Finding your next big idea can feel both exhilarating and overwhelming. If you’re someone who has countless ideas but can’t decide where to start, you’re in the right place. As a writer, I’ve grappled with the challenge of choosing the right idea more times than I can count. Often, I start with a burst of excitement, only to watch my energy fade before I even reach the middle of the story. This leads to a frustrating cycle of half-finished characters, prologues, and story outlines that go nowhere. So, if you find yourself nodding along, here’s what I’ve learned about navigating this maze.
One of the biggest challenges is indecisiveness. I want to write everything. The conversation in my head goes something like this: This idea is great. But that one’s also intriguing. Maybe this third one is the best fit. It’s as if each idea is calling me, and every time I sit down, I’m faced with a new wave of possibilities. Unfortunately, that often means I end up with a bunch of starts and no real progress. Over time, I realised that committing to a single idea as if it were the “one true story” just doesn’t work for me, because it traps me in a cycle of starting and abandoning projects.
I used to envy writers who seemed to know exactly what they wanted to write and could see it through to the end. “Write what you’re interested in,” other writers would say. It’s sound advice, but I found it hard to apply. I took it too narrowly, believing I had to pick one idea, stick with it no matter what, and push through every doubt. But the truth is, creative interests evolve, and that’s a good thing. Learning to let myself explore more than one angle or approach before making a choice has been game-changer to my writing process.
For instance, a pivotal lesson came when I read Steven Pressfield’s Nobody Wants to Read Your Shit. In it, he addresses the question every writer faces at some point: “How do I know which idea to pursue?” His answer is simple but powerful: “Here’s how you know—you’re scared to death of it. It’s good to be scared. You should be scared. Mediocre ideas never elevate the heart rate. Great ones make you break out in a sweat.” This advice hit home for me.
I remember working on an outline that was almost fully fleshed out, yet I felt a nagging sense of disappointment. Something was missing, and I couldn’t put my finger on it. I left it for a day and returned with fresh eyes, realising that the storyline didn’t excite me—it felt bland. So, I went back to brainstorming and experimented with different possibilities, asking myself, What if I pushed this character in a different direction? What if the stakes were higher? And then, something clicked. I found the idea that truly excited me, the one that made my pulse race.
Writing is a journey of trial and error. No two writers will have the same process, and no “formula” guarantees a perfect idea. What does help is learning to pay attention to what excites, challenges, and maybe even scares you. This process of exploring, discarding, and reimagining ideas is a vital part of discovering your next big story.
If you’re looking for a foolproof guide to finding a bestseller-worthy idea, I can’t offer that. But I can promise that, in the end, you’ll be writing the story that you, above all, want to read. And that’s the kind of authenticity that resonates with readers. Writing is an adventure. Take this advice, use it as a spark, and let the real journey unfold on the page.
Happy writing!