A few years ago, an idea for a new novel found me as I was in the process of working through some difficult things I’d been through. The idea wouldn’t leave me alone — well, the basic premise of the could-be book, anyway. I thought about it often. But due to other work and circumstances — and then, the other, more pressing book I ended up writing last year — I kept pushing the idea aside.
While I still haven’t started writing this specific book yet, I will. Hopefully sooner rather than later. And I actually learned a lot from the full experience of saying “hey, not yet” to an idea I still haven’t forgotten about.
Not Every Story Finds You At the Right Time
The idea for this currently unwritten book came to me half-formed but eager, as many story ideas do. But at the time, I wasn’t ready to write it. There was another element stopping me from pursuing the idea, though: It needed a through line that would tie all of it together, and I couldn’t figure out what that was. Then — not to be dramatic — my dad died earlier this year. And long story short: I finally knew the underlying darker themes of the story that had, up until that point, remained a mystery to me.
It may still not be quite the right time for me to write this book, but I am ready now, in the sense that when I’m able, I can start writing without wondering what all the missing parts of my story will be. Unfortunately, I had to wait for more life to happen to be ready for this book. Obviously I didn’t want real life to punch me down like this, and I’ll never say I’m grateful for it. But waiting, in its own way, paid off.
Your Best Ideas Will Stick Around
Was I worried that not jumping at this idea immediately would somehow make it disappear from existence? Absolutely. Don’t we all worry about that? That if we don’t start writing this new story right away, we’re magically going to be unable to work on it ever again?
My theory — based on my own experiences as both a writer and a human — is that our best ideas don’t ever really go away. Left to marinate inside our minds, the best ones evolve and fully form over time and as we live and grow. So that when it’s finally the right time for us to engage with them, they’re ready for us.
Don’t Rush Your Art
I used to believe that completing a work of art quickly meant you were finally pursuing the right idea at the right time. I suppose that can still be the case from time to time, for some people. But I’m much more in line with a different philosophy these days — that we don’t have to rush. That giving ideas and art time to blossom can sometimes be the best thing for them, and for us.
Now, this doesn’t mean you should sit on every idea you have until you feel ready to work on it. Not at all. There are just going to be really good ideas you’re not capable of putting into words right away. And that’s okay. Give yourself time. Live a little more of your life. Figure some things out. If the idea is really meant to be, it will still be around when it’s finally time to sit down and start writing.
Meg Dowell Writes 