What To Do When Your Story Idea Loses Steam
It happens to every writer at some point.
The story idea crashes into you with an almost electric energy that vibrates in your bones. If you have experienced this then you know that nothing feels better than those first tingles of potential.
And so, frantically, you begin writing down everything you know about the story and characters as fast as you can.
That line? BRILLIANT.
That plot twist? INGENIOUS.
And then…NOTHING.
You come to a sputtering stop somewhere around Chapter 4 (or Chapter 2). You’ve used up all of the initial plot ideas and character development. There’s a certain sense of betrayal that comes along with a story idea abandoning you in the midst of struggle. After all, you showed up for it, so where the hell did it go all of a sudden?!
Regardless of why, now you’re at a crossroads. You have to decide whether or not you will:
Abandon your story
Push through the discomfort
There isn’t one right answer. Was the story simply a journal entry that you needed to let out? Or maybe it was only ever meant to be short form and couldn't sustain an entire story (in that case might I suggest a blog or a social media post?). If ithat’s the case, it’s okay to scrap your project. You learned something. You enjoyed that fun beginning part. Chalk it up as a writing exercise and let it go.
Other times, you know there is the perfect dark moment of the soul shimmering on the horizon. You just have GET THERE. Slog through until you encounter that fun and exciting point. Grit your teeth and keep on pushing… Right?
WRONG.
Here is an unexpected way you can move forward without grinning and bearing it.
Write that exciting scene from the future NOW.
You are in charge, my friend. You are the Great and Powerful Oz. The (wo)man behind the curtain!
Be a time traveler. Leap ahead to the scene that is clearest (and the most exciting) in your head, even if it’s closer to the end of your story. It doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, it won’t be! You have to get to know your characters before you can truly bring their struggles to life. But once you have that excitement on the page in the form of a future scene, you make room for more ideas to come.
Your brain will work tirelessly (you might even be asleep while this is happening) to connect those two scenes you’ve written. You may even wake up with an epiphany or two. It happens to me quite a bit, and has become a strategy I rely on.
You’re a writer, and as a writer, I recommend employing tricks like this one to keep you from coming to a complete halt in your writing. When you have a deadline and an editor is awaiting your draft, you can’t simply shrug your shoulders and let the story languish. You gotta figure out what happens next!
I encourage you to try this method the next time you feel your great idea fizzle out. It’s not dead yet, honest. Just employ a bit of CPR (Creative Problem Rendering - should I trademark that?) and you could be on your way to Chapter 5 (or 3) in no time.
xo, Jessica 🍋