Young Writers Society

I am burdened with what I assume/hope all natural writers are, that is a much too overactive imagination. Every day new stories crowd into my head, some utter rubbish, others with real potential. Problem is, its extremely hard to retain these stories because every day brings new ones!!!
How do i deal with this abundance of...stuff? Does anyone have the same problem? Can anyone help me?

I go through the same thing. But I've learned that if an idea fails to hold my interest for very long, then it's probably not a good idea.

For the first time ever, I've come stuck on one idea I came up with a couple months ago. The novella is coming slow, but it is coming along and I intend to finish it by March (as long as I just write two pages a day, I'll be good).

My advice, just roll with it. Once you get an idea that's really good, you'll end up sticking with it. As for retaining, best thing to do is just write it down. Since you seem to come up with a lot, I would create a basic template that details the characters, the general plot, possible important moments, etc.

I once read Roald Dalh had the same problem. So he wrote his ideas everywhere. Charly and the great glass elevater's idea was actually written on the fog of his car's window. It does not work for me though.

I have an underactive imagination.

I have an overactive imagination myself. Some ideas go into overdrive, lol. I agree with what Nate said though. For me, if it doesn't hold my interest for more then a day, chances are it might not worth be presueing.

Taking notes however, has helped me a lot. It might help you too. Try it and that way you can look over your ideas and fan out which ones are more interesting.

If you don't write it, ya lose it.

Keep an idea journal and write down all ideas that pop into your head. I had a great idea a few months ago, but I never wrote it down. Now it's lost potential, huh?

Basically, what this post is saying is "What they said."

Now, I direct your attention to my signature...

I have the same problem. I try to juggle two different stories at once. If I get bored of writing one I move on to one I started a month ago and when I get bored of that one I go back to the other one. Another tip: If you juggle two stories of the same type fantasy, scifi, etc you will get tired of them faster. So, I suggest that you work on two stories of the opposite type. Like writing a story about dragons and wizards then moving on to one about space travel and aliens. It sounds weird but it works for me.

*laughs* I have the same problem... what I do is write the first few pages of whatever story has just popped into my head (or paragraphs, whatever you have time for) and then I write out a basic outline with characters and lines that I would like to have said characters say. That ensures that I remember the idea and if I want to, and writing out the first few pages gets me interested in continuing it.

Do what my brother does, and what someone above said Roald Dalh did-when something hits, write it down as quickly as you can, and on whatever you can which you can go back to. Whereas my brother, unlike Dalh, doesn't write stories-he writes songs(specifically 'raps')-he does it nonetheless, inspiration can hit in the most unnexpected places(if not every second of every day!).

Now I don't do that, unfortunately, and yet I am, and I shant say afflicted with, rather blessed with , the same thing, I retain(or try to) everything, or most of everything in my mind. Now throughout the course of last year(2005 ) I've had many ideas, and one which was to be a part of the Christian, thus our worlds history, is now(and I've left it untouched for most of last year [summer+fall]) stationed in my ongoing tale(I'm just working out kinks). When an idea comes to mind, and usually when I'm alone (especially when doing my papers), I relay the entire tale in my head, from start to finish, without knowing how it will end or progress! And only now, after a year of relaying the tales of my 'grande tale', am I starting to write down the more important ones!(I've done writing, don't get me wrong, but only the discarded ideas are mostly what I have left).

But I suggest, unlike me, to write them down! I'm no super-genius, so I can't retain everything that comes to mind, and they may just be good ideas too. Write them down, and let the tales progress themselves(for as I explained, they have a life of their own, and shape themselves), and write them down, even if you don't look at them. And things that normally had no connection to something else, will or might fuse with something else(like what happens to me). Now, after a year my tales are taking shape into what is to be, for the most part, 'canon', thus cementing themselves on paper. Give each idea time to evolve, and like for me, when your thinking about one idea, you might find that another idea gets lodged into it!

Thanks for the suggestions y'all.
Im pretty sure I'll be alrite as i am now going through a "depression phase", which should effectively quell my imagination for a while.