your entire manuscript? We have all of it and more in our community. If you’re ready to take the next step (or the first step) on your writing journey, we’re here to help you.
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About Mary Kole: Former literary agent Mary Kole founded Good Story Company as an educational, editorial, and community resource for writers. She provides consulting and developmental editing services to writers of all categories and genres, working on children’s book projects from picture book to young adult, and all kinds of trade market literature, including fantasy, sci-fi, romance, and memoir. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and has worked at Chronicle Books, the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, and Movable Type Management. She has been blogging at Kidlit.com since 2009. Her book, Writing Irresistible Kidlit, a writing reference guide for middle grade and young adult writers, is available from Writer's Digest Books.
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