It’s an almost daily issue for me. I’ll tell myself it’s time to sit down and focus on my revisions, and then suddenly I can’t stop thinking about a new idea. It’s a condition I’ve dubbed Writer’s Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). This affliction affects most writers, at least from time to time.
Though it might sound silly, it’s effects can be devastating when it comes to completing a project. To demonstrate my point, I have a completed manuscript that is currently in revision phase. At the same time, I have come up with at least five new novel ideas on top of the six I already had floating around. Having lots of ideas and various inspirations is great don’t get me wrong, but when it detracts from the task at hand it can have crippling effects.
The main problem I have is falling in love with an idea, character, scene, or plot twist in a different novel as soon as I start editing. It’s an extremely frustrating conundrum. I don’t want to kill my editing flow, but I also don’t want to let my next great idea slip away. My writing time is already finite due to my life demands. If only writing was my only “job.”
Well since my last statement probably won’t happen anytime soon, I’ve found a few helpful techniques that provide me with creative balance. A tool I have found hopeful is the app A Novel Idea, which allows me to quickly capture a character or idea and then attach it to a novel. In addition, I’ve dedicated a few minutes each day to expanding these ideas. It’s usually only five to ten minutes while my kids clean up or play, but it goes a long way.
By dedicating a little time each day to my ideas, it allows me to focus better when I do sit down to edit my manuscript. Though my technique is not full proof, it has worked pretty well for me thus far. As any writer will tell you, distractions are the enemy of your work and sometimes future projects can be the worst distractions. I won’t guarantee my technique will work for you but it has helped to quell my Writer’s ADD.
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