Keeping your focus

A question from Louise: How do you keep your mind focused on one project at a time? I find that my mind wanders to new ideas. Is that an omen that the current project is no good? Sometimes I just have too many ideas, not all in the same genre, but not enough time to dedicate to them. How do you make sure you don't lose your focus?

Great question, Louise! And to tell you the truth, a great problem to have. My mind is completely focused on Raine's stories. Note that I said that in the plural. Yes, I have future books running around in my head, some featuring Raine, some featuring one or more of my other characters. I handle it the same way you should probably handle your dilemma -- write them down. Open a new Word doc, or if you're working with pen & paper, get yourself a new folder, and write down the ideas, all of them. This will get those other pesky muses off of your back so you can focus on the project at hand.

And no, having a multitude of ideas doesn't necessarily mean that your present project is no good; it just means that your muse(s) is overactive. And this is a very good thing. I speak from experience of not being able to get a word out of her. Be grateful that yours is talkative. And in multiple genres, no less. That's a blessing. But if you find yourself getting bored with the project at hand, or it stops dead in the water as a result of one of your other ideas, there's nothing wrong with setting it aside temporarily to work on the other. Perhaps the project you were working on need some time to simmer before the rest of it is ready to come out.

Hope this helps!
Lisa

Keep those writing questions coming -- and unless it would result in a book spoiler, I'm willing to answer other types of questions as well.