Curtailing the creative voice.

[Flavorfulcorpse]

I am currently having an overactive creative voice. I'll be focused on a story chapter, and 'It' will jump to a whole new story idea, derailing my train of thought. So, how can I center myself on the story chapter I'm writing and keep the 'voice' from sidetracking me? I also visualize the scene I'm working on, from the smells, weather, sounds, appearances, and actions of the characters. When the voice does its thing, it's like changing the channel in my head, and I either have to stop writing altogether or write about what's on the channel. It's frustrating to stop in the middle of what I'm writing to start a new story, usually a couple of thousand words before I can go back to the previous story or chapter. What's a good way to regain and keep focus? I normally use music, but here lately that has not been helping.

 

[SkyBubble]

"Now I've lost my train of thought and I wish you were on it."

 

[PennyThompson]

What's a good way to regain and keep focus?

Adderall Extended Release?

If you're receiving joy from all the ideas swirling in your head, why stop? Let yourself squirt out some plot bunnies every day or two and come back to them later when your creative cycle ebbs and you're ready to settle down with a bunny and get to know them.

Try writing some micro-fiction, turn those 2,000-word bits into self-contained stories and get some of them published?

Write something as an episodic series instead of struggling to focus on a single long work?

This is a hobby not a job, there's no requirement to how productive you are with it as long as you're enjoying yourself. Unless it's actually your source of income, in which case go with the Adderall

 

[Voboy]

Too many overactive thoughts?

Username checks out.

 

[Flavorfulcorpse]

Adderall Extended Release?

If you're receiving joy from all the ideas swirling in your head, why stop? Let yourself squirt out some plot bunnies every day or two and come back to them later when your creative cycle ebbs and you're ready to settle down with a bunny and get to know them.

Try writing some micro-fiction, turn those 2,000-word bits into self-contained stories and get some of them published?

Write something as an episodic series instead of struggling to focus on a single long work?

This is a hobby not a job, there's no requirement to how productive you are with it as long as you're enjoying yourself. Unless it's actually your source of income, in which case go with the Adderall

I'm the type of person who has to finish what I'm doing; otherwise, I feel off. I don't mind flipping the channel on occasion, but the 'voice' likes to channel surf. I'm just looking for ways to help center myself.

 

[anthrodisiac]

I find listening to music that is interesting, but not distracting helpful. My brain is an ungodly busy place, and it needs something to focus on while I try to do other things a lot of the time. When I'm at work, and it's not creative, it's metal songs; the complexity of rhythms and growling women are a nice, calming distraction so I can figure out why something went and done broke itself.

When I'm editing, I can't have lyrics, because I need to focus on the words, so I tend to go more with soundtracks. When I'm writing, I tend not to have anything at all, because I need all of my focus, but for someone like you, I'd recommend either soundtracks (or any instrumentals) or songs that you are so familiar with that the lyrics just slide off.

 

[ShyestCougar]

I realize you are saying it’s not in your DNA but I agree with Penny. If the moment is taking you somewhere else, and that somewhere else is creative, it’s probably not a good idea to swim against the current unless it’s about to take you over a waterfall. Use the creative energy to get the best in the moment and then revisit what you defocused from.

 

[EmilyMiller]

What's a good way to regain and keep focus?

What works for me is to semi-give in, but in a martial arts kinda way. If some other idea is speaking to me, I open a new file, I write a brief description. If that doesn’t get it out of my system, I might write a more detailed treatment, or the first chapter. If even that doesn’t work, then clearly - absent some deadline - the new story needs to be told. So I’ll tell it and circle back.

Of course the danger is the new story spawns another idea, that’s where I say enough is enough and my deeply buried domme says, “Oh no you fucking well don’t!”

 

[TarnishedPenny]

I sometimes open up a blank sheet in my Plot Bunny file, turn on dictation from speech and go to town, details poring out. Ignore grammar and spelling, this is brainstorming on paper (okay, on a screen). After about ten minutes, I generally find the problem has gone away. Plus which, I sometimes get a fairly good start in another tale.

 

[Flavorfulcorpse]

I too have various music tastes while I write: mood music, classic rock, metal, or whatever helps build the scene. Like I said though, I visualize what I'm writing, and when the voice does its thing, I have to focus on that story.

 

[anthrodisiac]

I too have various music tastes while I write: mood music, classic rock, metal, or whatever helps build the scene. Like I said though, I visualize what I'm writing, and when the voice does its thing, I have to focus on that story.

Other thing would be a sort of mindful writing practice, since you said you didn't like jumping around a bunch and wanted to focus on one project. Normally, I'd advocate for writing whatever is banging on the door, but you don't seem to want that if I'm reading this right. You catch yourself veering off the path you want, you sit with it for a moment, don't write, just let it play out in your head (it plays out a lot faster in your head than in writing), then let it go.

I will say, the concept of letting go of story ideas is exactly why I stopped doing mindfulness, it drove me nuts to let an idea slip into the ether, but maybe it'll be helpful for you in this case if they're so distracting and detrimental to your goals.

 

[Flavorfulcorpse]

Other thing would be a sort of mindful writing practice, since you said you didn't like jumping around a bunch and wanted to focus on one project. Normally, I'd advocate for writing whatever is banging on the door, but you don't seem to want that if I'm reading this right. You catch yourself veering off the path you want, you sit with it for a moment, don't write, just let it play out in your head (it plays out a lot faster in your head than in writing), then let it go.

I will say, the concept of letting go of story ideas is exactly why I stopped doing mindfulness, it drove me nuts to let an idea slip into the ether, but maybe it'll be helpful for you in this case if they're so distracting and detrimental to your goals.

Sometimes it's like a hyperactive kid on a sugar rush, and it has been hopped up for a couple of weeks.

 

[anthrodisiac]

Sometimes it's like a hyperactive kid on a sugar rush, and it has been hopped up for a couple of weeks.

Unfortunately, there probably aren't any immediate fixes. You'll have to give a few different things a try to see which works best for you. Keep in mind, none of them will instantly make it go away, but some might work better than others. Find those ones, keep using them, practicing the techniques, and I think you'll find yourself able to focus a bit more the way you want.

 

[MelissaBaby]

I realize you are saying it’s not in your DNA but I agree with Penny. If the moment is taking you somewhere else, and that somewhere else is creative, it’s probably not a good idea to swim against the current unless it’s about to take you over a waterfall. Use the creative energy to get the best in the moment and then revisit what you defocused from.

I really can't agree with that.

Writing is not just an art, it is a craft. Improving in a craft requires a degree of discipline. Allowing yourself to chase after distractions is, in my opinion, detrimental to good writing.

That doesn't mean you should maintain an unwavering focus on a single project until it's finished.But moving from project to project should be done by design, not by whim. Better "I'll finish this chapter and work on that other project" than "I'll dump this right now, I have a new idea."

I am currently in the midst of what had turned into a years-long project. I can't spend all that time on now thing without writing anything else, so I have planned breaks for some of the challenges.

 

[dirk2024]

Like you, I can't stop the train from occasionally derailing.

I often have several stories open at the same time. I might never touch the other two and simply close them down at the end of the day. Or, if I have an idea pop into my head, I go to that story and write the idea/storyline/dialog down and highlight it in yellow so it's an immediate thing for me to address when I intentionally go back into that story.

I don't like doing it necessarily, but I don't like losing the idea either. Which is what used to happen, which frustrated me even more than the diversion.

 

[SmilingLez]

I am currently having an overactive creative voice. I'll be focused on a story chapter, and 'It' will jump to a whole new story idea, derailing my train of thought. So, how can I center myself on the story chapter I'm writing and keep the 'voice' from sidetracking me? I also visualize the scene I'm working on, from the smells, weather, sounds, appearances, and actions of the characters. When the voice does its thing, it's like changing the channel in my head, and I either have to stop writing altogether or write about what's on the channel. It's frustrating to stop in the middle of what I'm writing to start a new story, usually a couple of thousand words before I can go back to the previous story or chapter. What's a good way to regain and keep focus? I normally use music, but here lately that has not been helping.

That always happens to me and what works is writing the new idea in my journal and assigning a date that I will work on it. Then I am mentally free to continue working on my current creation

 

[Flavorfulcorpse]

Like you, I can't stop the train from occasionally derailing.

I often have several stories open at the same time. I might never touch the other two and simply close them down at the end of the day. Or, if I have an idea pop into my head, I go to that story and write the idea/storyline/dialog down and highlight it in yellow so it's an immediate thing for me to address when I intentionally go back into that story.

I don't like doing it necessarily, but I don't like losing the idea either. Which is what used to happen, which frustrated me even more than the diversion.

As a novice writer, I have a notebook I keep ideas in. It worked well in the beginning, but now it's a distracter. I do, however, when a new thought comes, I'll open a new document and type a few words to appease the 'voice'. I have one story that I've put on the back burner because I need more knowledge on how to tie the timelines in the story together. It's the "that's shiny" thoughts that are derailing me. Creative writing allows ideas to flow freely, and I have a need to understand how to focus. I don't want to stop the voice; I want to manage it so I can put it on the back burner and not lose the moment in what I'm writing.

 

[RoyalAuthor]

Write something as an episodic series instead of struggling to focus on a single long work?

This has been super helpful to my ADHD brain. I've been writing a serial for almost two years here, and every time a half formed idea pops into my head, my first thought is can I use this in this serial?

The answer is often yes, and it goes into my series outline/character notes/master file to be revisited in a future installment.

If it can't, which I find is less often than when it can, then I feel like I at least tried, and I take some time to write that story. Half the time I put in references to the serial though, so it always feels like I'm working on the same universe.

 

[liliput1]

Unfortunately, there probably aren't any immediate fixes. You'll have to give a few different things a try to see which works best for you. Keep in mind, none of them will instantly make it go away, but some might work better than others. Find those ones, keep using them, practicing the techniques, and I think you'll find yourself able to focus a bit more the way you want.

I’m told Hemingway said you should stop writing when you knew what happened next. I always took that as a hack to help with consistency in writing again tomorrow. But maybe it’s also about staying on topic by seeding the ground before something else can germinate.