How do you decide what story idea to write? (With Taylor Bennett!)

We are very excited to have teen author Taylor Bennett with us this week! If contemporary Christian YA fiction is your jam, be sure to check out Taylor's debut novel, Porch Swing Girl:

What if friendship cost you everything?

Stranded in Hawaii after the death of her mother, sixteen-year-old Olive Galloway is desperate to escape. She has to get back to Boston before her dad loses all common sense and sells the family house. But plane tickets cost money—something Olive gravely lacks.

With the help of Brander, the fussy youth group worship leader, and Jazz, a mysterious girl with a passion for all things Hawaiian, Olive lands a summer job at the Shave Ice Shack and launches a scheme to buy a plane ticket home before the end of the summer.

But when Jazz reveals a painful secret, Olive’s plans are challenged. Jazz needs money. A lot of it. Olive and Brander are determined to help their friend but, when their fundraising efforts are thwarted, Olive is caught in the middle. To help Jazz means giving up her ticket home. And time is running out.

Today's panel question is:

Writers often have lots of ideas. How do you choose which idea to write? And how do you keep other ideas from distracting you from the one you’re supposed to be working on?

Taylor: I have so many ideas crammed in my head, sometimes I'm surprised they don't start spilling out of my ears!! I keep track of my story ideas by (this is a little strange) making a Pinterest aesthetic board for each one. Whenever I get an idea, which I usually fall instantly in love with, I set aside a bit of free time to create a board filled with images that get my creative juices flowing. Usually, this is enough to get me excited about the story, but not so excited that I'm distracted.

If I do end up being so excited that I get distracted, I might give myself a small chunk of "writing time" to write a sloppy synopsis--just enough to get my ideas on the page, but not so much that I take away too much time from whatever I'm working on at that moment. If I'm having a hard time putting the synopsis away, I pray over it. If it's an idea that's meant to be explored, I trust that I'll still be just as excited about it when I actually have time to devote to the idea.

Shan: We’re always learning, yes? I don’t have a bit of magical advice for this topic, though I wish I did. I’m currently moving back and forth between two projects and it’s not ideal for me. At some point you’ll have to commit and once you do, you need to see it through. For me, because I have two books completed and out on sub, I’ve given myself the freedom to move back and forth for a time. But I will need to buckle down soon. Knowing which season you’re in is important and giving yourself the freedom to rebel against your own rules can be healthy for your writing.

Jill: Uhm . . . I’m really bad at this. There is this sort of honeymoon thing that happens when a new story idea grips me. I can’t think of anything but that new idea. And if I’m working on another book, that’s BIG trouble. Because then I don’t want to work on the old book. The old book is boring. It’s hard. And I’d really rather play with that new idea that’s got me all starry-eyed. There’s only one way to survive this. Discipline. If I’ve chosen an idea, and I’ve been writing it and have set a deadline for myself, then I will not allow myself to give up. I might give myself a few days off to play with the new idea, to think it through and write it down. Because if it’s a really good idea, I don’t want to forget any of it. But then I’ll crack my knuckles and get back to work.

Choosing which idea to write is a harder question to answer. I have SO MANY IDEAS AND I LOVE THEM ALL ARGH! I’m constantly making lists of what I’m trying to finish and what I want to write next. At some point, I will choose, or sometimes I’m lucky and and editor will buy something and choose for me. If not, then I have to decide which idea I’m the most excited about. And I also consider which idea will appeal to the widest audience. I’ve written a lot of risky books, and that’s okay some of the time, but for me, that also means that after a risky challenging project, it might be time to write something a little more safe that will appeal to the masses. So I take that into consideration as well.

Stephanie: I've learned that good ideas tend to be "sticky" ideas. Not only is it hard for me to stop thinking about it, but it also attracts lots of other ideas or possibilities. Sometimes they arrive at a very convenient time, but often it's when I need to be focusing on something else.

When that happens, my response is similar to Taylor's. I write a blurb or synopsis about my idea. I usually give myself an allowance of time, and then I make myself go back to what I'm supposed to be working on. This has worked really well for me over the years. 

Writers, what about you? How do you decide what to write, and how do you manage other ideas that come your way?