Too many ideas: which novel to write first

Some aspiring writers have no ideas. Many more have too many: a thriller set in a lighthouse, a family saga, a coming-of-age novel, a dystopia. Each seems like the right one, until an even more brilliant one comes along. The result is a folder full of first chapters and no finished novel. The problem isn't creativity, it's choosing.

Why new ideas always seem better

The new idea is perfect because it hasn't been tested yet. It has no plot problems, no characters that don't work, no difficult middle chapters. The project in progress has all of those, because you're actually working on it.

Knowing this helps: when a new idea seems irresistible halfway through a project, it often isn't better. It's just untouched.

Put all your ideas on equal footing

To choose, you need to compare them fairly. For each idea, write:

• a one-line premise: who, what they want, what stands in the way;
• the ending, even roughly;
• why it interests you, in one honest sentence.

Some ideas won't even get through this step: they're a setting or a mood, not a story yet. That's fine, they stay in the notebook. The others are the candidates.

The questions for choosing

Which would keep you company for months? A novel takes hundreds of hours. The idea to pick is the one you'd still want to talk about a year from now, not the most dazzling one today.

Which has a clear conflict? An idea with a protagonist who wants something and a strong obstacle holds up far better than one built only on an image.

Which do you know how to end? You don't need every detail, but knowing where the story is heading greatly reduces the risk of running aground.

Which is within your reach right now? A historical novel requiring years of research, or a story with ten points of view, may be the right idea for your third book, not your first.

Choose, then protect the choice

Once you've chosen, the hardest part is sticking with it. New ideas will keep arriving, especially in the difficult stretches of the project. Two habits help:

• an ideas notebook: each new idea gets written down in one line, and then you go back to work. Writing it down removes the fear of losing it;
• a completion rule: no new project until the current first draft is finished, even imperfectly.

Ideas can be combined

Sometimes two ideas aren't competing: one is the heart of the story, the other could become a subplot, a setting, a character. Before discarding an idea, ask whether it could enrich the one you chose.

Frequently asked questions

What if after a few chapters I realise I chose wrong?

It happens. Before switching, ask whether the problem is the idea or a hard phase of the work. If after honest reflection the idea really doesn't hold up, switching is legitimate, but do it once, not at every difficulty.

Can I work on two novels at once?

Some authors do, but for someone who hasn't finished a novel yet it's usually a trap: whenever one gets hard, you escape into the other. Better to finish one first draft, then reassess.

Will the ideas I don't choose be lost?

Not if you write them down. Many ideas improve by sitting in the notebook for a while, and some turn out to be perfect years later, when you're ready to write them.