Multiple Story Disorder http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068 Angryman Recently, I've been seeing a number of people talk about the troubles they've been having involving multiple story ideas. Talking to fellow Wrimo Itzika, I have decided to start a support group for people with Multiple Story Disorder (MSD). Feel free to discuss, rant, or ask questions that you may have about the problems you've been having due to MSD. I wish to start with a simple rant: Stupid unfinished story that I was working on before NaNoWriMo decided it wanted to be worked on not long after NaNo had started. I had a great story to work on for NaNo, but all I got done was the prologue before the other story grabbed me by the leg and dragged me away. Now I have yet another story that has started, but needs finishing. Wed, 11 Jan 2012 06:28:54 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1049251 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1049251 Morigale Arrrrrgh multiple story disorder. I know this entirely too well. What really slammed me into a wall this NaNo wasn't really that the previous story wanted to come out and play, although it did, it was that they're set in the same universe and I had to keep mentally checking to make sure things were consistent. So I scrapped a couple of plots for having too much magic, one for being way too dark, one for fitting into the setting but not fitting the characters... I've finally hit on something that I think works. Too bad it's January, not November. I have SO MANY stories set in this stupid setting and I have this horrible feeling that I need to work on them all at once, which I really need to break myself of. It's just that all of them tie into the main story and and and arrrrgh. Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:24:42 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1049863 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1049863 Itzika I have one alternate-world fantasy setting, and about ten stories set in it. I made a timeline for them so I could write them in order, and... it's not helping. I want to write them out of order, even the ones that reference events from previous stories. Gah! That's not even going into all the urban fantasy, sci-fi, and actually realistic stories I have going... Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:32:37 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1049877 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1049877 Rubyfruit Multiple Story Disorder probably explains the many, many unfinished stories. Most of them are set in the same universe. Augh. Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:30:09 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1052604 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1052604 YourDestiny [quote=Rubyfruit] Multiple Story Disorder probably explains the many, many unfinished stories. Most of them are set in the same universe. Augh. [/quote] Wow I agree with you. I have so many unfinished stories, most of them in the same kind of world, the other two..I don't even know anymore... Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:52:02 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1053633 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1053633 Angryman Okay, just as something a little different to throw into this thread, how many stories do you have, how many have you started and not finished, and how many have you completed? I currently have 10 different story ideas (not counting sequels), 7 of which I have started, and a grand total of 1 completed story. Sadly, that one I completed has a sequel that I have started and need to get back to. Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:50:48 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1054116 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1054116 Itzika I have no idea how many stories I have. I have 36 folders in my "My Stories" folder on my jump drive, but some of those are for more than one story, and I have other stories that aren't developed enough to get a folder, and I have other stories on the family desktop that aren't on my jump drive. I've completed a few stories, mostly short stories. Not counting school assignments, I've completed I think four short stories, one novella, and one novel. The novella and novel both need complete rewrites, though. I just haven't gotten up the nerve to touch them yet. Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:25:21 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1054278 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1054278 Lady_Indis_Dress I have MSD as well. I have the following unfinished stories: DeFord Chronicles 2 and 3 2 DeFord Chroniclers spin-offs (one a true spin-off and the other a prequel) a Western Jane Austen story an alternate universe Jane Austen story a Jane Austen prequel type thing a Gothic parody an original Regency story a deliberately bad Romance novel two or three untitled Historical fiction novels a stageplay something that might or might not be a novel, about history recreators renting a castle for the summer a soap opera fan fic that never got beyond chapter 3 another soap opera fan fic that made it as far as chapter 6 (different soap opera) and then there are the stories I haven't even started yet... Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:23:41 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1056489 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1056489 ElliMelody I have a big problem with this. My Nano was the longest story I've ever managed to write, with me getting distracted by other ideas about 70 pages in. After Nano, I wrote an awesome short novel for my final English project. my teacher keeps insisting I turn it full length and publish. I started to, then came up with an idea for another story. Got about 1 chapter of that then came up with a new idea, which I wrote down and promised myself to hold onto for next Nano. Then I got on here a few days later and found a title that inspired a new trilogy, which is my current project. I'm 2 chapters into the first book, which has changed twice, once being when it changed from a single story to a trilogy, at which point the original story went to a MMC instead of a FMC and from past to present tense. Fri, 13 Jan 2012 23:38:31 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1058178 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1058178 Angryman Sounds like easily find inspiration for material, then. Sat, 14 Jan 2012 05:40:21 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1058757 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1058757 Angryman *Sounds like you I hate not being able to edit our posts. I least I can blame that on how tired I am. Sat, 14 Jan 2012 05:41:10 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1058758 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1058758 Rubyfruit I have completed all of...nothing in the last year and a half. Though, also in the last year and a half, my school courses have gotten a lot tougher (not so much in terms of the actual work, as much as in terms of "I'm on the last leg of college and so my instructors think that I am not allowed to have a life"). Sat, 14 Jan 2012 14:59:59 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1059672 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1059672 Stratadrake Yeah, I think I suffer from MSD. And by "suffer" I mean "enjoy every minute of it". I currently have an idea for a sequel to my 2011 novel (which, along with 2007, would make a trilogy!) but it's only the basic premise. At the same time I have a competing idea based on an RPG I played last year and really loved the ending on. And the setting of my 2010 Nano was far too broad to completely fill out in those 30 days so I have seemingly hundreds of loose plot elements that are screaming for integration in one form or another. Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:38:58 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1063718 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1063718 larelmian Most of my stories take place in one fantasy realm. My two major sub-series are set about a thousand years apart. I've got "Elfmarked" with its epic quest and assassins and elves. I've got my highland series with the knights in shining armor, spies, damsels in distress, and the occasional dragon. Another major set of stories is set even later in the world's history, but I haven't worked on them in a long time. I'd have to scrap a lot of it, since the rules have changed a lot since then. I've also got stories scattered in between the major series, most of them little more than a summary. My 2004, 2009, and 2010 NaNo's were spawned from my epic. (2010 was a rewrite of "The Elfmarked." I'm a Rebel.) My 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2011 NaNo's were all part of the highland series. Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:13:38 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1065467 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1065467 Stratadrake Oh yes, and ideas based on my 2008 Nano creep into mind from time to time too. Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:02:50 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1069873 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1069873 Red Queen They should make that an official diagnose, at least that would give me an excuse for never finishing anything *coughs and shoves her unfinished stories under the carpet* I don't even know why I keep starting new stories. I *like* the ones I already have, it's not even like I was sick of them or something. I just... keep starting something new. And again. And again. Sometimes, I wish for a dozen clones so I could write all the time and finally finish something... Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:07:46 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1070748 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1070748 Red Queen Does that mean I'm a masochist because I love each and every story I have on my waiting list? Including the ones that will drive me mad with all their plot holes and stupid characters and... handsome guys who are just too perfect... *starts daydreaming again while starting yet another fanfic* Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:09:50 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1070753 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1070753 Itzika But what if your clones had Multiple Story Disorder too? Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:45:53 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1072079 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1072079 Angryman Ooh! I kind of thought of that, but it didn't really click for me until you said it. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:12:35 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1073136 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1073136 Ally Most I have a character( the protagonist) and he is the reason behind my disorder. I let him have his way so its interesting, at the same time he wanders off, telling me about what happened AFTER the 1st book ends. I am trying very hard to keep him in check... Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:51:43 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1073171 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1073171 Angryman Ah, a solid case of Sequel Syndrome if I've ever seen one. To have just Sequel Syndrome and not have it be accompanying MSD is uncommon, but commonly appears in new and first-time authors. And for the record, yes, I am trying for a PhD in writing psychology. I will be Doctor Angryman. ...That almost sounds like a Batman villain. Seriously, I'm sure that there can be studies on the psychology of writers. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 06:41:02 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1073230 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1073230 Angryman ...Sadly, I think I just gave myself material for one of the story ideas I'm playing around with. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 06:42:34 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1073233 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1073233 Red Queen Yeah, but I would run out of ideas *eventually*, so if I only had enough clones, there would be a me for every story. Wouldn't there? Would there?! oO ...okay, now that I think about it, the clone idea isn't all that good... I need to think of something else... Thu, 19 Jan 2012 06:52:08 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1073244 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1073244 Generalist I have enough story ideas to keep me going from now until the end of the century. They will generate enough spinoffs to keep me going for another century or two. Those will generate enough spinoffs and new ideas to keep me going for even longer. Now I just have to figure out how to live that long. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:01:09 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1073841 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1073841 whitedove At the moment I am juggeling seven. Two shorts (one being edited, the other planned), one fanfic (waiting to be rewritten and finished), and four originals (one to rewrite and finish, three to research and plan). And a ton of ideas sitting in my idea notebook, waiting for me to come back to them. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:01:58 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1074115 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1074115 mutewitness I'm currently working on one story, but I have an idea for about 4 others. I think I might start working on one of the others too, because this main one is giving me hell. I think I might need a break from it. Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:49:11 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1075691 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1075691 mutewitness Oh, I also have about 3 fanfics too, that I haven't worked on in months. Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:49:41 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1075693 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1075693 Red Queen Did you post them already? I find it most encouraging if readers are nagging me for the next chapter... I can't work without pressure^^ Fri, 20 Jan 2012 04:54:14 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1075921 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1075921 Itzika I tend to jump fandoms midway through a fanfic, then stay away from that fanfic so long people stop nagging me, and if they continue nagging I manage to stay away so long that I realize that the whole story is crap that should never have seen the light of day. Yeah... I've basically given up fanfiction. Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:26:42 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1075954 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1075954 aliaswriter you daydream about the fanfic, and I'll daydream about the handsome guys :) Fri, 20 Jan 2012 08:57:00 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1076091 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1076091 Elinde I had about 4 on the go before Christmas, all of them over a year old, so I sat down in the holidays and bashed through them. I posted the last chapter a few days ago. Well, I have one still unfinished but I've been working on that one for years... it's like my ongoing headache :¬ P Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:01:00 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1076094 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1076094 aliaswriter This is my problem too. I put my Nano off to the side for the moment because there's just too much problems, and I don't really want to figure it out right now. So I'm working on a romantic comedy, and I must say that I'm enjoying it immensely. I'm laughing at every page haha. I've got 4 novels in the works, including the Nano and the romantic comedy. Then there's I think 4 short stories. All are incomplete. One day... Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:01:02 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1076095 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1076095 Itzika Problem is, none of mine have an ending point in sight. Also, I have way, way more than four, and I'm behind on a lot of the fandoms involved. Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:42:06 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1076142 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1076142 Red Queen My problem isn't the lack of an ending, it's the part in between. When I already know how everything will end, and i just want to skip the boring plot part... now, that's annoying... Wanna exchange some plot for an ending?^^ Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:56:39 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1076396 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1076396 Itzika That sounds like a fair trade. XD Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:05:37 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1076410 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1076410 PenGryphon2007 Oh man, do I ever have this. I'm trying to work on this one story that just refuses to get going. I've been working with it for the last, oh, 5 years? I just want it done by this point. Done and out of sight. Ugh. It's got a lot of high thematic elements in it which is giving me problems, not to mention the whole "plot" issue of getting from point A to point B...and not knowing what exactly I'm trying to say in the meanwhile. Then there's this other story idea I've been working on, which seems to be episodic in nature. I finished writing the Ending of it, and then decided that I could use that to write the Beginning. So I'm working through editing the 50-page manuscript, while trying to figure out how to start off book number 2... At least I'm not alone in this. Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:28:38 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1076829 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1076829 IonaPeridot I used to have something like sixty unfinished stories. Then I stopped counting. There's more now. I think I've finished around 13 (a lot of them are pretty short), but I sort of lost count on that, too, and at least one of them decided last week that it didn't want to be finished anymore. If I leave a story alone for long enough, though, it tends to sort of die. I don't know anymore how many have died since last time I worked on them. Hopefully a few from when I was eleven, and nothing too exciting. The one I'm supposed to be working on has been going two years now, and hasn't given me any details about how it ends. This is irritating. It will be dealt with, hopefully, before Script Frenzy. Sat, 21 Jan 2012 13:40:40 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1079095 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1079095 Lady_Indis_Dress If it's what I think it is, I'd read it, Dr. Angryman. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 20:21:50 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1091441 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1091441 Angryman Well, even if I can't honestly work it into that idea, I can probably work it into one of my other stories. Maybe Doc will diagnose Scheherazade with a writing-related illness, or something. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:02:36 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1092082 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1092082 Aisling Banrion Personally, I only have four unfinished stories. One is this year's NaNo, one is last year's, one is just something I work on when I need to break writer's block on another story, and the last one is something that is so cliched and unoriginal I only sometimes work on it for immense sentimental reasons. I don't know about any of the rest of you, but I have a notebook where I keep story ideas. None of them spring into being fully formed, so I put down whatever comes to me and then leave it to sit. Sometimes I don't get ideas so much as scenes with characters. So I have a scenebook that I write those down in. If I need to, I can add those scenes to a story that works for them, or fully formulate the plot and put into the idea notebook later. This is how I keep from starting too many at once. Oh, and I also have an unfinished fanfic that is rather OOC, so I do plan on finishing that at some point, but not before revising and getting into the characters' heads better, so that I can get it right. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:11:46 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1095054 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1095054 Angryman Yep. I use a notebook for my ideas too. It can be anything from a small, random thought to a complete scene. I think it actually helps me with my MSD just because I can go back through my thoughts and say, "Okay I need to input this here," or, "I could use this idea there." Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:13:00 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1096095 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1096095 ArtsyGal Hey, there are others like me? *Eye twitch faintly calming* *Breaks out in sobbing* I am SOOOOOO glad I'm not the only one!!!!!! Okay, so I was doing really well over the summer, loved my idea for Nano, however, the closer it got the faster new ideas were popping up. (Think of the gopher game where you have to whack them over the head.) *NO! don't come out now! I don't need you now! Back to the murky depths from whence you came! WHACK!!!* I did finish my original story and am excited about it as ever. Since the end of November I've only had one or two more ideas. One of which I started. . . . . and only made about 2500 words before it petered out and now I don't know what to do with it. I guess I could always go grab one of the half dozen I have waiting on the back burner, but I'm afraid cabin fever is kicking in and nothing is interesting me. (Which also means the minute I have a new idea and start it I'll get bored with it after the first few pages) *sigh* Notebooks are very, VERY useful, however, I have a suggestion - In addition to the scenes you get, make sure to jot down the general direction you were thinking for said story. I have a stack of notebooks that hold sporadic scenes (because I can never find the right notebook when I need it:) Flipping through one recently I came across a two page scene that I'd written years ago. It is wonderful! I love the characters, and the whole underlying theme is really intriguing. . . . however. . . . I reached the end of my little blurb, wanting to know what happened next. . . . . . and I drew a complete and utter BLANK!!!!! I can't remember where I was taking this story, or what my original idea had even been!!!! And it is driving me nuts because I love what I have, but I don't have anything to go on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:19:17 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1096204 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1096204 theInsane i know they say you shouldn't diagnose yourself from the internet.... but i have all the symptoms!! (lol) Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:31:04 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1097299 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1097299 Professor Plothole This. This times a million. I like to refer to this infuriating infliction as AADD - Author Attention Deficit Disorder. It seems like whenever I come up with a vague idea for a potential story, I'll come up with a different idea just as I'm starting to think seriously about ways to flesh out the first one. Then I'll have another unrelated idea on top of that one and so on. As a result, I have a tonne of story ideas but none with any meat on their bones. Or bones in general. In the fact, the vast majority of my story ideas don't have anything written for them, outside of a few rough notes in WordPad - not even a basic structure! Never mind unfinished novels, I can't even get mine started! XP NaNoWriMo was one of the only times last year I was able to actually get one of my story ideas up and going, and even see it through to the end. Over Christmas, however, I've fallen back into my fickle ways. How do the rest of you try and keep yourseves from getting too distrac- Oh, a butterfly! Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:47:08 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1097821 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1097821 Red Queen You have nocturnal butterflies? Oooh, pretty, I want to see that :D Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:54:04 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1097861 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1097861 Professor Plothole Wait a minute... Nope, it's just a rather garish moth. Sorry, guys, false alarm. So, yeah... What are we talking about again? Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:28:45 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1098013 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1098013 Angryman Sadly, the internet is probably the only place you are going to find these diagnoses. Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:38:39 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1098198 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1098198 lionhuntermo Well, let's see... I'm writing... -seven (soon to be eight) collaborations with my friends -three shorts -one 'full story' based off of one of the shorts -my novella from Nano to edit still -and I have three or four other 'full story' ideas that I haven't give up on quite yet That makes, what, sixteen? Yeah... Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:27:02 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1115619 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1115619 CalicoRain Multiple stories? There's no multiple stories here. *slams her laptop shut* Why would you think I have multiple stories? &gt;.&gt; Nearly 5-years ago, I began a fanfiction with characters from five different animes. It has evolved into a +300 page monstrosity which, more or less, took on a life of its own a couple years ago. I love it though &amp; it's great for when I just need to escape. The monstrosity shares my "Stories" folder with the 11 others I've started over the years. (No clue how long they'll be if/when they're completed.) One of these is last year's NaNo which I haven't technically finished. &gt;.&lt; I also have three separate documents dedicated to possible drama, fantasy, &amp; paranormal plots. Three of those plots are currently being hashed out for use sometime this year. There's yet another one that has inspired me and I'd like to do some groundwork on. And my fanfiction has inspired me to work on a slightly different twist. So...Even though I mentioned 17, I'll go with 8 because those are the ones I've made any attempt to work on in the past 6-months. &gt;.&lt; Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:31:33 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1132528 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1132528 Steampunk avi8or Hello, my name is Avi8or and I have Multiple Story Disorder. As soon as I finished my Nano, my brain immediately switched gears into dreaming about next Nano's plot. Now the characters from 2011 won't talk to me and I'm about to start the rewrite of that novel. It's going to be hard since the characters in possesion of the controls for my brain are completely different. And I get story ideas from litterally everything. Seriously, I got an idea for a short story for a mind controlling virus in health class. And the teacher thought I was taking furious notes on the lesson! *sigh* I want my old characters back... Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:24:01 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1142299 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1142299 ArtemisLiCa I definitely have this! Counting only the stories I've started I have: -4 novels -12 fanfics (5 one-shots, but the others will be more than 10 chapters [more than 50,000 actually!]) and I have lengthy outlines for a sequel to two of my novels and another 5 novels just waiting to be started. Not counting the ideas with less than 10 major ideas/scenes. For the novels I've started, I seem to hit trouble around 30,000 words. Part of the problem is that is around the time the plot problems appear. Either the plot changes course on me or suddenly I'm not sure how to get from one major plot point to another. I finally have one idea that I have a solid idea for the beginning, middle AND end. Usually I get two of the three and hope to figure out the other one when I going. I'm worried about starting it because I really want to FINISH something before starting yet ANOTHER story. I also have a solid handle on my antagonists and my MCs aren't perfect and I know what their flaws are. Which I also sometimes struggle with. I want to start on it! But I want to actually finish something, not have just another partial story. :( Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:59:31 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1163004 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1163004 DarkPassenger Oh boy. While I have definitely gotten better about ceasing writing on a story only mere pages in, I definitely have to work at it. I really enjoy getting inspiration from just about anything and everything, but it is often difficult to settle on only one plot for an extended period of time. I have just had to practice at it so that I am not always flitting from one story to another. Basically I'll take about 3-5 plots and flesh them out. I am an obsessive outliner which is helpful in trying to figure out which story I'm in the mood for. When I spend 3 or 4 days working on the outline, I tend to find myself leaning towards one over all the others, which is great. Then once the outline is finished, I can get to work because, by then, I am itching to write the darn thing. As for my plots, this is what it looks like for me: Novels completed: 1 Novels with a signifcant number of pages: 4 Novels with outlines only (and maybe a few written pages): 16 Novels that are only mere plot ideas: 61 (yes, you read that correctly) Thu, 23 Feb 2012 05:37:33 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1163904 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1163904 MurillionBlue I have this so bad. Let's see... Planet Schrodinger (NaNo novel) - incomplete, but being worked on when I get inspiration Orgrimmar (Warcraft fanfic) - on hiatus until I get some free time Generic Title (Pokémon fanfic) - being worked on when I get inspiration; this is one of the ones I *really* want to finish, because of the entire idea behind it Imposter (depressing Narrator story) - worked on slash on hiatus due to depressingness Replacement (Narrator story) - on hiatus until I can be bothered copying one of my older stories onto the computer [title unknown] (old original fic) - will eventually be featured and derailed in Replacement Stay With Me (kinda depressing Narrator story) - being worked on slash on hiatus due to depressingness and an argument over who gets Peach in Mario Kart 64 [currently untitled] (original fic) - on hiatus ish [that one with the Overmind] (sequel-ish to NaNo novel) - on hiatus until NaNo novel is finished so I can rewrite parts of it Gamer Hell Is Full Of Cows (video game fic; kinda depressing Narrator story) - on hiatus until I get around to typing the main text out XD part 1-5 (original fic) - on hiatus until I get motivation Well, Excuse Me, Princess (Zelda fanfic) - needs a plot [currently untitled] (Zelda fanfic) - shipping fic that needs the second character Mindscape (depressing Narrator story) - being worked on slash on hiatus due to depressingness When Epileptic Trees Attack (Pokémon/Haruhi Suzumiya/Doctor Who crossover) - on hiatus ish An Analysis of Magikarp (Pokémon essay thing) - I think the word processor I'm using hates me Dinner Date (Narrator story) - needs more of a plot [sequel to OOC attempt 2] (Narrator story) - needs a major plot [fish head sandwich attempt 6] (now with the Narrator) - needs motivation A Day In The Life Of A Toaster (original fic) - on hiatus for the last two years or so Space (original fic) - need to type it out Golden Age (original fic) - need to type it out Behind The Door (original fic) - lost forever due to a USB stick dying; I may try to rewrite it eventually Paralellepipeds Are Purple (original fic) - need to return to it (maybe when the power's out?) Blue Visits Amity Park (Pokémon fanfic) - my Author Avatar visits Amity Park in the Sinnoh region and isn't happy about it; I just need to fill out a bit more [currently untitled] (depressing Narrator story) - a scene floating around until I find a story (most likely a depressing Narrator story of some sort) to insert it into and various incomplete stories or unstarted ideas I have floating around somewhere I've mentioned more than 20 there. There are sure to be more eventually. I'm just waiting for my muse to make me write down exactly what happened to the Narrator during a certain five-year period. And I'm not looking forward to it. (It's hard enough keeping it as a Noodle Incident.) I'm actually kinda surprised how many have titles, since it's one thing I'm not that good at. Although many of them are working titles. Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:21:09 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1167106 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1167106 Angryman Help! I've been attacked by a plot bunny! Great, that's another story to work on in my list of stories. Granted, this is an idea that I've been playing around with for a couple of years, but it's been at the forefront of my mind recently. Fri, 24 Feb 2012 19:19:05 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1168110 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1168110 Angryman So, this is kind of awkward... For whatever reason, I decided to go back to all of the stories I started writing, just to see when I last worked on them at all. The one that had the longest time since I worked on it was March 9, 2011. That's about four months into for my writing. It's been almost an entire year since I last worked on that story. And since it is Soul Edge/Soul Calibur fanfiction, I CAN"T get back to writing it until I play Soul Calibur 5. @#%^&amp;*!$@*&amp;^%!!! The worst part is that I remember why I stopped writing it at the time: the starting character was in a plane crash, the only survivor, and has no one to talk to. It is just several pages of description, my major weakness. Sorry about the off-topic rant, but geez! That is ridiculous! Well, hopefully I can get that game soon and play it. Who knows, it may even give me ideas for more characters, or some that I can keep in the story. Tue, 28 Feb 2012 04:53:07 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1176301 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1176301 theInsane aaaargh!!! ambushed by ANOTHER FREAKING PLOT BUNNY!! (with big pointy teeth, no less) i was NOT going to do Camp NaNo because i was determined to finish at least ONE of my existing projects but *@##!*^#!(!)#(@&amp;!^!!%#%#E Eaerworwr9yq2hfiyqwerqwehroqwo;qhfweqwiyfkaslfhaeuyaewihqwigyqwfhasfahupfha;fohasfohasfyuewrihwkjehawirueeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! now i think i might have to do a novel a month for the rest of the year just to get all this (&amp;^%*^#@(# out of my head! Thu, 01 Mar 2012 23:55:40 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1184197 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1184197 arualo Starting from the year 2005, I have propably something like 14 stories that need finishing and/or rewriting everything I have already written, my NaNo story being the newest. I love all of them very much but somehow I just have never been able to continue them. I'm still hopeful... Mon, 05 Mar 2012 07:37:11 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1191313 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1191313 CalicoRain Ah, plot bunny, how I hate thee. In addition to the eight stories...Alright, technically 17 stories, but who's really counting? Certainly not me. *ahem* In addition to the eight stories I mentioned earlier, a possibly plot idea came to me today and began screaming in my head to be written. Lovely. A possible plot from a couple months ago also decided to suddenly hit me in the back of the head, screaming "WRITE ME, TOO!" I repeat. I hate plot bunnies. &gt;.&gt; Wed, 07 Mar 2012 22:10:51 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1197380 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1197380 Angryman Plot bunnies are fine, IF you only have them occasionally or can write about a story a week. The concepts are fun, the characters are fun, the writing is a slow and painful process. My current plot bunny wants me to write it, but I'm still working on the characters for it and the actual goal of the villains. But in the end, I feel it will be worth it, just for having a conman as a superhero. Thu, 08 Mar 2012 05:27:10 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1198124 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1198124 Kimberly Dawn Sorry, I don't see this as a disorder, but a different way to approach writing. You could be JK Rowling, but has she really done anything after Harry Potter except more Harry Potter? Or you could be Diana Gabaldon, who has managed to break into writing mystery as well as the Interstitial. Other writers who like multiple projects include, Anne McCaffery (late), Mercedes Lackey, Edgar Allen Poe (I know he ran several at the same time from the publication dates), and Jane Austen (who also ran several at the same time since she dropped and revisited projects) (Neil Gaiman? I think. I know he wrote Doctor Who script at the same time as his book...). I think Anne Rice Ego (AKA, I've never needed an editor disease--which was on Amazon) is a disease to look out for, but multiple projects isn't a disorder, but another POV on how to write... The other way is also targeted projects, where one is being shipped, one is being edited and one is being written. There is nothing categorically wrong with any of these methods, only advantages and disadvantages in the market place... Diana Gabaldon says she likes doing multiple projects because it helps her get unstuck. I, myself, like to run multiple projects because sometimes I need to learn a technique or examine it without all of the other clutter of things I have to do. Switching gears sometimes helps the brain to see things in new ways. However, I don't begrudge people who like to do projects one at a time with lightening focus of only that one... I just don't work that way nor is that what I want for my potential career as an author. I want to be able to write whatever I want and have my readers follow me there--so producing multiple stories with different feels is more my thing. Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:31:25 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1198669 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1198669 CalicoRain [quote=Angryman] Plot bunnies are fine, IF you only have them occasionally or can write about a story a week. The concepts are fun, the characters are fun, the writing is a slow and painful process. [/quote] And I can agree with that....Right now, I have eight plots screaming at me and I've mentally benched a few of them. Various plots (chattering all at once) Me (whistle for silence) -- Fanfic, Figment, &amp; Hell, go sit on the bench. NaNo-'11, you too. NaNo-'11 -- But you said... Me -- I KNOW what I said and I'll get to you before June. Magician, go sit on the bench, too. Magician -- But... Me -- Yes, I KNOW. And you'll get your turn. Alternate, sit down where you are or I'm benching you, too. (hands rifles to Fanfic, Figment, &amp; Hell) If you see any NEW plot bunnies, shoot them. Dragon &amp; Gothic, you each have 5-minutes to explain your case. Dragon, since you were here first, your turn starts now... I feel as if I'm dealing with unruly children... &gt;.&gt; Thu, 08 Mar 2012 19:48:36 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1199049 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1199049 Angryman Hey, one of my plot bunnies is an Assassin's Creed fanfiction. Maybe it could serve as a plot bunny assassin? Fri, 09 Mar 2012 03:37:49 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1199873 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1199873 CalicoRain LOL. I love it! No better assassin than one that blends into the crowd. ^.^ Fri, 09 Mar 2012 03:40:16 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1199877 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1199877 Story of Latea [quote=Mussulini] I don't exactly <em>have</em> MSD, but I have <em>MCD</em>(Mutliple Character Disorder). When thinking how to portray my character for a specific part of my story, I randomly get the ideals for more characters. Right now, I keep imagining a legless woman, a blind man, and a child missing their right eye. I imagine this is almost as bad of a problem. Now it's a two-headed man/woman with a child who has no limbs. Now it's Rin Tezuka from <em>Katawa Shoujo</em>. [/quote] Fri, 09 Mar 2012 10:45:02 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1200123 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1200123 Collen Oh, yes. I have a book I'm working on right now that's quite long (Rivulets), but I also have an idea for a 9-book series (Book of Secrets). And I have an awesome idea for the seventh book. Grr. I just want Camp NaNo to come already so I have some inspiration to do it all. Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:54:09 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1200879 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1200879 Angryman Just a blade in the plot bunny crowd. ;) Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:54:21 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1200880 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1200880 Angryman So, you're not so much attacked by plot bunnies as much as you are attacked by plot orphans. It doesn't happen to me often, but occasionally it does. Fri, 09 Mar 2012 17:56:10 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1200885 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1200885 TeeVee I definitely have MSD. In my current writing folder I have three folders (WIPs, Completed and Abandoned). My Abandoned folder has some 40-60 stories in it at any given point in various stages from 100 words to 100 pages. I have a further 18 stories in my WIPs, which I rotate and play about with from time to time. I have 6 stories in my completed folder, most of which are still going through editing. On top of all of that I have at least 8 stories that are just ideas because they're sequels to stories that I'm still writing/editing... Sat, 10 Mar 2012 06:51:47 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1202334 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1202334 ElliMelody Other then the old stories I have that I have basically scrapped, I am currently working on: -A trilogy about werewolves, with each book from a different werecreature viewpoint(I have werewolves, werefoxes and werecats.) -A short children's legend type of short story -A novel based on the above children's story -My nano which likely will be scrapped(I got to around 20K words, and got bored of it.) Sat, 10 Mar 2012 16:54:45 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1203145 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1203145 Angryman Wow. A 9 book series? I hope you have the plots for each book. Sat, 10 Mar 2012 17:59:21 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1203331 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1203331 ElliMelody I also once tried to write a 13 book series. I might go back to it eventually, but if I do, I' doing some my-old-writing-tended-to-suck plot changing. They all occurred at the same time from different viewpoints. I had plots and simple cover designs for each and every one too, as well as main characters and general setting. I had even gone as far as making a few of them interact with each other, where one may have happened before or after the other with an interaction in the other of a time the characters were together. (C1 meets c2 in book 1, but in book 2 C1 has never heard of C2.) Sat, 10 Mar 2012 21:01:34 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1203710 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1203710 Angryman Yikes! It amazes me how many books people try to put in a series. But it is like Discworld, then it can work: only some of the stories really tie into each other. Sat, 10 Mar 2012 22:00:05 -0500 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1203837 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1203837 allwritemel Well when I took on my writing challenge to write 2 MILLION words in a year I thought I was mad, i'd NEVER manage to get enough ideas for books. How wrong I was! I think I have MORE than I need and hte current list is scary (to me at least): 1) A squel to my favourite book - it's still got a few plot holes but definitely doable (I think) 2) A book of a film needs to be finished (different to the one I mentioned earlier, Angryman) 3) Finish my next children's fairy story (had an idea for an adult's one but not sure that can be done ... a fairy story for adults ... might not be popular. i will probably still write it though!) 4) A tense, glitzy thriller - think a mixture of Dallas, Dynasty and Knots Landing, with a little Sex in the City thrown in! :-) 5) Another children's book (which is ironic when you think I didn't set out to write children's it was meant to be adults!) 6) A horror/ghost story which has been floating around for a while but I need to visit the places concerned to get a real feel for them 7) Having visited a wonderful stables I have an idea for a story about a horse (though nothing like black beauty) 8) A book about the Holocaust, the idea for which was given to me during a conversation with my grandfather (I'd love to write one based on bot hmy grandfather's experiences - on my mum's side - because one in particular had an amazing life. He loved being a soldier, sleeping between teh horses legs to keep warm - they called him THe Man Who Wouldn't Die because they gassed him 3 times and put him on a ship which was bound for England among many dead soldiers (nobody knows why this happened). He always used to laugh and tell me he didn't know who got more of a fright - him when he woke up among all these dead comrades - or the crew when he wandered onto deck looking for food and water! :-) Apparently one fainted clean away) 9) One book that won't leave me alone came to me quite by accident and I was so engrossed in writing it down that it came as a shock to look up and find someone there, talking to me. I'd been so lost that I was saying mmm in all it's different tones in response to what she was saying - but had no idea the Centre Manager was there! She said I'd been totally lost in what I was doing:-) 10) A sci-fi novel (the end of which has just occureed to me because of that comet seen in the sky! Perfect timing from nature!) 11) A scary drama which is based in the 1800s America which is to do with ghosts and other supernatural phenomena (this is definitely not a children's book!) And that's only 11 - there ar ea lot moer but my typing is awful because of the pain and the inability to move my hand properly so I'll leave it there. On top of that I have my coursework, the books that have to be ready for the films release and 8 books I have been asked to ghostwrite - I should easily hit the 2 million with taht little lot! :-) Good luck to everyone wit hyour sotory ideas - a lot of them sound right up my street. Sun, 11 Mar 2012 06:44:55 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1204795 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1204795 Smsohynerdfighter I have a severe case of MSD, and school doesn't help! I have 5 stories, and about 50 RPG's! I just don't have enough time! It is really hard! Someone should make a clinic for this! Sun, 11 Mar 2012 17:38:54 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1205409 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1205409 Rubyfruit Weirdly, new ideas don't aggravate MSD. It's the old stories that make it worse and go "Write me, you lazy (favorite expletive here)!". That makes it worse. Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:20:54 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1207618 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1207618 Angryman So, it's not the fact that you have new ideas, it's the fact that you never finish or abandon old ideas. I suppose that's true... Mon, 12 Mar 2012 17:40:51 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1207702 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1207702 kay.mindless Oh wow... I just checked, my writing folder has 21 items in it. The scary thing, looking through it, there's only 5 of them that I don't actively work on. Though, it does work for me. There's pro's and cons. When I start slowing down on one story, I tend to figure out where another story needs to go. And there is always something to work on. Always. Writer's block = laziness for me. The big bad part of it though, is I start having character bleed throughs... in which a character starts taking on characteristics of one from another story and it's going to be a pain to edit them back into shape. Though, I do agree with someone's comment, for having so many things, it's a good idea to jot down a little note where it's going. Because it's bad news when you pick something up again and realize either A) You forgot the general plan/idea or B) You don't even remember writing a large section, but it's in your hand writing so you kind of had to have been the one to write it. Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:58:23 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1209716 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1209716 Rubyfruit The fact is....I have new ideas that don't work with the old ones, so I end up not finishing the old ones because even though I have the uncanny ability to make ideas that Should Not Go Together, well, go together, there are some things where I can't put those things together. And then I get the urge to work on something old. It's a funny old brain, mine, isn't it? Tue, 13 Mar 2012 16:44:39 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1209838 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1209838 Kookaburra17 *heavenly chorus* *on knees* I'm...I'm...I'm not alone! *happycry* [/overly dramatic entrance] I've had this since...since after I finished my first story when I was eleven or twelve. I had nothing to work on for a few days, and then decided that I missed having a story to work on...and it all went downhill from there. I don't even want to count how many files I have on my computer for stories all lying dormant. A lot, let's leave it at that. And I'm beginning to branch out to Multiple Comic Disorder also. x.x But I feel better seeing there are so many others with the same problem. Count me encouraged. |D *hugs everyone* Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:09:57 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1215312 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1215312 Angryman Help me. I've been wounded by a spinoff plot bunny. That superhero story idea that I mentioned before? I have what can only be called a spinoff storyline for one of the characters, exploring how he came from to be a superhero and how he first met one of the others. There's just too much potential for Sticky Fingers for just one book. Fri, 16 Mar 2012 22:18:41 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1216828 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1216828 Liam Zero *blinks* There's a name for it?! Okay, let's see... Finished stories: 3 Two old one that I may or may not rewrite and/or edit at some point and a recent one that I'm aiming to get published some day, but still needs some serious revising at this point. It has already been rewriten once and edited about three times. In process: 3 One active, two passive Unfinished: 14 in total One that I've written most of, but left the end unfinished. I'm planning to rewrite that one and combine it with a new idea. Will mainly be using the old version as back story and for flashbacks. Then there's one that I've written about half of. Really want to continue that one. I love the protagonists. Make it a dystopia? I got that idea just now... Why didn't I ever think of that before?! The main cast is perfect for it! Then about twelve that I started, but lost focus pretty quick. There's one in there that I really want to continue. I think I qualify, so... Ahem, I am Liam Zero and I have MSD. There, I said it. Uh, wrote it. Plot ideas that I haven't done much with: 142. That's not counting some that I've adopted here and a couple that are probably written down somewhere else that I'm not going to bother looking for right now. One in that whole mess of plots is my favorite that I really want to write. Two of them, now that I come to think of it. One which I'll probably try to draw as a manga and another which I'm planning to make into a five-part series. That number is the collection of three years worth of ideas, I guess... Is that a lot? It feels like a lot and I'm probably not going to be able to finish them all, even though I really want to. Is there some sort of diagonsis for overload for plotbunnies too? And now I'm going to work out that idea I had earlier before it flies away. Get back here, you! Tue, 27 Mar 2012 20:02:39 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1243352 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1243352 Arlequin I had a sudden story idea attack me during NaNo, mostly in the form of this one character who was just <em>begging</em> to be written, and it was the most irritating thing in the world because I was getting annoyed with my novel and really wanted to just abandon it to work on the other idea instead. Still, I trudged on, and once NaNo was over I was pleased to be able to focus all my attention on the new story and the new characters ... and then I got <em>another</em> new story idea as I was doing that! I'm still trying to decide which one I eventually want to write for NaNo '12. Tue, 27 Mar 2012 20:36:03 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1243444 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1243444 Nocturna You...you mean...this thing isn't just in my head?!! *bursts into noisy hiccupping sobs* Oh happy day!!! I have a diagnosis!!! *blows nose loudly with spotty handkerchief* So, yes, my name is Nocturna and I too suffer with this horrible, vile and seemingly incurable disease. Finishing stories - ANY stories - has always been my major literary problem (well, that and the paralysing insecurity and the near-constant belief that nothing I write is ever any good anyway so what's the actual point?) It's why I started NaNo in the first place, actually, because when I first signed up I decided I'd write 50k+ AND finish a damn story for once, both of which I achieved. Of course I look back at Poppy Valentine and shudder now (can't quite bring myself to start the whole editing/rewriting process on anything), but hey - I did it. Yay me. I actually can't count how many half-begun stories I have scattered between my laptop, my PC at work and the squillions of notebooks I have stashed under my bed, but off the top of my head I have: - Burns Brightest in the Dark (a steampunk Jack the Ripper mystery thing which I'm working on as we speak, mainly because I have beta readers nagging me to find out what happens next) - Children of the Revolution (bizarre romancey, sort-of slavery thing based on a dream I had once where your place in society is determined by the colour of your hair and which I WILL finish by hook or by crook) - The story of Elizabeth Siddal's life (because I love her and always feel compelled to write about her) - A LotR fanfiction which I've been writing for about ten years and never seem to get back to, even though I haven't actually written fanfic for the past ten years and probably never will again - A Prince Caspian fanfiction - ditto - A story about Death's god-daughter - Reflections (a short story which I'm turning into a full-length novell(a), about a woman's evil reflection imprisoning her in the mirror and stealing her life) - 2 versions of a story called Ghosts in the Machine (because I can't decide who the FMC should be dating; a post-apocolyptic-set novel) - 1 half-thought-out fantasy novel based on a dream I had - Another fantasy novel based on another dream I had - Yet another fantasy novel - 2 finished NaNos which need editing/revising/rewriting/whatever - A series of 12 short stories as a 'collection' - One of my NaNo's from '09 (I wrote 2 that year) combining Lizzie Siddal's life with that of a photographer who's fascinated by her story - A half-thought-out, half-page scrap very loosely based on Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman which needs fleshing out - 1 co-written story on a forum - The Man with the Child in his Eyes (based on the Kate Bush song and, yes, about paedophilia, which I really like as a story but find incredibly difficult to write) And they're just the ones I can remember off the top off my head, not counting the things in the notebook I carry round with me where all my ideas get stored, usually just odd lines or titles or something. And dammit, just writing that list has made me want to go back and finish a load of the others when I HAVE TO finish Burns Brightest in the Dark. Gackt. Help meeeeeeeee!!! Wed, 28 Mar 2012 10:38:48 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1244507 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1244507 sweet pandamonium This little exchange was the best thing ever xD Thu, 29 Mar 2012 01:02:00 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1245781 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1245781 Angryman Why, thank you! :D Thu, 29 Mar 2012 01:39:43 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1245847 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1245847 Bree L. All those piles of started, unfinished storied that sit at the bottom of the drawer are as a result as MSD... Some good, most bad, but it's a painful disorder! Thu, 29 Mar 2012 08:31:39 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1246070 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1246070 CalicoRain Glad we could bring you some amusement. ^.^ Fri, 06 Apr 2012 02:05:03 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1266988 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=2#forum_thread_comment_1266988 YourDestiny [quote=Bree L.] All those piles of started, unfinished storied that sit at the bottom of the drawer are as a result as MSD... Some good, most bad, but it's a painful disorder! [/quote] It is very painful! I'm glad I am not the only one with alot of unfinished stuff. Wed, 11 Apr 2012 11:22:14 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1280821 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1280821 Seera I've definitely got this. I have 3 that are based off of challenges in Sims 2 and Sims 3. User created challenges. And well, my tendency to start new challenges won't help that, but these are the only 3 that are plotted. I have several more that is simply just my observations and what I've done. A Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic fanfic. I'm working on chapter 2. My two MC's that have joined the story have just arrived on Taris. It will probably eventually be limited by my desire to play KOTOR since I'm grabbing quotes from that. A massively cross-over fanfic that will never ever be published. It's cliched and unrealistic and the MC is a mary-sue. And I don't care. It's basically where I add in every fandom I happen to like. And it's mostly in my head. And then there's last year's NaNo. Which has undergone so many changes. At first it was just going to be one book, set on Earth. Now it's currently 5 books, but my subconscious is saying there might be more. The third book will definitely be set on Earth, at least for 5 chapters. At least in this incarnation. Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:54:05 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1292750 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1292750 Echo Ransom MSD to the absolute max. I get idea after idea, want to put it into a book, get tired of it, get another idea, try to keep up new story and old stories at the same time. Its gotten to the point where I feel annoyed at myself for not being able to finish a book because I get distracted by a new plot, new characters, new everything... Sun, 22 Apr 2012 09:26:31 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1309661 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1309661 Deathbypenz I have a particular strain of MSD which makes my novel a ridiculously convoluted wad of twine...if that makes any sense whatsoever. I hear the calling of awesome side-character sub plots, and new short stories, and life in general! ...And then I remember I have deadlines to make. Can we just create a butterfly net for all our inspiration? And time wasted on frivolous things? Sun, 22 Apr 2012 21:36:08 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1310918 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1310918 Angryman Humane plot bunny traps. Got it. Sun, 22 Apr 2012 22:29:01 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1311118 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1311118 Thanatophobia I have this problem with character ideas. I have a LOT of characters. Too many characters to count (believe me, I've tried). Easily thirty, forty ideas for just different protagonists. Lets see, I've written bits and pieces for nearly all of them (I hate it when I forget ideas, which is probably the root of my problem, as I feel like I have to get everything down on paper before I forget it...). Almost none of them have plots. It's horrible. Like having a crapload of puppies but no space for them. You love them. They're cute. You want to keep them forever. But where on Earth are you supposed to put them all? Worse yet is that you can only /really/ care for one, maybe two at a time because that's all the time you can devote to them. .........I'm hoping to finish /something/ by next NaNo :/ And finish another 'something' during NaNo. Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:46:16 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1314139 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=1#forum_thread_comment_1314139 Thanatophobia Have you got extras? Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:48:01 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1314145 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1314145 Swanroad Having this disorder big time I guess. Atm I have about fourteen original stories and only one is finished and is really crappy. And then I have 12 fanfictions and eight of them are finished. And then I have tons of ideas, luckily it helps me forgetting them after I wrote them down (or else I'll forget them anyway, because I'n way too chaotic). Mon, 07 May 2012 14:30:58 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1350191 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1350191 rbingham2000 Ugh. I don't have Multiple Story Disorder so much as I have Multiple Story and Character Incarnation Disorder. Much of my Nano career was writing up fragments of multiple stories involving the same damned characters and changing around their backstories, abilities, personalities and the like. And that's just the stuff for Nano. There's another character I have multiple incarnations of but no damned idea about a coherent plot. And Christ only knows how many story ideas and incarnations I have for Alastor -- I've counted at least 22, and that's mainly the stuff I can remember and have written down on my HD somewhere. The Alastor stuff especially drives me nuts because there's no way in hell I can work in every incarnation of the guy and his friends and still come up with a coherent storyline -- quite a few of them involve different backstories for him, different ways that his demonic foes work, etc. I think at least a few of them involve him as a dimensional traveler of some sort. If I could pick up those ideas that I like and use them with characters other than Alastor and crew, I might have enough material to last me a good portion of my life (though considering so many of them revolve around demons and demon hunters...) Wed, 09 May 2012 13:49:23 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1356016 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1356016 elvendork I don't have it as bad as some of you, thankfully. Eight pending fuul-length stories and one novella. Any new ideas get banged out into a short story within a week or two (thank God for Creative Writing classes) and only get added to the list if it seems like there's more to tell. Hopefully between two sessions of Camp and November this year, I'll get three of them knocked out. Five is a much easier number to deal with. Wed, 09 May 2012 22:13:30 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1357437 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1357437 Keslie Neill-Writer Oh yes, MSD is what has prevented me from not finishing anything since I was 17.For the record I have an air pirate story over 37000 words in I tried for Campnanowrimo last year, a sequel for that planned(sorta), a fractured fairy tale that I have been working on all semester and keep straying from and it's supposed to be four books, a fighting fate story plot bunny and another plot bunny for a City of Adventure story just to practice world building and those are only the stories I intend to try and finish, the rest are unfinished ideas rotting in my documents folder. Wed, 23 May 2012 19:49:55 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1393987 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1393987 Story of Latea I'm currently writing like three novels right now. It's kind of rediculous. Thu, 24 May 2012 08:40:49 -0400 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1395282 http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nanowrimo-ate-my-soul/threads/49068?page=3#forum_thread_comment_1395282