Sunday, March 14, 2010

Shiny New Idea


While walking the dog, I came up with a shiny new idea. Only it's based on the oldest idea in my idea file.

What's my idea file? Any time I get an idea, an interesting line, a crazy dream, I write about it in my idea file and save it for another time when I want to write that book.

At the bottom of this file is a one sentence quote. I've mulled this one over several times in the past and always came up with something very maudlin that did not entice me to write it. This time, the voice came to me and I wrote the first chapter. That's enough for now as I have other irons that are screaming in the fire.

But, oh, it feels good to have that started as I really, really like that first line. Really.

10 comments:

  1. Sarah--that's awesome. I am refusing any and all shiny new ideas until done with this revision.

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  2. YAY! I have the "idea file", too. When a character from one of the ideas will NOT shut up, I know it's time to flesh out a few scenes and get to know them better.

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  3. Good for you! Now that idea can stop scratching at your brain. Thanks for the new pb chat info on Twitter.

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  4. Hi Julie. Welcome!

    It's wonderful that I got the beginning out of the way and can now concentrate on my revisions. And, um, now concentrate on my revisions.

    *sigh*

    Having serious need for revision vacation and am playing with shiny new idea as a break from the 'work'.

    Revision needy YA is too dark for me right now and MG requires a short timeout in the drawer.

    So playing with irreverent new idea with a completely different voice. Never been a drag queen before. Sustaining a steady voice here is proving to be a challenge.

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  5. I love that - I should keep a file too. My agent just encouraged me to work on something completely new and different. So I'm about to plunge into something brand new myself. I think I have an idea cooking so wish me luck!

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  6. and you are keeping the mystery line a secret which makes me very curious as to what it may be...

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  7. Ah yes, the secret. I'd share it with you, but I'm not ready yet. It's still percolating in my back brain.

    Idea files are wonderful. I should look at mine more often.

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  8. There isn't anything more exciting for me in writing than that ideal first line.

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  9. Isn't that the truth, Bernita.

    This one's still wandering around in my back brain and seeing if it can be fleshed out properly.

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  10. I love those! Sadly, I only receive them once a year... but they are GOLD! The last one pulled together an entire quartet before my eyes and made sense of over a hundred imagined memories. The outlines came out like thread on a spool. :)

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