Stepping Aside

It's important to get out of your own way.

~ Ray Bradbury

Sometimes when I think I have things figured out, God throws me a curve ball and I have to lean the other way. Sometimes when I think I know exactly what story to write next, it's the agent or publisher chucking a four-seam fastball at my head. That's when I duck. Many times it's prudent to simply get out of the way--of myself, especially.

As much as I'd like to blame my writing struggles on God or the publishing industry or even on a bad hair day, most often it's simply myself that is the root cause. Not all the stories floating around in my head need to be written. Not every character chatting away in my mind needs to have their voices heard in public.

And so it boils down to...what should I write? What should any writer write? How does a writer 'get out of their own way' so that the story that should be told is told?

Brainstorm
Sometimes it helps to spew all those ideas down on paper so they don't clog up the head as much. Write fast. Think furious. Scribble away. Then set that page away for a week or so and see which of those items sticks with you the longest.

Network
Talk to critique partners. Ask an agent. Meet with an editor at a conference and pick their brain. Get up-front reactions so that you'll know how readers would react to your story idea.

Pray
Yeah, I know. This sounds like a lame one. The ol' just-turn-it-over-to-God cop out. Guess what? That's a lie. It's NEVER a cop out to bring things to the throne of the One who's in charge of everything. He will answer. He always does.

The best advice I can give is don't overthink any story idea. Forcing a novel to life makes it episodic and painful to read. It's the stories that flow from the heart that will capture a reader's heart.