One of the hardest things to do is to avoid Shiny Object Syndrome through a process I like to call Ideation Filtering. We’ll get into the details below, but staying on task is as much a job of being your own brain’s traffic cop as anything else. This hasn’t been so much of an issue the last week as my focus has been on continuing to work through diagramming The Anatomy of Story and working through edits on Book III. Things are good. Also, I spent time with my closest buddies to celebrate a Bachelor Party this weekend. There was lots of food, drink, and good times. It was a wonderful reminder of why these people are so important to me.
Drawing from the Well
So far, I’ve focused on the line-by-line notes. I compiled the overall notes that I’ll need to go over across the entire story to ensure are in properly. That pass will come later. And that’s before I even get into the finer points of the second edit. Still, it feels good to be making updates. Things already feel smoother. There’s still a heck of a lot to do, but progress by inches is still progress. Here’s where things stand for now:
Page 10/274 on Edit 2.1
Filling the Well
Reading continues, though I’ve fallen a bit behind how fast I was going. I’m still on pace but only finished two books last week. One was The Fates Divide by Veronica Roth, which was great. The other was The Cartography of Sudden Death which was an incredible thought experiment in a short story. I highly recommend it. It gets me excited to read more work from Charlie Jane Anders.
21/100 for #ProjectBookworm2023
I finally finished the last full season of The Flash. It was an interesting plot, but the performance is so soapy that it was hard to enjoy. That and the constant presence of the Power of Friendship. Still, the next season, Season 9, is the final one of the show, so I’m obviously going to watch it once it’s complete. I have watched too much to not find out how it ends.
Well Chat
Ideation Filtering is a big phrase for staying on task. What I mean by that is leaning into Shiny Object Syndrome, but only long enough to filter it out. What’s all that mean?
As a creative, I am always subject to Shiny Object Syndrome. There’s always a clever new idea for SOMETHING popping into my head, especially while I’m driving around. I tend to pull over and send it to myself as a text message or email. Once I’m home, it’s time to filter.
With the text or email loaded, I take about ten minutes and write down as many details about the idea as I can in a Notepad file. And then I save it. And then I close it.
That’s it.
You read that right: I put the idea away. What’s the point then, you may be asking. The point is to get the idea out of the way of what I’m working on without losing it. Once it’s written down and saved, I’ve got it when I’m looking for ideas to incorporate into the next IP. Additionally, I’ve indulged the impulse to chase down a Bunny Trail thereby killing the often irresistible urge. These always come up while I’m in the middle of working on an existing project and I really don’t want to be distracted. How can I finish if I’m always distracted. This process of ideation filtering clears the way for me to continue to progress toward the finish line.
What do you do to stay on task? How do you manage Shiny Object Syndrome? Let me know on social media.
Next week, we’ll start a multi-part exploration of the current iteration of my editing process. I’ve covered the broad strokes before, but this will be an in-depth analysis. Strap in for a ride.
May the tide carry you to safer shores.
BSG