June 12, 2023
How do you keep from overthinking your story?
“No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.”—Voltaire
Recently, I had an old acquaintance describe me as “intense.” I can’t disagree, and that bleeds into my writing. Overthinking my story? I plead guilty.
Even minor details can become sticky points as I consider whether they belong in the story.. Does it matter what posters are on the walls of the gym? They could be a nice touch to the setting, but they could also just be a distraction and slow down the pace of the action. It’s possible that I will spend ten minutes creating them, only to rip that section out and move it to my outtakes folder. Overthinking at its finest.
When I write by hand, I don’t have the same problem. I may spend more time pondering a single word, but less time trying to figure out the plot. It seems to flow more naturally. (But then editing takes more time.)
In my current work in progress, I’ve been spending energy trying to figure out the romantic subplot. When will I introduce it? I know I want there to be one, and who should be involved, but I’m not sure how to make it happen without seeming forced. Yes, I am overthinking it.
But it shouldn’t be a surprise, because I overthink life in general. Expecting overnight guests? I figure out which set of towels to wash and set out for them a week in advance. Trip planning is a whole production, and I won’t share the appalling details.
Still, I can be laid-back and spontaneous, and when I tap into that side of me I do perhaps not my best writing, but my fastest writing—the most words in a sitting. I love those times, when I can stop overthinking and just write. Sadly, I have no hints on how to achieve that state.
What about the other authors in this hop? Find out how they battle overthinking by following the links below.
Until next time, please stay safe.
June 12, 2023
How do you keep from overthinking your story?
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
I used to think that everything had to be explained and worry that I hadn’t done that. I’ve learnt that it’s safe to leave some of it to the reader to fill in the gaps. I also seem to write less when there’s more going on, if you know what I mean.
I understand what you mean. The more action, the less time for background details.
Even though I’m a pantser in my writing life, I still overthink the details. @samanthabwriter from
Balancing Act
finding the fine line between not enough and too many details is rough!
I overthink things too. The most overthinking I do is before I start writing. After that, I seem to be able to write because the toys tell me the story as I go. I write children’s books so I have a lot of fun writing the stories so I don’t really struggle once I start writing.
often when I overthink. it’s because I have something in my plot wrong and my characters are rebelling.