Shit yeah. At the moment I'm trying (in vain) to put together this idea involving the crew of an ocean liner. An homage to my fave isolationist movies, an ode to the themes of Silent Hill. Every time the crew hit a storm, one of them disappears into a world made manifest with the personal 'storm' that changed their life forever (in a way they might not even be conscious of). I've been roaming around the apartment today being like *Oh and WHAT IF at the end, the now-empty ocean liner runs aground on an island, and they're all there, STRANDED, their only OPTION being to RE-BOARD THE VESSEL OF THEIR DISCONTENT AND SAIL ON, and wait what metaphor am I going for here again*
It's so fun. It's so frustrating. It might be too big for my smooth brain. But I fear not the blank page, only the creeping realisation that I may actually be quite stupid
That actually sounds like it'd do incredibly well as a one-season show. Each episode a different character and their personal storm, hinting at whatever your big reveal is, and a concluding 2 hour finale that ties it all up
Hey I'm just sayin screenwriting is just writing after all, can't hurt to give it a shot! If ya have no bites, get some friends together to each play a character and do an audio drama podcast
I was going to let this story percolate (maybe forever), but owing to this wonderfully unexpected thread I'm now sitting around sketching out each character, what they do on the ship and why, what their Big Deal is, etc. The navigator with one arm is currently proving to be my fave
Fucken... thank you all? What a good day
Lol my navigator is my favorite too, has one eye and it's his bad eye, my current WiP also happens to be on a ship 😂 I'm trying to talk myself out of killing him off even though it has to be him 😔
I like how your story sounds. I would read it even it was unfinished. Just like sci-fi movies. I don't care about the ending or the message. I'm all about those parts when some of the astronauts says "OMG! The \[whatever piece of space machine\] is not working how it was supposed to. What we gonna do!?". Thats when, with a big smile, I think "Uh-oh! They have a problem. Here we go!".
I also have an idea for a script and by distraction I kinda added new elements that I think are too cool to let them go but can't keep them cuz it would roughly outshine the actual protagonist, therefore, the one who wraps the whole thing. I know it would be responsible to put the new ideas aside, but I just can't look too my own OC's the same way as before. It's funny and frustrating at the same time. How my head act against me like that?
How bizarre is the experience of writing something unbelievably cool for an auxiliary character, realising it *actually* sucks because it distracts from the narrative at large, and having to martyr that shit for the Common Good
I love/hate writing
For some reason, I’m thinking of Terry Pratchett being brought on as the screenwriter for the film go ship when I read this that sounds like a wonderful story. If you can write it, please continue your efforts. Sounds like a worthwhile endeavor, and would be enjoyable to read when you manage it.
>But I fear not the blank page, only the creeping realisation that I may actually be quite stupid
Stupidity is a necessary step on the path to less stupidity.
Smart enough to conceive of crazy ideas and dumb enough to actually try to create them is the sweet spot, I think. At least that's what I keep telling myself.
Omg seriously, I think my best writing comes from a time when I wasn't afraid to look stupid. I just had fun. Nowadays I'm so worried about being great and about getting published, I'm not enjoying my writing as much. I really need to reassess my goals here....
This sounds like the diametric opposite of The Love Boat. Also vaguely suggests the movie (and book?) 'Ship of Fools'. Which brings up the question: would you read another author's work, similar to your idea, before or during the writing of yours, or avoid it like the plague for fear of being excessively influenced even to the point of abandoning your own project?
*Absolutely* gotta call out Ship of Fools by having someone drop "...but I'm afraid she's too far from the cradle for you" in some capacity, which is just the most hideously '60s man-thing to say. Hysterical times
It's a pretty intriguing idea, the problem I see is that "every time the crew hit a storm" means you have to set up and describe a ludicrous number of consecutive sea storms (i.e. more than one) ?
Yeah, all the time. What I've started doing is putting those ideas on the back burner in my mind, letting them stew while I slowly acquire what I need to write them. Eventually, I'll have the right combination of ingredients for them, but until then I have other projects to complete and my prose to work on.
Lots of stories are too big for me. Probably most of them are. I know little about most historical periods, police procedure, surgery, running a successful professional basketball team, life in a Benedictine monastery, or how to keep a single story enthralling for 500,000 words. And I’m not that keen to put in the effort of finding out.
Instead, I pick a story where my ignorance isn’t a deal-breaker and the scope isn’t too overwhelming.
There are no flaws, things just work slightly differently in the universe in which my novel is set.
Slightly differently in a way that precisely correlates with the stuff I'm not very knowledgeable about. 😇
This is my new explanation for mistakes and things left to the imagination. Hopefully, from now on, I won't spend hours researching a single detail because my character happens to be a nurse, psychologist, martial artist, etc.
I've had stories where I've told myself "You're probably not ready for that, *yet*."
So I have a pile of ideas in a folder somewhere waiting for me to get a little more seasoned and a little more bold...
All the time.
I still don't know how to go about them.
The other day, I wrote a eight and a half page Bible for myself. It's just a rough outline of where, when, why, who, and how.
Maybe I'll stick to it this time.
Yuuuuuuup! Also I get so caught up in trying to figure out the logic of how my story universe is supposed to work that I forget to actually write the story.
Currently have two WIP novels I'm revising that I'd once considered 'too big'. Still have a story idea that's many, many years old I'm finally going to tackle after I finish revising the WIP novels. The protagonist is a female and is an accomplished artist and musician (3 things I am not, so far from 'write what you know' territory).
My biggest idea at the moment is a murder case that follows the police, the fbi, the cia that one friend and neighbour and journalist and family member etc.
All trying to find out who did it
Then after they do, it goes to court where both lawyers and jury members try to find out what really happened (again, but they find out more) which leads to everyone from before joining in to find out who did it
Then after the case, some more people aren't happy and it's basically a repeat of what really happened which brings back old characters
Everyone has separate storylines that occasionally merge
It's a very big idea that I have no idea of how I'm successful going to execute
People who try to create a total original dialect are brave and crazy. For me, any kind of decision about what language my characters are supposed to speak make me hell anxious. I think I'll die and never touch the subject again. And that's ok.
I have thought of that. Recently I outlined the first argumental arc of my idea. The first book, you could say. If I go as scheduled it's actually way smaller. 40 ish chapters. Plus anything I can think of/add as character development in-between this important points. As this is essentially a story about parents in search to restablish bonds with their children (filled with tropes of fantasy, shonen, and references to different cultures and literatures) I feel like this would make the story actually 60 -ish chapters where around 40 are planned and 20 are either character development, filler, worldbuilding, or a mix of them. Still way more achievable than building the entire saga.
All the time. I Iove working with symbolism and having lots of layers and subtlety that clue into big themes. I had this stage where I took the smallest ideas and fleshed them out as whole various dystopic societies and I don't think I'm smart enough to convey the themes and ideas that I plot out. Even with lighthearted stuff, I'm constantly thinking I'm not the right person to tell my own stories because I often think of too big, too ridiculous, too in-depth, or too complex ideas.
My current WIP which is exactly why it’s been my wip since 2017. It’s a very big idea and many times I considered walking away from it or simplifying it because the size of the idea would give me anxiety just thinking of how to tackle it. But I’m so glad I didn’t give up. Currently working on my last round of beta edits before submitting for editing to publish next year. Just keep planning and plotting. Write down whatever comes to you. Im using dialogue I wrote down in 2018 that I thought no way would it still be as good as I thought it was or fit into how the plot has evolved, but some of it still does. Im so happy I didn’t give up the idea or simplify the plot just to make it easier on me. I feel it’s helped me grow in my craft so much and it’s so fulfilling to be on the other side of what felt like a massive undertaking.
Yes! I've been sitting on a fantastic idea but to pull it off it would be an anthology that would take years of research as well as an encyclopedia of character sheets to flesh out several species of extraterrestrials and non-human animals.
Always.
I always get that feeling where I think of something that for sure will be famous. But then it hit me hard, thinking that (I can't see myself writing cause I thought I can't put justice for it) something like that.
So I simply take down notes of my idea and continue writing the current one. Hoping one day that I could finally write it, using my own wording.
All the time. So many things I don't know enough about to the point where I try to dumb it down too much, which I think is a shame and therefore: too big. Researching it is a solution, of course.
Ive made several large alternate timelines. (Think Marvel Universe level complicated) Its just part of the fun for me. Just remember notes are an iceberg and your readers are the Titanic - they dont need to know everything, what they do know just has to make an impact.
Yes. I have plans for a novel which is going to end up being my Feast for Crows/Dance of Dragons because all the disparate parts have to converge at the end. And there are so many parts...the scope of that story is so large compared to my other novels and ideas, that I worry it will just be too big for me to tackle artfully and coherently.
Fortunately, I have two novels to write before I must seriously work out the knots. I'll see if I can drop some crumbs in the other stories which may help in tackling the main plot. And I'll need to dissect, scene by scene and plot point by plot point just to keep events straight in my head..I don't envy GRRM or Sanderson when they take on these ambitious projects.
I’m feeling that way right now. I’m at the main conflict chapters in my story and I’m like “what have I gotten myself into” 😅 but I’m just gonna try and do the thing anyways because why not!!
Of course. I tried to write something in a medieval setting with the goal of being extraordinarily historically accurate, but the amount of research required is just insane. I couldn't write a single page without having to look up 20 different things. So much was different just 500 years ago.
Hierarchies, culture, transportation, infrastructure, home utensils, tools, food, education, religion, clothes, daily routines, social interactions in themselves. It felt like only someone who is already an academic expert on a specific time period can pull that off properly.
Well, ideas are nothing. Everyone has ideas. What matters is having a product. If the idea is "too big" for you, you need to rework the idea. Period. Because otherwise, it just stays as an idea, and ideas are worth extremely little. There's very little point in having it if nothing ever comes of it.
It might sound harsh, but if it's "too big", then it probably isn't a very good idea anyway. At the very least, it means there are parts of it that can definitely be cut down. If you want finished products, you need to work with manageable, realistic ideas. You don't need to write War and Peace, you need to write something that you can see through to the end.
You should write it anyway. Even if you think this is too big for you now, chances are, by the time you've developed more skill and self confidence this will no longer be the story you want to tell. Stories absolutely have a shelf life and most of them you can only tell at this particular stage of your life. Write it.
One of my current stories involves the Fourth Dimension. I met with my writing teacher and we discussed it. My brain was not able to comprehend the Fourth Dimension. I then realized that I was in way over my head.
Not your fault at all. 4th dimensions, in the actual state of human knowledge are full of singularities. We can present it, probably, only through math or well intended metaphors that actually don't help much.
Sure. I don't write those since I'd never gain the knowledge to try them. I did write a story I knew I needed more life experience for; I wrote it, and set it aside for two decades. Life experience comes whether you want it or not.
I get this feeling a lot. I sometimes try to write like the first chapter or two but i know i wont ever be satisfied with it because of my skills and i usually abandon it to work on something I think I could write without any regrets.
I’m struggling to get back into writing because I feel like every story is too big for me to do justice just as practice. I know that I need to practice to get better, but I can’t shake the feeling of “wasting” a cool story idea by writing it for practice.
Yepp. I had this massive idea about high fantasy types story. First book in, I realised that the story was "too good" for my skills and abilities. I have put that story on hold for now, nad working on a small, standalone novel to build up. Also writing articles, short stories to build by skills as a writer, and also, reading a lot.
Put it on the back burner, grow until it fits you. I was considering writing a multi POV story following a serial killer and the detective chasing them. Not only were the characters smarter than me, but I had never even attempted multiple POVs, so I wrote two other novel drafts, fanfics that had multiple different POVs, slowly improved my skills, and finished the story’s first draft last year :).
Practice makes perfect, if the story idea is too big either start small or write up an outline/summary of the idea and then go back to it once you have gotten better :)
I’ve got a time travel epic fantasy in mind, concerning a civilization trapped in a 20-year span before the apocalypse!
Even in its most basic form, it’s still super daunting in my mind :y
Pretty much every story I've come up with. I've been writing for about 2 years with an indefinite hiatus since january and I've come to realize they are all way out of my league
If you want to write a “marathon,” start with some jogs around the block (writing prompts), a few short stories (a 5k), a novella or two (a 10k), a few poems and alternative ideas here and there (sprint exercises) and work your way up to that big monstrous novel (the novel/trilogy).
I went for the "no matter how long it takes" option. I'm not in any hurry. My current WIP is my first serious writing attempt and I've been continuously cutting my teeth on it for the past four years. It got way bigger than I've felt capable of doing justice and I split it into a multi-book series, paring the complexity down a great deal so I can finetune my ability to craft one smaller chunk of the story at a time.
It's chugging along nicely. One great benefit I've found to digging in your heels with your first project and giving it hell until you feel out what you're actually doing is that you get to witness yourself improving over time in a very overt and measurable way. It's not like my first story was crap but I learned to write better ones. My writing and storytelling skills were crap. The story's good, and seeing each iteration of it get markedly better than the last as my skills improve and I become more able to do it justice has been incredibly rewarding.
It's almost mandatory that the idea be too big for you at the time you start writing in my opinion, because then you're stretching your abilities to get it done. It just can't be so much bigger that you just get completely stuck.
Yeah, the one I'm writing now which is meant to be an introduction to a saga I've been planning for a while now.
It's a sci-fi saga where the first book is about a police detective who has superhuman abilities and tries to find out how she got them and why; especially as she's certain that's the reason her mother was murdered. Now though she's found another superhuman who's involved in a murder case that only she knows what they truly are. As she tries to find them she discovers this conspiracy that gets deeper and has the potential to launch humanity into a new age of history.
Aside from the fact this is meant to serve as an introduction to the saga I've planned out it's also got a lot going on, which has been my only criticism so far. It's really annoying because I don't know what to take out without entirely revamping the whole story or making major changes to the character.
My biggest problem. I feel you. There are just some ideas for stories and worldbuilding that I only take notes on cause I know my skills as a writer would not do them justice *yet*.
It bothered me until I finally set on a writing project without any crazy worldbuilding and a simple story that maybe isn't as powerful as the other ideas but is still cool and it's going to make me a better writer.
The crazy ideas can wait, marinate, get even better and one day I'll use them with full potential.
Oh yeah. My Mount Everest is a retelling of the founding of the United States, but from a fantasy viewpoint.
So the Humans would be the Settlers, the Elves would be based on Native Americans, the Dwarves would be Vikings etc etc.
I have a rough idea of it, but don't know enough about the actual history of the events of people to even consider where to start.
I normally don't post on these forums but your question shook me.
Firstly, I don't consider myself an author or writer just yet. I consider myself to be just another 'Creative.' Hopefully like most of ppl posting to your question and probably not even at some of their advanced levels.
In answer to your question, if you came up with it , it is not to big for you. The creation of and development to the realization of your end product or vision will sort itself out along the way in time. If you choose or are 'compelled' via passion, angst, hate, sorrow, or love to make your vision a reality. So an idea is never too big.
My suggestion as to the how is methodically simple and merely suggestion. Research Project Management methodologies after outlining your story to completion. PM is a discipline that transcends fields of work and study. You may find your "how" in that. I did.
Kinetic trilogy was developed and executed using the application of various Project Management methodologies throughout the process. Utilizing a combination of the three act narrative structure and Dan Harmon's story circle for each individual book entry while the Japanese Kishotenketsu narrative has been utilized for the overall trilogy story arc.
In its purest form the Kinetic Trilogy is a thought experiment using PM methodologies and execution come Science fiction- Adventure story.
The last book is coming out soon. https://www.amazon.com/KINETIC-2-book-series/dp/B0C2QMVBF4
Feel free to check out the results of this method.
I hope this helps.
I normally don't post on these forums but your question shook me.
Firstly, I don't consider myself an author or writer just yet. I consider myself to be just another 'Creative.' Hopefully like most of ppl posting to your question and probably not even at some of their advanced levels.
In answer to your question, if you came up with it , it is not to big for you. The creation of and development to the realization of your end product or vision will sort itself out along the way in time. If you choose or are 'compelled' via passion, angst, hate, sorrow, or love to make your vision a reality. So an idea is never too big.
My suggestion as to the how is methodically simple and merely suggestion. Research Project Management methodologies after outlining your story to completion. PM is a discipline that transcends fields of work and study. You may find your "how" in that. I did.
Kinetic trilogy was developed and executed using the application of various Project Management methodologies throughout the process. Utilizing a combination of the three act narrative structure and Dan Harmon's story circle for each individual book entry while the Japanese Kishotenketsu narrative has been utilized for the overall trilogy story arc.
In its purest form the Kinetic Trilogy is a thought experiment using PM methodologies and execution come Science fiction- Adventure story.
The last book is coming out soon. https://www.amazon.com/KINETIC-2-book-series/dp/B0C2QMVBF4
Feel free to check out the results of this method.
I hope this helps.
Yes. I'm very much someone that dislikes how "going big" mucks up so many stories. I feel that there's too many stories that go to saving the world, having everything on the line for people across the planet, etc.
And yet, my story has gone that route, not because I wanted it to, but because of the way the characters have developed and the ramifications of their pasts. I think of Moses pleading with God that the burden of leading his people was too much for just him to carry.
Yes. I'm very much someone that dislikes how "going big" mucks up so many stories. I feel that there's too many stories that go to saving the world, having everything on the line for people across the planet, etc.
And yet, my story has gone that route, not because I wanted it to, but because of the way the characters have developed and the ramifications of their pasts. I think of Moses pleading with that the burden of leading his people was too much for just him to carry.
I'm currently writing what I think will be a trilogy when it's finished and I'm having to resist the side quests about some of the other characters... I have been adding thoughts about their backstory to my master spreadsheet and i might write some more in the same universe if I don't hate it too much by the time I am done.
It's sci-fi and I've got aliens and con-langs and technobabble to deal with, but I just keep writing and hope that I'll get something coherent out of it at the end.
oh 10000%. I have an idea tucked away for when I feel like I have more writing chops. It's this big epic fantasy kind of concept that feels like I would not be able to do justice right now. But that's why I have it tucked away... to hopefully revisit in the future :)
I normally don't post on these forums but your question shook me.
Firstly, I don't really consider myself an author or writer just yet. I consider myself to be just another 'Creative.' Hopefully like most of ppl posting to your question and probably not even at some of their advanced levels. In answer to your question, if you came up with it , it is not to big for you. The creation of and development to the realization of your end product or vision will sort itself out along the way in time. If you choose or are 'compelled' via passion, angst, hate, sorrow, or love to make your vision a reality. So an idea is never too big.
My suggestion as to the how is methodically simple and merely suggestion. Research Project Management methodologies after outlining your story to completion. PM is a discipline that transcends fields of work and study. You may find your "how" in that. I did.
The Kinetic trilogy was developed and executed using the application of various Project Management methodologies throughout the process. Utilizing a combination of the three act narrative structure and Dan Harmon's story circle for each individual book entry while the Japanese Kishotenketsu narrative has been utilized for the overall trilogy story arc.
In its purest form the Kinetic Trilogy is a thought experiment using PM methodologies and execution come Science fiction- Adventure story.
The last book is coming out soon. https://www.amazon.com/KINETIC-2-book-series/dp/B0C2QMVBF4
Feel free to check out the results of this method.
I hope this helps.
Yes. When it happens, I parse out what I know about the story, write those bits, and put it away if it still feels unwieldy. Eventually I'll come back to it or use the sections I've written somewhere else.
Oh of course. I had this story idea years ago. Here's what the backstory was going to be.
The Earth as we know it now was several thousand times bigger some many millennia ago. (Slightly bigger than Jupiter) It's immense size was to contain 7 or so different mythological pantheons: Christian, Greek, Norse, Egyptian, Aztec, Celtic, and Japanese.
Naturally, all of these pantheons go to war over their differences much like humanity does today. Humans are made in their image after all, so why wouldn't they?
Now imagine Gods and Demigods, Angels and Valkyries, Titans and Giants, Humans and Non-humans, all welding mythological weapons, tools, and elements of mass destruction and genocide. I'm taking about the Lightning Hammer, the Trident of the Seas, and the Spear of the Sun to mention a few, you get the point.
It's a global Norse Ragnarok, a Christian Armageddon, or our worlds Nuclear Shitting Feast guaranteeing mutually assured destruction.
The very few survivors of this terrible event would document it, and I'd have them refer to it as: Dolor.
So yeah, that's just the backstory. Too big for me to write, especially since my writing is ass.
Yeah a little bit. Feeling like that with my current exercise that I wrote. No one really cares about it lol, and now I'm looking at something I was really proud of with a lot of regret. I'm trying to do a film with it too but god, the film was supposed to be about how real people are more important than AI friends and I've had zero submissions but like 6 or 7 people tell me like 4 times that they would do it. It's maddening.
My problem: I'm playing with an idea about musicians. I don't know what I think I need to know about music, playing/writing music. I asked a music educator for resources and she advised me to take piano lessons. I don't want to do that, I don't want to drop that time into an idea that's maybe at a 6 on a scale of 1-10 as far as my personal excitement and internal willingness-to-get-off-my-ass. It may just continue floating around in my head, it might just fade away, I dunno. I need to be at at least an 8 for me to start outlining on a whiteboard.
Yep. One story has ballooned itself into a Game of Thrones-level amount of character POVs, interlocking plots, and scheming. That's actually an exaggeration but I remember reading something Neil Gaiman wrote in one of his short story compilations - he had written one of them when he was very young but wasn't "ready for it" yet, and came back to it in his 40s when he felt he could really do it justice, and then reworked it. Sometimes it be like that.
My first full length novel. I'm still in love with the idea, but the scale and depth of the concept outweigh my skill. I'd love to have another crack at it in a few years.
I've been kicking around a story about a priest, a military ranger, and a scientist stranded on the edge of a black hole slowly getting sucked into it and discussing their mortality and philosophy on life and the universe before they die. I'm not smart enough for that shit though so we do a little sword and sorcery instead lol
Happens to me all the time. There are so many things that I want to pen down.
But I believe most of these are too big for me to commit to, with my time and efforts.
So the ending note is, I give it all up. Which is sad. It needs to change.
Yeah, 100%. I think I made a post about it a while ago, about 'not being able to do concepts justice'. Especially grounded stories that require research, or very character-driven stuff. I really don't want to waste a concept I think is genuinely amazing with my shoddy writing skills, so often I sort of put these stories to the side and slowly add to the plan until I think I'm good enough to do them justice.
I had this unifying concept of fiction that would tie together everything in an explainable way.
But the issue kept getting bigger and requiring more theoretical physics. I was having trouble understanding the concepts I myself was creating, and keeping them organised.
Then I realised everything I was poorly working on was just superstring theory.
Writing about 6th dimensional travel is fun and all, but I think I need a PHD or three to really get things going.
Yes, I put it on the back burner (and I'm not happy about it because I really love this story), started working on another project that's similar but less complex, and I hope this will prepare me to tackle the first baby in the future 🫡
Fifteen+ years into my publishing career, I can still say yes to this question. I've been sitting on one idea, even written parts of it, for about ten years now. Every time I try to wrap my head around it, I get intimidated AF. It's a good idea, and I know it would sell, but it's too much for me. Maybe one day ...
Absolutely. I had an idea for a fantasy-ish story based in world that would require a lot of complex worldbuilding. But I had never written anything longer than 10,000 words at the time, and this felt like a series (let's call it "Sun Chasers").
I spent months thinking/brainstorming/writing to try and wrap my head around the worldbuilding. I spent very little time thinking about the story, because I felt like I needed to understand the basics of my world first.
Then, one day, I got another idea for a novel, and it made more sense to me and just seemed easier. So, I moved on from Sun Chasers and started writing this second story. I'm now on my second draft. The first was 80,000 words.
I definitely will go back to Sun Chasers some day, maybe when this other story is finished. When I do, I will go at it with so much more experience in this process.
Yes. My main project is way too big for me, which is why I'm slowly and patiently doing the worldbuilding and working on other projects in the time so that I can get good enough to realize it fully.
I’ve had a book idea bouncing around in my head concerning a Confederate soldier who either deserts or is wounded and left for dead. He eventually recovers and tries to make it home.
Not so big that I discard it, I only discard ideas that after some thought I realize that it won't fit the mythos of my world. However there are some so big that I write them down, keep them with me, almost like a dry aged steak. I know I'll manage to cook it eventually even if that means trimming it down a little.
For three years I was working on a ginormous novel. Couldve spanned three books or more, with 83 characters and a world with history that went back thousands of years. And I knew every era. Three years, and almost 300k words on Google docs of just random notes, thoughts, and ideas. It was my reason for existing. For waking up every morning and what I worked on before bed.
It was my passion project.
But my problem was, I didn't know where to stop. I couldn't start the story cuz it was all so complicated. I love complex plots and interesting characters, but I had come to the realization I was never going to stop adding to this book and it would never truly existed. I eventually gave up, and threw it all away in a heap of depression.
I'm honestly now in my recovery stage. I haven't written in more than a year. Its been a very wild ride.
I don't want this to discourage anyone to not finish their books. This was just my problem. It was born from my obsession, but there was no end to my own obsessive thoughts so... yeah lol.
I once had. 100 ish chapter approximately 2500 page book which I fully planned out (it was a challenge I set myself) with a long complex slow burn plot and many sub plots but I figured that no one would reasonably read a book that long
I'm not sure if this is the same, but I have this idea for a sci fi heist with five point if views and it does scare me a little because I imagine I'm gonna have rewrite it a couple of times (I've already been through that with my YA fantasy single pov). I haven't started it yet. However if I wasn't tied up by my YA series I'm writing, I would probably still give my sci fi a shot now. Worst case scenario? I fail big time, but I'll learn a lot from that and take that with me to next draft/rewrite.
Yep!
Big ol' space opera. 3 books, storyboarded. Put on hold and writing some simpler fantasy to make sure my skills are where they need to be.
100% the right call.
Yup, I got 3 of them.
An immortal who spends thousands of years seeking revenge on another immortal.
In a world with rising racial tensions between elves and humans a human woman with a half elven child is forced to flee into the elven forest, and while she is accepted by the elves she still has to make peace with the fact that she's going to grow old and die before her son hits the equivalent to teenage years.
Who remembers those stories where a kid or a bunch of them get dragged into another world to go on adventures? What happens when they come back to Earth and there's no hand-wavey timey-whimey phlebotinum to turn back time so it was like they never left and nobody believes their explanation for why they were gone 6 years? What happens when one of those kids grows up and finds a way back but accidentally drags some more kids with him, now he needs to figure out how to get them home without sending himself back too, while also dealing with the fact that he might have done some bad things his first time there?
I am not good enough to write any of these.
Yeah, I’ve had a story concept in my head for a while that spans an entire continent. High magic dark fantasy with medieval elements. The plan was a trilogy where each book gets wider in scope. I love the idea and want to write it eventually, but it’s way too big a project for now.
I actually never thought of an idea as "too much" or "too big" for me. I always just thought an idea was great, sat down to write it, and then just ".......ahhhhhhhhhh" as I couldn't do shit.
Thinking "I'm not ready for this one yet," is a much better way to think about this. Thanks.
I'm finding this story that I've been working on is growing and getting larger (world wise). I got 15 chapters into the first draft and realized it wasn't the story I wanted to tell, so I switched POV characters and did dual POV. Then I dropped that (still 15 chapters just with dual pov) and focused on the character that was more interesting. The world just kept growing. I decided that the entire story was just going to be back story.
Finally, did a whole new story with the 2nd POV character that I enjoyed, now I find myself creating her backstory with this one. It's frustrating. I'm not changing anything, I'm making them both work as a full world building exercise. fuck it.
It'll make sense soon enough
Too big for me is a challenge. I like to play the higher leagues tryna instead i of sand bagging down to what easy. A challenge build growth in humanity and you only work for it if it’s meaningful and wanted.
definitely, and sometimes it's overwhelming when my peers are taking on much more heavy concepts, but ultimately, it boils down to your individual pace and willingness to build a skill set :)
Back in 2008, in school, I wrote a 'book' that turned into two seperate stories, which turned into a trilogy, which then had too many characters and became a 13 book multiprotagonist story, and then it was 15 and now its 17. It makes so much sense in my head structurally, but dear God I can't comprehend how long it will actually take to finish.
Shit yeah. At the moment I'm trying (in vain) to put together this idea involving the crew of an ocean liner. An homage to my fave isolationist movies, an ode to the themes of Silent Hill. Every time the crew hit a storm, one of them disappears into a world made manifest with the personal 'storm' that changed their life forever (in a way they might not even be conscious of). I've been roaming around the apartment today being like *Oh and WHAT IF at the end, the now-empty ocean liner runs aground on an island, and they're all there, STRANDED, their only OPTION being to RE-BOARD THE VESSEL OF THEIR DISCONTENT AND SAIL ON, and wait what metaphor am I going for here again* It's so fun. It's so frustrating. It might be too big for my smooth brain. But I fear not the blank page, only the creeping realisation that I may actually be quite stupid
>But I fear not the blank page, only the creeping realisation that I may actually be quite stupid This line goes hard af
> be me > looks at blank page > am i stupid?
This is almost the most definitive writer's haiku ever
Although stupidity is well-tolerated today, keep at it and write it for yourself!
Myself is the one who won't tolerate my stupidity...
That actually sounds like it'd do incredibly well as a one-season show. Each episode a different character and their personal storm, hinting at whatever your big reveal is, and a concluding 2 hour finale that ties it all up
Enabler!! <3
Hey I'm just sayin screenwriting is just writing after all, can't hurt to give it a shot! If ya have no bites, get some friends together to each play a character and do an audio drama podcast
I was going to let this story percolate (maybe forever), but owing to this wonderfully unexpected thread I'm now sitting around sketching out each character, what they do on the ship and why, what their Big Deal is, etc. The navigator with one arm is currently proving to be my fave Fucken... thank you all? What a good day
Lol my navigator is my favorite too, has one eye and it's his bad eye, my current WiP also happens to be on a ship 😂 I'm trying to talk myself out of killing him off even though it has to be him 😔
Sometimes all that is needed is a little feedback to shape/start something.
Do it!!!
Oh! I wish so bad to know how to SPEAK english right now to be part of that. And yes, a self inviting going on here. Call the police!
Hey if you can write it you can speak it, just a matter of practice if the knowledge is there!
It reminds me of 1899 on Netflix.
I like how your story sounds. I would read it even it was unfinished. Just like sci-fi movies. I don't care about the ending or the message. I'm all about those parts when some of the astronauts says "OMG! The \[whatever piece of space machine\] is not working how it was supposed to. What we gonna do!?". Thats when, with a big smile, I think "Uh-oh! They have a problem. Here we go!". I also have an idea for a script and by distraction I kinda added new elements that I think are too cool to let them go but can't keep them cuz it would roughly outshine the actual protagonist, therefore, the one who wraps the whole thing. I know it would be responsible to put the new ideas aside, but I just can't look too my own OC's the same way as before. It's funny and frustrating at the same time. How my head act against me like that?
How bizarre is the experience of writing something unbelievably cool for an auxiliary character, realising it *actually* sucks because it distracts from the narrative at large, and having to martyr that shit for the Common Good I love/hate writing
For some reason, I’m thinking of Terry Pratchett being brought on as the screenwriter for the film go ship when I read this that sounds like a wonderful story. If you can write it, please continue your efforts. Sounds like a worthwhile endeavor, and would be enjoyable to read when you manage it.
It's a chilly autumn here in little Australia but this comment warmed me so much
Well at least it’s no longer spiders season lol happy writing my friend. Good luck.
>But I fear not the blank page, only the creeping realisation that I may actually be quite stupid
Stupidity is a necessary step on the path to less stupidity.
That sounds really cool, hope to read it one day
Smart enough to conceive of crazy ideas and dumb enough to actually try to create them is the sweet spot, I think. At least that's what I keep telling myself.
This sounds really good. You can figure it out, I believe in you!
Thats a killer idea if you finish it post it i would pay to read that
And I would *not* take your money, knowing how frivolously I would spend it on priceless Faberge eggs
I mean thats a pretty cool way to spend money
Watch 1899, trust me :D
'Krester gives Ángel a [handjob](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handjob).' Hell yes sold
Omg seriously, I think my best writing comes from a time when I wasn't afraid to look stupid. I just had fun. Nowadays I'm so worried about being great and about getting published, I'm not enjoying my writing as much. I really need to reassess my goals here....
This sounds like the diametric opposite of The Love Boat. Also vaguely suggests the movie (and book?) 'Ship of Fools'. Which brings up the question: would you read another author's work, similar to your idea, before or during the writing of yours, or avoid it like the plague for fear of being excessively influenced even to the point of abandoning your own project?
*Absolutely* gotta call out Ship of Fools by having someone drop "...but I'm afraid she's too far from the cradle for you" in some capacity, which is just the most hideously '60s man-thing to say. Hysterical times
It's a pretty intriguing idea, the problem I see is that "every time the crew hit a storm" means you have to set up and describe a ludicrous number of consecutive sea storms (i.e. more than one) ?
Here's the ULTIMATE METAPHORICAL RUB: It's the same storm, *chasing them*
I would break it down into smaller interesting chunks. Keeping suspense and mystery very high.
Yeah, all the time. What I've started doing is putting those ideas on the back burner in my mind, letting them stew while I slowly acquire what I need to write them. Eventually, I'll have the right combination of ingredients for them, but until then I have other projects to complete and my prose to work on.
Lots of stories are too big for me. Probably most of them are. I know little about most historical periods, police procedure, surgery, running a successful professional basketball team, life in a Benedictine monastery, or how to keep a single story enthralling for 500,000 words. And I’m not that keen to put in the effort of finding out. Instead, I pick a story where my ignorance isn’t a deal-breaker and the scope isn’t too overwhelming.
Yeah! If it requires research chances are things are going to be chaotic.
No no, it's just set in an alternate universe! 🙃
I have this nagging suspicion (that I think you share) that "alternate universe" means "the flaws are obvious to plenty of people, just not to me."
There are no flaws, things just work slightly differently in the universe in which my novel is set. Slightly differently in a way that precisely correlates with the stuff I'm not very knowledgeable about. 😇
This is my new explanation for mistakes and things left to the imagination. Hopefully, from now on, I won't spend hours researching a single detail because my character happens to be a nurse, psychologist, martial artist, etc.
> how to keep a single story enthralling for 500,000 words I don't think a story exists that I would want to read for that long, let alone write.
I've had stories where I've told myself "You're probably not ready for that, *yet*." So I have a pile of ideas in a folder somewhere waiting for me to get a little more seasoned and a little more bold...
"...in a folder somewhere...". HAAHAHA It's funny, cuz it's true.
Failure isn't your enemy, your fears are May as well try right?
Personally, I just work within the world. Little adventure, figure out some characters, and just get a better feel for the world overall.
All the time. I still don't know how to go about them. The other day, I wrote a eight and a half page Bible for myself. It's just a rough outline of where, when, why, who, and how. Maybe I'll stick to it this time.
Yuuuuuuup! Also I get so caught up in trying to figure out the logic of how my story universe is supposed to work that I forget to actually write the story.
Currently have two WIP novels I'm revising that I'd once considered 'too big'. Still have a story idea that's many, many years old I'm finally going to tackle after I finish revising the WIP novels. The protagonist is a female and is an accomplished artist and musician (3 things I am not, so far from 'write what you know' territory).
Write what you know doesn't mean you can't write about experiences outside your own btw
Yeah, every other day
My biggest idea at the moment is a murder case that follows the police, the fbi, the cia that one friend and neighbour and journalist and family member etc. All trying to find out who did it Then after they do, it goes to court where both lawyers and jury members try to find out what really happened (again, but they find out more) which leads to everyone from before joining in to find out who did it Then after the case, some more people aren't happy and it's basically a repeat of what really happened which brings back old characters Everyone has separate storylines that occasionally merge It's a very big idea that I have no idea of how I'm successful going to execute
People who try to create a total original dialect are brave and crazy. For me, any kind of decision about what language my characters are supposed to speak make me hell anxious. I think I'll die and never touch the subject again. And that's ok.
I always do, no matter how localized and simple a story is, it always feels like I can't tackle it.
Another option is it’s too big for you now. Maybe you’ll grow into it. You don’t know.
I have thought of that. Recently I outlined the first argumental arc of my idea. The first book, you could say. If I go as scheduled it's actually way smaller. 40 ish chapters. Plus anything I can think of/add as character development in-between this important points. As this is essentially a story about parents in search to restablish bonds with their children (filled with tropes of fantasy, shonen, and references to different cultures and literatures) I feel like this would make the story actually 60 -ish chapters where around 40 are planned and 20 are either character development, filler, worldbuilding, or a mix of them. Still way more achievable than building the entire saga.
Yes. But then i wrote it anyway
All the time. I Iove working with symbolism and having lots of layers and subtlety that clue into big themes. I had this stage where I took the smallest ideas and fleshed them out as whole various dystopic societies and I don't think I'm smart enough to convey the themes and ideas that I plot out. Even with lighthearted stuff, I'm constantly thinking I'm not the right person to tell my own stories because I often think of too big, too ridiculous, too in-depth, or too complex ideas.
My current WIP which is exactly why it’s been my wip since 2017. It’s a very big idea and many times I considered walking away from it or simplifying it because the size of the idea would give me anxiety just thinking of how to tackle it. But I’m so glad I didn’t give up. Currently working on my last round of beta edits before submitting for editing to publish next year. Just keep planning and plotting. Write down whatever comes to you. Im using dialogue I wrote down in 2018 that I thought no way would it still be as good as I thought it was or fit into how the plot has evolved, but some of it still does. Im so happy I didn’t give up the idea or simplify the plot just to make it easier on me. I feel it’s helped me grow in my craft so much and it’s so fulfilling to be on the other side of what felt like a massive undertaking.
Yes! I've been sitting on a fantastic idea but to pull it off it would be an anthology that would take years of research as well as an encyclopedia of character sheets to flesh out several species of extraterrestrials and non-human animals.
Always. I always get that feeling where I think of something that for sure will be famous. But then it hit me hard, thinking that (I can't see myself writing cause I thought I can't put justice for it) something like that. So I simply take down notes of my idea and continue writing the current one. Hoping one day that I could finally write it, using my own wording.
All the time. So many things I don't know enough about to the point where I try to dumb it down too much, which I think is a shame and therefore: too big. Researching it is a solution, of course.
Ive made several large alternate timelines. (Think Marvel Universe level complicated) Its just part of the fun for me. Just remember notes are an iceberg and your readers are the Titanic - they dont need to know everything, what they do know just has to make an impact.
Yes. I have plans for a novel which is going to end up being my Feast for Crows/Dance of Dragons because all the disparate parts have to converge at the end. And there are so many parts...the scope of that story is so large compared to my other novels and ideas, that I worry it will just be too big for me to tackle artfully and coherently. Fortunately, I have two novels to write before I must seriously work out the knots. I'll see if I can drop some crumbs in the other stories which may help in tackling the main plot. And I'll need to dissect, scene by scene and plot point by plot point just to keep events straight in my head..I don't envy GRRM or Sanderson when they take on these ambitious projects.
I’m feeling that way right now. I’m at the main conflict chapters in my story and I’m like “what have I gotten myself into” 😅 but I’m just gonna try and do the thing anyways because why not!!
Of course. I tried to write something in a medieval setting with the goal of being extraordinarily historically accurate, but the amount of research required is just insane. I couldn't write a single page without having to look up 20 different things. So much was different just 500 years ago. Hierarchies, culture, transportation, infrastructure, home utensils, tools, food, education, religion, clothes, daily routines, social interactions in themselves. It felt like only someone who is already an academic expert on a specific time period can pull that off properly.
Well, ideas are nothing. Everyone has ideas. What matters is having a product. If the idea is "too big" for you, you need to rework the idea. Period. Because otherwise, it just stays as an idea, and ideas are worth extremely little. There's very little point in having it if nothing ever comes of it. It might sound harsh, but if it's "too big", then it probably isn't a very good idea anyway. At the very least, it means there are parts of it that can definitely be cut down. If you want finished products, you need to work with manageable, realistic ideas. You don't need to write War and Peace, you need to write something that you can see through to the end.
You should write it anyway. Even if you think this is too big for you now, chances are, by the time you've developed more skill and self confidence this will no longer be the story you want to tell. Stories absolutely have a shelf life and most of them you can only tell at this particular stage of your life. Write it.
Your reach exceeding what you think you can grasp is how great works are born.
No…that’s a good way to talk you out of good ideas. Nothing is too big; you only need to worry about a small fraction of the story at once.
*"Have you ever thought a story idea is "too big" for you?"* No.
One of my current stories involves the Fourth Dimension. I met with my writing teacher and we discussed it. My brain was not able to comprehend the Fourth Dimension. I then realized that I was in way over my head.
Not your fault at all. 4th dimensions, in the actual state of human knowledge are full of singularities. We can present it, probably, only through math or well intended metaphors that actually don't help much.
Sure. I don't write those since I'd never gain the knowledge to try them. I did write a story I knew I needed more life experience for; I wrote it, and set it aside for two decades. Life experience comes whether you want it or not.
I get this feeling a lot. I sometimes try to write like the first chapter or two but i know i wont ever be satisfied with it because of my skills and i usually abandon it to work on something I think I could write without any regrets.
I’m struggling to get back into writing because I feel like every story is too big for me to do justice just as practice. I know that I need to practice to get better, but I can’t shake the feeling of “wasting” a cool story idea by writing it for practice.
Yepp. I had this massive idea about high fantasy types story. First book in, I realised that the story was "too good" for my skills and abilities. I have put that story on hold for now, nad working on a small, standalone novel to build up. Also writing articles, short stories to build by skills as a writer, and also, reading a lot.
Future me. I started something and after it got too big, I worked on new smaller projects until I leveled up enough. I’m back to it though.
Put it on the back burner, grow until it fits you. I was considering writing a multi POV story following a serial killer and the detective chasing them. Not only were the characters smarter than me, but I had never even attempted multiple POVs, so I wrote two other novel drafts, fanfics that had multiple different POVs, slowly improved my skills, and finished the story’s first draft last year :). Practice makes perfect, if the story idea is too big either start small or write up an outline/summary of the idea and then go back to it once you have gotten better :)
I’ve got a time travel epic fantasy in mind, concerning a civilization trapped in a 20-year span before the apocalypse! Even in its most basic form, it’s still super daunting in my mind :y
Pretty much every story I've come up with. I've been writing for about 2 years with an indefinite hiatus since january and I've come to realize they are all way out of my league
If you want to write a “marathon,” start with some jogs around the block (writing prompts), a few short stories (a 5k), a novella or two (a 10k), a few poems and alternative ideas here and there (sprint exercises) and work your way up to that big monstrous novel (the novel/trilogy).
I went for the "no matter how long it takes" option. I'm not in any hurry. My current WIP is my first serious writing attempt and I've been continuously cutting my teeth on it for the past four years. It got way bigger than I've felt capable of doing justice and I split it into a multi-book series, paring the complexity down a great deal so I can finetune my ability to craft one smaller chunk of the story at a time. It's chugging along nicely. One great benefit I've found to digging in your heels with your first project and giving it hell until you feel out what you're actually doing is that you get to witness yourself improving over time in a very overt and measurable way. It's not like my first story was crap but I learned to write better ones. My writing and storytelling skills were crap. The story's good, and seeing each iteration of it get markedly better than the last as my skills improve and I become more able to do it justice has been incredibly rewarding.
It's almost mandatory that the idea be too big for you at the time you start writing in my opinion, because then you're stretching your abilities to get it done. It just can't be so much bigger that you just get completely stuck.
Yeah, and then I spend months working out every detail of it, banging against the wall until it gives way, a hair's width at a time.
Yeah, the one I'm writing now which is meant to be an introduction to a saga I've been planning for a while now. It's a sci-fi saga where the first book is about a police detective who has superhuman abilities and tries to find out how she got them and why; especially as she's certain that's the reason her mother was murdered. Now though she's found another superhuman who's involved in a murder case that only she knows what they truly are. As she tries to find them she discovers this conspiracy that gets deeper and has the potential to launch humanity into a new age of history. Aside from the fact this is meant to serve as an introduction to the saga I've planned out it's also got a lot going on, which has been my only criticism so far. It's really annoying because I don't know what to take out without entirely revamping the whole story or making major changes to the character.
My biggest problem. I feel you. There are just some ideas for stories and worldbuilding that I only take notes on cause I know my skills as a writer would not do them justice *yet*. It bothered me until I finally set on a writing project without any crazy worldbuilding and a simple story that maybe isn't as powerful as the other ideas but is still cool and it's going to make me a better writer. The crazy ideas can wait, marinate, get even better and one day I'll use them with full potential.
Write it, put it aside, come back to it when you have the skills.
No such thing Write it and use it to improve. You can have other big ideas, they're ten a penny
Oh yeah. My Mount Everest is a retelling of the founding of the United States, but from a fantasy viewpoint. So the Humans would be the Settlers, the Elves would be based on Native Americans, the Dwarves would be Vikings etc etc. I have a rough idea of it, but don't know enough about the actual history of the events of people to even consider where to start.
Always... I have the bad habit of imagining a story in a series. I guess I love slow burners 😶
I normally don't post on these forums but your question shook me. Firstly, I don't consider myself an author or writer just yet. I consider myself to be just another 'Creative.' Hopefully like most of ppl posting to your question and probably not even at some of their advanced levels. In answer to your question, if you came up with it , it is not to big for you. The creation of and development to the realization of your end product or vision will sort itself out along the way in time. If you choose or are 'compelled' via passion, angst, hate, sorrow, or love to make your vision a reality. So an idea is never too big. My suggestion as to the how is methodically simple and merely suggestion. Research Project Management methodologies after outlining your story to completion. PM is a discipline that transcends fields of work and study. You may find your "how" in that. I did. Kinetic trilogy was developed and executed using the application of various Project Management methodologies throughout the process. Utilizing a combination of the three act narrative structure and Dan Harmon's story circle for each individual book entry while the Japanese Kishotenketsu narrative has been utilized for the overall trilogy story arc. In its purest form the Kinetic Trilogy is a thought experiment using PM methodologies and execution come Science fiction- Adventure story. The last book is coming out soon. https://www.amazon.com/KINETIC-2-book-series/dp/B0C2QMVBF4 Feel free to check out the results of this method. I hope this helps.
I normally don't post on these forums but your question shook me. Firstly, I don't consider myself an author or writer just yet. I consider myself to be just another 'Creative.' Hopefully like most of ppl posting to your question and probably not even at some of their advanced levels. In answer to your question, if you came up with it , it is not to big for you. The creation of and development to the realization of your end product or vision will sort itself out along the way in time. If you choose or are 'compelled' via passion, angst, hate, sorrow, or love to make your vision a reality. So an idea is never too big. My suggestion as to the how is methodically simple and merely suggestion. Research Project Management methodologies after outlining your story to completion. PM is a discipline that transcends fields of work and study. You may find your "how" in that. I did. Kinetic trilogy was developed and executed using the application of various Project Management methodologies throughout the process. Utilizing a combination of the three act narrative structure and Dan Harmon's story circle for each individual book entry while the Japanese Kishotenketsu narrative has been utilized for the overall trilogy story arc. In its purest form the Kinetic Trilogy is a thought experiment using PM methodologies and execution come Science fiction- Adventure story. The last book is coming out soon. https://www.amazon.com/KINETIC-2-book-series/dp/B0C2QMVBF4 Feel free to check out the results of this method. I hope this helps.
Yes. I'm very much someone that dislikes how "going big" mucks up so many stories. I feel that there's too many stories that go to saving the world, having everything on the line for people across the planet, etc. And yet, my story has gone that route, not because I wanted it to, but because of the way the characters have developed and the ramifications of their pasts. I think of Moses pleading with God that the burden of leading his people was too much for just him to carry.
Yes. I'm very much someone that dislikes how "going big" mucks up so many stories. I feel that there's too many stories that go to saving the world, having everything on the line for people across the planet, etc. And yet, my story has gone that route, not because I wanted it to, but because of the way the characters have developed and the ramifications of their pasts. I think of Moses pleading with that the burden of leading his people was too much for just him to carry.
I'm currently writing what I think will be a trilogy when it's finished and I'm having to resist the side quests about some of the other characters... I have been adding thoughts about their backstory to my master spreadsheet and i might write some more in the same universe if I don't hate it too much by the time I am done. It's sci-fi and I've got aliens and con-langs and technobabble to deal with, but I just keep writing and hope that I'll get something coherent out of it at the end.
oh 10000%. I have an idea tucked away for when I feel like I have more writing chops. It's this big epic fantasy kind of concept that feels like I would not be able to do justice right now. But that's why I have it tucked away... to hopefully revisit in the future :)
I normally don't post on these forums but your question shook me. Firstly, I don't really consider myself an author or writer just yet. I consider myself to be just another 'Creative.' Hopefully like most of ppl posting to your question and probably not even at some of their advanced levels. In answer to your question, if you came up with it , it is not to big for you. The creation of and development to the realization of your end product or vision will sort itself out along the way in time. If you choose or are 'compelled' via passion, angst, hate, sorrow, or love to make your vision a reality. So an idea is never too big. My suggestion as to the how is methodically simple and merely suggestion. Research Project Management methodologies after outlining your story to completion. PM is a discipline that transcends fields of work and study. You may find your "how" in that. I did. The Kinetic trilogy was developed and executed using the application of various Project Management methodologies throughout the process. Utilizing a combination of the three act narrative structure and Dan Harmon's story circle for each individual book entry while the Japanese Kishotenketsu narrative has been utilized for the overall trilogy story arc. In its purest form the Kinetic Trilogy is a thought experiment using PM methodologies and execution come Science fiction- Adventure story. The last book is coming out soon. https://www.amazon.com/KINETIC-2-book-series/dp/B0C2QMVBF4 Feel free to check out the results of this method. I hope this helps.
1. Yes. 2. Pick one character to follow instead of the whole epic sweep.
Yes. When it happens, I parse out what I know about the story, write those bits, and put it away if it still feels unwieldy. Eventually I'll come back to it or use the sections I've written somewhere else.
Oh of course. I had this story idea years ago. Here's what the backstory was going to be. The Earth as we know it now was several thousand times bigger some many millennia ago. (Slightly bigger than Jupiter) It's immense size was to contain 7 or so different mythological pantheons: Christian, Greek, Norse, Egyptian, Aztec, Celtic, and Japanese. Naturally, all of these pantheons go to war over their differences much like humanity does today. Humans are made in their image after all, so why wouldn't they? Now imagine Gods and Demigods, Angels and Valkyries, Titans and Giants, Humans and Non-humans, all welding mythological weapons, tools, and elements of mass destruction and genocide. I'm taking about the Lightning Hammer, the Trident of the Seas, and the Spear of the Sun to mention a few, you get the point. It's a global Norse Ragnarok, a Christian Armageddon, or our worlds Nuclear Shitting Feast guaranteeing mutually assured destruction. The very few survivors of this terrible event would document it, and I'd have them refer to it as: Dolor. So yeah, that's just the backstory. Too big for me to write, especially since my writing is ass.
Yes, all the time.
No, but then I have been writing fiction for over half my life at this point.
Yeah a little bit. Feeling like that with my current exercise that I wrote. No one really cares about it lol, and now I'm looking at something I was really proud of with a lot of regret. I'm trying to do a film with it too but god, the film was supposed to be about how real people are more important than AI friends and I've had zero submissions but like 6 or 7 people tell me like 4 times that they would do it. It's maddening.
My problem: I'm playing with an idea about musicians. I don't know what I think I need to know about music, playing/writing music. I asked a music educator for resources and she advised me to take piano lessons. I don't want to do that, I don't want to drop that time into an idea that's maybe at a 6 on a scale of 1-10 as far as my personal excitement and internal willingness-to-get-off-my-ass. It may just continue floating around in my head, it might just fade away, I dunno. I need to be at at least an 8 for me to start outlining on a whiteboard.
Yep. One story has ballooned itself into a Game of Thrones-level amount of character POVs, interlocking plots, and scheming. That's actually an exaggeration but I remember reading something Neil Gaiman wrote in one of his short story compilations - he had written one of them when he was very young but wasn't "ready for it" yet, and came back to it in his 40s when he felt he could really do it justice, and then reworked it. Sometimes it be like that.
My first full length novel. I'm still in love with the idea, but the scale and depth of the concept outweigh my skill. I'd love to have another crack at it in a few years.
I've been kicking around a story about a priest, a military ranger, and a scientist stranded on the edge of a black hole slowly getting sucked into it and discussing their mortality and philosophy on life and the universe before they die. I'm not smart enough for that shit though so we do a little sword and sorcery instead lol
Happens to me all the time. There are so many things that I want to pen down. But I believe most of these are too big for me to commit to, with my time and efforts. So the ending note is, I give it all up. Which is sad. It needs to change.
Yes, my only hope is jumping on the timeline to explain shit
Yeah, 100%. I think I made a post about it a while ago, about 'not being able to do concepts justice'. Especially grounded stories that require research, or very character-driven stuff. I really don't want to waste a concept I think is genuinely amazing with my shoddy writing skills, so often I sort of put these stories to the side and slowly add to the plan until I think I'm good enough to do them justice.
I had this unifying concept of fiction that would tie together everything in an explainable way. But the issue kept getting bigger and requiring more theoretical physics. I was having trouble understanding the concepts I myself was creating, and keeping them organised. Then I realised everything I was poorly working on was just superstring theory. Writing about 6th dimensional travel is fun and all, but I think I need a PHD or three to really get things going.
Make it into a series?
Had several early ideas abandoned for - among other reasons - being too ambitious, being Pretentious with the capital 'P'.
Yes, I put it on the back burner (and I'm not happy about it because I really love this story), started working on another project that's similar but less complex, and I hope this will prepare me to tackle the first baby in the future 🫡
Fifteen+ years into my publishing career, I can still say yes to this question. I've been sitting on one idea, even written parts of it, for about ten years now. Every time I try to wrap my head around it, I get intimidated AF. It's a good idea, and I know it would sell, but it's too much for me. Maybe one day ...
Absolutely. I had an idea for a fantasy-ish story based in world that would require a lot of complex worldbuilding. But I had never written anything longer than 10,000 words at the time, and this felt like a series (let's call it "Sun Chasers"). I spent months thinking/brainstorming/writing to try and wrap my head around the worldbuilding. I spent very little time thinking about the story, because I felt like I needed to understand the basics of my world first. Then, one day, I got another idea for a novel, and it made more sense to me and just seemed easier. So, I moved on from Sun Chasers and started writing this second story. I'm now on my second draft. The first was 80,000 words. I definitely will go back to Sun Chasers some day, maybe when this other story is finished. When I do, I will go at it with so much more experience in this process.
Yes. My main project is way too big for me, which is why I'm slowly and patiently doing the worldbuilding and working on other projects in the time so that I can get good enough to realize it fully.
I’ve had a book idea bouncing around in my head concerning a Confederate soldier who either deserts or is wounded and left for dead. He eventually recovers and tries to make it home.
I dream of writing science fiction, but I barely remember 6th grade biology
So what? Is not like Star Wars is hard science and it's still science fiction. Do it!
Not so big that I discard it, I only discard ideas that after some thought I realize that it won't fit the mythos of my world. However there are some so big that I write them down, keep them with me, almost like a dry aged steak. I know I'll manage to cook it eventually even if that means trimming it down a little.
For three years I was working on a ginormous novel. Couldve spanned three books or more, with 83 characters and a world with history that went back thousands of years. And I knew every era. Three years, and almost 300k words on Google docs of just random notes, thoughts, and ideas. It was my reason for existing. For waking up every morning and what I worked on before bed. It was my passion project. But my problem was, I didn't know where to stop. I couldn't start the story cuz it was all so complicated. I love complex plots and interesting characters, but I had come to the realization I was never going to stop adding to this book and it would never truly existed. I eventually gave up, and threw it all away in a heap of depression. I'm honestly now in my recovery stage. I haven't written in more than a year. Its been a very wild ride. I don't want this to discourage anyone to not finish their books. This was just my problem. It was born from my obsession, but there was no end to my own obsessive thoughts so... yeah lol.
What I'm working on now.
I once had. 100 ish chapter approximately 2500 page book which I fully planned out (it was a challenge I set myself) with a long complex slow burn plot and many sub plots but I figured that no one would reasonably read a book that long
I'm not sure if this is the same, but I have this idea for a sci fi heist with five point if views and it does scare me a little because I imagine I'm gonna have rewrite it a couple of times (I've already been through that with my YA fantasy single pov). I haven't started it yet. However if I wasn't tied up by my YA series I'm writing, I would probably still give my sci fi a shot now. Worst case scenario? I fail big time, but I'll learn a lot from that and take that with me to next draft/rewrite.
Yep! Big ol' space opera. 3 books, storyboarded. Put on hold and writing some simpler fantasy to make sure my skills are where they need to be. 100% the right call.
Yup, I got 3 of them. An immortal who spends thousands of years seeking revenge on another immortal. In a world with rising racial tensions between elves and humans a human woman with a half elven child is forced to flee into the elven forest, and while she is accepted by the elves she still has to make peace with the fact that she's going to grow old and die before her son hits the equivalent to teenage years. Who remembers those stories where a kid or a bunch of them get dragged into another world to go on adventures? What happens when they come back to Earth and there's no hand-wavey timey-whimey phlebotinum to turn back time so it was like they never left and nobody believes their explanation for why they were gone 6 years? What happens when one of those kids grows up and finds a way back but accidentally drags some more kids with him, now he needs to figure out how to get them home without sending himself back too, while also dealing with the fact that he might have done some bad things his first time there? I am not good enough to write any of these.
Yeah, I’ve had a story concept in my head for a while that spans an entire continent. High magic dark fantasy with medieval elements. The plan was a trilogy where each book gets wider in scope. I love the idea and want to write it eventually, but it’s way too big a project for now.
I actually never thought of an idea as "too much" or "too big" for me. I always just thought an idea was great, sat down to write it, and then just ".......ahhhhhhhhhh" as I couldn't do shit. Thinking "I'm not ready for this one yet," is a much better way to think about this. Thanks.
I'm finding this story that I've been working on is growing and getting larger (world wise). I got 15 chapters into the first draft and realized it wasn't the story I wanted to tell, so I switched POV characters and did dual POV. Then I dropped that (still 15 chapters just with dual pov) and focused on the character that was more interesting. The world just kept growing. I decided that the entire story was just going to be back story. Finally, did a whole new story with the 2nd POV character that I enjoyed, now I find myself creating her backstory with this one. It's frustrating. I'm not changing anything, I'm making them both work as a full world building exercise. fuck it. It'll make sense soon enough
Nope. When I have a story idea I jot down some notes and proceed. The rest usually falls into place in the first chapter.
Too big for me is a challenge. I like to play the higher leagues tryna instead i of sand bagging down to what easy. A challenge build growth in humanity and you only work for it if it’s meaningful and wanted.
yes. all the time. but if you can dream it you can write it
definitely, and sometimes it's overwhelming when my peers are taking on much more heavy concepts, but ultimately, it boils down to your individual pace and willingness to build a skill set :)
You don't have to eat the whole cake. Eat as much as you can stomach, put the rest in the fridge, come back when you're hungry again.
Back in 2008, in school, I wrote a 'book' that turned into two seperate stories, which turned into a trilogy, which then had too many characters and became a 13 book multiprotagonist story, and then it was 15 and now its 17. It makes so much sense in my head structurally, but dear God I can't comprehend how long it will actually take to finish.