The Shiny New Story Syndrome

We do it a lot, I think. Focus on something new when we really should be paying attention to our existing work. I know it’s something I’m particularly guilty of; I have at least six unfinished manuscripts on my laptop, three of which are complete in first draft form. Only, instead of potentially focusing on these to improve and polish them for publication, I’m scrambling around in the creative trenches trying to fight off several new ideas and the allure of defection to the other side – the one where ideas go to die…

Firstly, I like to look at WHY the new idea is attractive.

Is it because I’m struggling with an existing one? Is it because I’m close to a breakthrough in my current work-in-progress? Is it because I’m bored of my original idea?

There are lots of questions you could ask here; and usually it’s less about the question than it is about the honest answer. You need to be able to get really truthful on why it is that you’re abandoning your latest project in favour of something new.

For me, it’s usually because I’m stuck on some element of my story. It seems easier to scrap it and start again, or shift to a totally new concept. But, just because it’s ‘easier’ doesn’t make it the right choice. It’s the difference between working in a relationship to create an equal partnership, and enjoying that one-night stand with no strings attached – if you’re searching for the soulmate, the latter isn’t going to get you closer to where you want to be. 

If I’m looking for easy, it’s because I’m craving simplicity; so how can I simplify my approach to my existing story?

With the excitement of ‘new’ comes that serotonin hit of adrenaline that floods our brain and makes us think that ‘this’ is the new ‘that’; the story that will finally be as amazing out of my head as it is inside it. But, chances are, I thought this about the manuscript I’m currently trying to distance myself from – so I also like to wonder how it’s possible to get that excited about my existing work again. 

What was it about my current project that made me tingle with joy when I first started working on it?

This usually takes me back to those early days of the idea, and I find something to connect myself to the story again. Suddenly my old, worn, and flat idea takes shape again and becomes intriguing and attractive. 

What I also find interesting is the rationale behind why I want to start a new story at all. It took me a long time to realise that this is a key part of my revision process – making a tangent to an idea that seems less troublesome.

But in my experience, the shiny new ideas I’m beguiled by typically have one thing in common: they address an issue in my current WIP that I’m struggling to fix. 

I remember once I quit writing one novel to start writing another. The latter simply seemed more achievable and fun to write. Yet, about half way through I had another great idea. It wasn’t until I started exploring that idea that I realised I was writing a story with the same theme and overall premise as the first one, just with a different setting and slightly altered characters. 

Finally, it’s important to recognise when that shiny new idea is just us wanting to stay in our comfort zones. It’s scary to take the big leap into writing a novel. Scarier still when you finish it and have no idea what to do next. And, let’s not neglect the terror of having a polished manuscript that you’ve spent years on, only to be afraid it will be rejected by every agent, publisher, and reader out there. 

This is why honesty is crucial: is this new idea just you procrastinating so that you don’t have to face your fear?

There’s no shame in admitting it. We’ve all been there. The amount of times I’ve emerged from a trip down the rabbit hole, immersing myself in those plot bunny traps and chasing the fluffy tails of brand new ideas, only to realise they are nothing but distractions, keeping me from taking the next step on my writing journey. 

So the next time you suddenly have that most amazing idea for a story and you feel the pull to abandon your last great idea to write it all down immediately, take a moment to stop and ask:. 

• Are you following genius, or just the thrill of something new and unfamiliar?
• Is this idea a band aid for a gaping wound in an existing project that you need to address?
• Is the new idea simply a form of procrastination so that you don’t have to face something you aren’t quite sure how to do?
• Does this idea take you closer, or further away, from your writing dream?

If you can be honest with yourself as to why you’re attracted to the shiny new idea, you might find that – like the brightness of the moon – it’s the reflected glint from the blinding light of your original idea that you’re drawn to because you’re afraid of flying too close to the sun.

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