114. How do I rein in all my ideas? (Q&A)

“Do you need to think bigger? Do you need to think of a map that would encompass all of your story worlds, and maybe they're all connected.”


In this How To Write the Future episode, “How do I rein in all my ideas? (Q&A),” host Beth Barany answers a listener’s question on how to manage so many ideas for your story and hint: it has something to do with setting boundaries for your story worlds. Beth also shares how you can get your copy of her “World Building Workbook For Fiction Writers.”


RESOURCES

GET HELP WITH YOUR WORLD BUILDING - START HERE

Free World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/world-building-resources/

Sign up for the 30-minute Story Success Clinic with Beth Barany: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/story-success-clinic/

Get support for your fiction writing by a novelist and writing teacher and coach. Schedule an exploratory call here and see if Beth can support you today: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/discovery-call/

• SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth Barany
• SHOW CO-PRODUCTION + NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDade

c. 2024 BETH BARANY

https://bethbarany.com/

--
CONNECT
Contact Beth: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/podcast/#tve-jump-185b4422580
Email: beth@bethbarany.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethbarany/

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EDITED WITH DESCRIPT: https://get.descript.com/0clwwvlf6e3j
MUSIC: Uppbeat.io
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Transcript

114. How do I rein in all my ideas? (Q&A)

Hey, everyone. Welcome to How To Write The Future podcast. I'm your host, Beth. Barany, a creativity coach and science fiction and fantasy novelist. And I help writers with developing their stories, writing and editing their stories and also publishing them and finding their readers. I offer this podcast to you to teach, support, coach, and share with you my passion for writing science fiction and fantasy. 

And I'm especially passionate about how we can use stories to support better tomorrows for all of us here on this beautiful blue marble of ours. 

[00:40] A Q&A

All right. This is another episode in a series of Q and A's that I have received from people.

[00:46] World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers

I offer a World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers, That I'll share with you at the end on how to get your hands on and to support you in your story and your writing. 

All right. So this question comes to me from Britt Freeman. And she asks me--. She says, "the biggest challenge is reining in all my ideas. I need to sift and separate some to include in one world. And reserve others for another. Otherwise things get too wacky to maintain continuity."

I totally understand where you're coming from, Britt, in thatI too have so many story ideas. I probably will never be able to handle them. So in your case, it's about sifting and separating them to be in different story worlds.

 I asked her, how is she handling this right now? Currently. 

And she's oh, I'm not really handling it. Other than writing out chunks at a time that she says that "I'll play Dr. Frankenstein with later."

Absolutely. This is so common. 

[01:45] Write down all your ideas

So I would encourage you to continue doing what you're doing, which is writing out your ideas and putting them in the right story worlds later. And she goes on to say, "I've had so many ideas over the years, but don't ever get a single continuous plotline finished. ."

Yeah, that is very common too. 

It took me years before I was able to get a plot line finished. 

[02:07] Keep Going Forward

So part of the challenge here is to not let the disorganization stop you and just keep going forward. 

But then Brett goes on to write... She says lots of neurodivergence stuff hindering the process, but what's working better now is that she has gotten into TRPGs, tabletop role playing games. 

And also, in world building and module writing tools that they use for plotting stories in general. 

So that's fabulous. 

And then she offers up a resource. This is so great. She offers the resource Scabbard. 

So if you've been having problems with world-building and keeping things organized, you might want to check out Scabbard.she is not a fan of some of the other tools. She mentions Scrivener. She mentions Notion, but she really likes Scabbard. 

[02:55] Scabbard and other world building tools

So I took a look at Scabbard and I was really impressed with all the world-building tools that they had. 

I know there's other tools out there, I have a friend who's using World Anvilto keep her story world straight. 

So good job finding a tool that you really like. 

[03:13] Questions for reflection

Now something I would be curious about if you have multiple worlds and you're not sure where everything goes is, I would ask the question, what distinguishes one story world. from another? 

Or are they all connected? Which is also really awesome. 

Do you need to think bigger? Do you need to think of a map that would encompass all of your story worlds, and maybe they're all connected. Or are they truly distinct? And if they are distinct, what is the distinguishing factor? 

So I admit that I have three distinct story worlds that I'm working in. 

One is a science fiction world set in the future. One is a fantastical world that is set in a, an odd no man's land that my characters will be discovering that doesn't have any rules compared to where they come from. AndI've written three books on where they come from. and then I have a contemporary world that has magical elements. 

So I am distinguishing my story worlds by time period. One is set in the future. One is like a far past medieval-esque inspired and one is contemporary with magical elements. 

So I would ask anybody having problems Sifting, sorting through all their ideas get very clear on the boundaries of your different story worlds.

Or Britt, in your case, maybe they're all connected. I don't know.All right. So I hope that helps. I hope that helps Britt, if you have any more questions, let me know. 

[04:39] Share your questions with me

 If you would like to, engage in dialogue with me around your world building and come into our community fellowship of the pen. And get your hands on the workbook then I encourage you to go sign up for the World building Workbook For Fiction Writers. 

The link is in the description for your world building the workbook.

or you can just go to how to write the future.com and sign up there. 

[05:02] Comments on world building? LMK

All right, that's it for this week. 

If you have any questions, be sure to let me know. 

Please post your comments around world-building and how you reign in all your ideas. I'd love to hear. That's it for this week, everyone.

Write long and prosper.