Multiple Plots in a Busy Brain

A multitude of ideas, plots, characters and one-liners usually clog up the creative pathways in my brain. When someone asks if I'm working on a book, my simplest answer is, "Yes." My more complex answer would be, "Yes, actually, I'm working on a fantasy novel, from which the characters plague my mind day in and day out. I'm also working on another novel that's been on the back burner for several years, but the plot is still fresh in my mind. I'm also working on a devotion book which has reached its editing stage, and therefore haunts me daily because it really wouldn't take all that much effort to complete it. Oh, and I'm working on another devotion book too - it's just barely begun though, and as such, ideas are taking over any spare free space in my brain. And where you'd normally find some silence in one's mind, yeah, that's pretty much filled up too, with ideas for short stories or poems that constantly run in and out like a cat that doesn't know whether it wants to hunt mice or be lazy on the couch."

My mother asked me once how I kept everything straight. I don't remember my answer, but it was something like, "I dunno." My answer today would probably be the same. Having a busy mind as a writer has been a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I'm forever inundated with fresh ideas. A curse because while I'm being inundated with said ideas, whatever else I'm supposed to be doing at the moment (housework?) tends to go undone.

While sorting through the plethora of information though, I've come to love my busy brain. It might be frustrating to those who are waiting to see one of my projects come to completion, or those with whom I'm sharing chapters of my novel with as a write. But, while down times feel too quiet, in reality, my brain is anything but silent.

I've also come to realize that when I have a new idea or I'm inspired, that I should not hold onto it and wait until I finish another project - one that perhaps has grown stale or I'm struggling to complete. (I'm not saying this applies to all writing situations, especially ones with deadlines.) There's no point in spinning my wheels in the mud, when I have a new vehicle waiting out on the road. By the time I return, the mud will have dried and I'll be able to continue on my original route. The waiting time can be quite irritating to me (and others), but in the end, this plan of attack has far less stress, and far more opportunities for creativity.

Got an idea? Write it. I am.