Page 38 - Voices-2022.05

QUARTER NOTE

on. When I refer to overthinking how a project
There’s a term that a might succeed, there are entire novels on my
lot of us have become familiar with computer that have numerous ideas attached to

over the years: analysis paralysis. Whenever them that have yet to find a permanent home
we start on a new project, it’s all too easy to fall because I haven’t made a proper decision on how
into the trap of overthinking it to the point of to make an outline, or else the story remains
becoming overwhelmed. The more common way unwritten because “something doesn’t feel right.”

of thinking, of course, is to imagine all the ways Most often, it can get to the point where you
that a project can fail. I’ve been known to do the simply must know where your story or project
exact opposite, namely, how many ways can a is going to end that you can get bogged down in
project succeed. Either way, the project can die the beginning. That can be the worst feeling of

before it ever has a chance to get off the ground. all since the ideas themselves might be in place,
For writers, one of our least favorite questions but the fear of not knowing what comes next is
that we hear is, “Where do you get your ideas?” what kills your momentum. So how do you find
Truthfully, at least in my experience, they can that momentum in the first place? Here’s a simple

come from anywhere. They don’t always have answer: Start with the main idea, and then move
to be good ideas. Many are awful, some are forward from there.
downright weird, and others might work in a One of the hardest parts of finding ideas is
different context than the project you’re working determining whether or not they fit your project.

38 ONE COMMUNITY