Taming the Story Flood, Mandy Eve-Barnett, The RV Book Fair 2025

Many of us experience, from time to time, the dreaded writers block, that awful feeling while staring at a blank page, or screen when words do not flow, but what happens when there are too many story ideas bombarding our brains? It can be just as debilitating as staring at that blankness. Bizarrely the symptoms are quite similar – crippling indecision, procrastination, and even insomnia and anxiety over choosing the right course.

As writers we usually have numerous story ideas bouncing around inside our heads, usually gleaned from something we see, or hear. We also have characters that stay with us and some may want more of their story told, while new characters bombard us with demands to be written. This may seem like a good problem to have, however, the dilemma is how do we ensure these golden nuggets are not lost, or are even worth investigating? We can make frantic notes, some of which unfortunately make no sense whatsoever later on! Those middle of the night scribbles are so common – a phrase, a character trait or description, an image of a scene, or just a snippet of dialogue.

But timing is everything – musing over where a new idea could possibly lead, can become a devastating interruption to a current project. We all know the new ‘shiny’ idea syndrome!

So how do we identify if this ‘new’ idea is worth pursuing without jeopardizing our current writing project?

There are several strategies we can employ to enable us to identify the ideas that are worth keeping. Here are a few. Of course, we all think and create differently so chose a method that aligns with your creativity process.

1) Leave the chaos of your writing space with pen and paper or recording device and go for a walk or find a quiet place to reflect. Once you are in a new environment the most exciting and prominent idea(s) will stay with you. Write or record them and let your imagination flourish with them for a while. Delve into the characters, the initial plot and their setting and familiarize yourself with them. Can you ‘see’ the whole project, or just a part?

2) Restrict your time on musing about new ideas by setting yourself a time limit. Even a ten-minute burst of inspirational writing will ensure you get the idea down, but not ‘waste’ too much time on it. This is vital when you have a deadline to meet. Once it is written put it to one side and continue with your current project, safe in the knowledge the idea has been dealt with.

3) Take some time to really dissect the new idea. Can you envisage the plot arc, the ending, the characters? If the majority of the narrative reveals itself to you, then mark it down as your next project. However, if the idea is vague, or has no ‘legs’ in regard to continuing into a substantial project - do not pursue it – just jot down the outline and file it for another time. We all have ‘unfinished’ projects filed away, some will see the light of day some other time, others not, that is the nature of this craft. I have multiple projects on the backburner and numerous short stories in electronic folders on my laptop. Some may never see the light of day.

4) Utilize your passion when defining whether an idea is worth reflection or investigation. If it excites you or is on a subject you feel passionate about then, it should be considered in depth. How worthwhile is this new project? Is it something you have always wanted to write?

5) Create an idea board, whether physical or virtual. Organize each idea into genre or categories and when a new plot idea, character or scene comes to you place it with the other components of that particular story or idea thread. Over time these idea boards will either grow into a full blown project or not. Don’t beat yourself up if a spark of inspiration doesn’t lead anywhere. There are always new ones emerging.

6) Bounce your ideas off a few trusted friends or members of your writing group. Feedback is so important at the initial stage of a story idea. It can lead you onward or the realization the idea has complications you have not foreseen. You might have a great opening but there are too many unknown obstacles in the resolution or you cannot think of how to continue the narrative.

Obviously, not all ideas will make it and that’s okay. Use your internal writer instinct to guide you on which idea excites your specific Muse, the one that takes hold of your imagination and doesn’t let go. Let the words flow. Remember to be open to new genres and styles, this is how we learn our craft. If an idea is in a genre not previously explored, it may be your Muse steering you into new and exciting avenues. Story creation is our power and knowing which ones we are best at telling is the key.

So happy creating.

Mandy Eve-Barnett is an Edmonton Best Seller, multi-genre author, writing children’s, YA and adult books. With eleven books published since 2011, and another nine in various stages of completion, her writing life is full. This does not include her writing in numerous anthologies and magazines, and a variety of non-fiction projects through her freelance business, as well as presenter and panelist positions at various writing conferences and workshops.

Mandy draws on over 16 years’ experience as a multi-genre author, freelance writer and writing community advocate. She is the current Secretary of The Writers Foundation of Strathcona County and Scouting Manager for Relatable Media. She hosts the local Writers Circle monthly meeting and creates weekly writing prompts for the WFSC website.

Mandy has been blogging since 2010 and has visitors from 209 countries.

Find out more at: https://mandyevebarnett.com .

Article published in The Relatable Voice Magazine - December 2025 as part of The RV Book Fair 2025. Downolad the full magazine at https://www.relatable-media.com/the-relatable-voice-magazine