Wanting to do everything at once

Someone said that I have a lot of inertia. I want to do EVERYTHING and so I get overwhelmed and do nothing.

If I say, "Okay, I'm just going to focus on one scene", I start off focusing on just one small thing, and then keep adding and adding and adding until I throw everything into the pot at once, get overwhelmed, and give up. How can I get myself to stop and just keep things simple?

You could list your high level ideas in point form detail and then add in the smaller details as additional points under each, so you can clearly see how far you've drilled down at any one particular spot. Then you can set a limit say "no more than 2 levels deep for detail here", or perhaps, "I haven't even touched this other stuff at a high level yet, while I'm trying to go down three levels deep here I should stop".

The problem is, I end up picking 400 Level 1 traits as well.

If you're trying to write a single scene and you're getting a hundred different ideas, you're just going to have to restrain yourself and only pick a few good ones. Try to develop the scene naturally.

It's more with characters than with scenes.

I find that when I'm distracted because I have too much shit going on in my head, it helps to just jot it down quickly on paper or in a .txt document so that I can see it all laid out.

But if you're not a very visually-minded person (prefers a map rather than written directions, to use an old example) it's probably not going to work. Worth a shot, though.

Perhaps try writing all your ideas for the character out. Then, once you feel you've hit a "max out" point, go back through the list/paragraph/however you like to take such notes, and prune. Cut anything that's fluff. Look at the number of say, flaws, or abilities, and if you think there's too many, cut some of them and then don't let yourself add any more. You might also want to highlight (in the notes) those traits, abilities, background points, etc., that are most important to the character and the story. Then, when you write, concentrate on those highlighted points, and let the other stuff filter in if it becomes important.

Another problem I have is wanting to do things I know nothing about. For instance, I want to make a cybernetic character. Then I'm like, "okay, what do cybernetic characters HAVE? CAN they have this? Or that? Or that? Is that even cybernetic if I do this?" I'm in way way over my head.

Well, they didn't build the empire in a day, after all. You might want to do it all simultaneously, but that doesn't mean you should allow yourself too. Self-discipline is a good thing.

Pretty much this. You'll have to learn self-restraint.

Also, on the cybernetic thing, as long as you don't do something crazy, like a cybernetic mouse that has a rocket ship in its tiny body, I don't think readers will mind.

If you have an issue of suddenly getting 400 level 1 traits for a character then I would suggest you do something like:

"What are THREE traits I want?"

Pick those, and then move onto your next character.

Then after you've selected three for everyone, then you can pick three subtler points for each of those three.

The thing is, when you write, you're not able to convey enough information to a reader. I mean, can you imagine Tolkein who had a zillion pages of background fluff but only wrote LOTR? So I would suggest that unless you want to take so long to write a book you literally live through WW3, just try to limit yourself to the "important" points, have a set number of traits you want to focus on (three is always a good literary number) and go from there. That way, when you're writing, you also focus down and are clear about the character and the reader can pick out those traits easily.

I have the exact same problem, though for me it also extends to plot and details like magic and monsters. Anyway, here's what I've managed to figure out.

There are three kinds of characters: the primary, seondary, and tertiary. So, tertiary characters are just names and faces with a single trait, say "nice". Secondary characters get two traits, say "nice, but dim-witted". Primary characters get three traits, say "nice, but dimm-witted florist".

There are only two primaries in any one story, the protagonist and the antagonist. The primary's allies (no more than two each) are secondary characters. All tertiaries are extras, essentially.

After the traits are selected, I come up with a virtue, a vice, and a motivational fear. A motivational fear is something the character dreads - only primaries and secondaries getthis much depth-; one character may fear obscurity and seek fame, while another might fear poverty and seek wealth.

The final piece of the puzzle is background. Only primaries get background. I think about why that ditzy, kind-hearted florist is humble and vengeful and afraid of being socially invisible; I show examples of those traits as background stories. So, her friend might be like "Gee, Flower Chick, don't drop your phone in the toilet like you did last week."

That's characters.

When it comes to plot, make an outline. I go by scene rather than by chapter, 'cause that's easier for me. Scenes 1-3 are the exposition. Scenes 4-6 are rising action. Scenes 7-9 are climax. Scene 10-12 are resolution. That comes out to four "chapters", but I write very short stories, so that's fine.

Exposition introduces the protagonist and his/her allies, plus the setting. Rising action introduces the antagonist and his/her allies, getting the real action started. Climax is the confrontation, of course. Resolution is what happens after the climax. Voila.

As to details like magic and monsters. well...I'm still working on that. The best approach is to figure out what role those elements play in the story. I prefer a story that could still work without the fantastic elements, but your story might hinge on them. If you're sci-fi, replace magic and monsters with aliens and technology, lol.

I hope that was helpful. I'll admit I'm no Tolkien, but I am a writer, and I know it sucks when you have too many ideas crashing around in your head. Many people can just "go with the flow" of their ideas, but some of us need more structure than that.

This is way too difficult, but for some reason, I don't want to give up. I know the ideas are there, but they're just not coming.

For instance, I have no idea what can work in a sci-fi setting. I know that I want it more technology oriented vs. magical powers and whatnot, but beyond that, I have no clue what can work in such a setting.

edited 25th Jun '12 6:59:49 PM by Twentington

There aren't any hard and fast rules on what's 'acceptable' in science fiction. The way I see it, you're looking at writing and worldbuilding in too rigid a manner, and obsessing over whether if you've broken some petty Gannon-Banned-esque 'rule' that doesn't really exist. It's art, not science or math.

Look at it this way- science fiction is a genre about expanding and speculating on advancements made based on preexisting scientific knowledge. This is why Steampunk and other forms of Punk Punk are technically forms of sci-fi, and why works as diverse as The Jetsons, Astro Boy, and even Fullmetal Alchemist are still members of the genre- the science that they were based on was the accepted fact at some point in history. As long as you base your work's tech on the scientific fact of any age, you have science fiction. What the inventors and innovators of your work make of their knowledge is up to you.

edited 25th Jun '12 7:45:46 PM by CrystalGlacia

If there are no "rules", then I want to throw everything into the pot. Simple as that. That's why I constantly question "can X fit in this world?"

For a start though — I kind of want it to be heavily tech based, and maybe on the dystopian side. Abandoned buildings in some parts, but there are still several populous holdouts. Some sort of thing with a thing would cause it to be that way, rendering the survivors from the thing alive but extremely close to infertile, and possibly mutated to some degree.

edited 25th Jun '12 8:02:36 PM by Twentington

You should be asking yourself 'Will X work in my 'verse' rather than 'Will X work in a science fiction work'.

Abandoned buildings point to a Used Future setting on the order of Cowboy Bebop or the Star Wars original trilogy, and we have Post Apocalyptic. Okay, that's a start. There's still a lot of questions left to be considered, such as how realistic you want it to be, or if you want to lean more towards Schizo Tech or an Anachronism Stew. And, of course, the tech level. Which you can do either in another thread or on your own time, because this is getting offtopic.

edited 25th Jun '12 8:13:22 PM by CrystalGlacia

Moved to another thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13406805630A90820100&page=1#1