by Michael Leali

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by inspiration. Story ideas come to me on a weekly and, not infrequently, daily basis. An observation at the bookstore, a snippet of overheard conversation, the image of a young child chasing her dog. Everywhere we go there are seeds that can grow into something more.

I have more story ideas than I will ever have time to explore. And writing time is precious and inconsistent, so I must be selective. As someone with many, many only-just-begun manuscripts that have been abandoned for the next shiny idea, I’ve learned to pause when inspiration strikes. Give my nascent ideas room to breathe. That’s the only way I see a project through to the end.

Listing out my ideas helps me organize, reflect upon, and recall my sparks of inspiration. Revisiting my lists not only reminds me about my story ideas, but it also acts as a gauge. How excited am I about one idea over another? Which ideas continue to rise to the surface? When I’m bored, which stories do I daydream about? The longer I wait and let the ideas fight amongst themselves, the stronger some story ideas become.

Storytellers and future readers deserve only the best ideas because time is a precious, limited resource. Not only are we giving of our time when we commit to putting a story on paper, we’re also asking our future readers to dedicate their time to reading the story. We must give them a story worthy of the time they are sharing with us and our art.

So, how do I know which story idea to pursue? Here are a few cues I wait for that tell me to stop waiting and start writing:

  1. Shaken Soda:
    For me, art is a joyful thing. I love the act of making something from nothing. When I feel the story idea ready to erupt, bubbling and gurgling like a shaken soda can, I know it’s time to write. This usually only happens after I’ve been gripped by daydreams of the story for weeks or months. Often, I will have written a few lines or brainstormed some world building—I allow myself to write around the story, but not the story itself. When I have all this, and I’m ready to burst from excitement and the gleeful prospect of spending countless hours in this world, only then do I sit down to write.
  2. Say Something:
    I can turn just about anything into a story. I think many writers can! But just because I can say something, it doesn’t mean that the story is saying something. For me, every great story is a highly entertaining narrative that reflects something about the human condition. This doesn’t mean that every story needs to be overtly philosophical or wildly moving, but every story should reflect and connect on a human level. I write a better story when I know my story has something to say.
  3. Daydreams:
    A great story idea will rise to the surface of my thoughts over and over again. Whether I’m walking the dog or doing dishes, in those moments where my body is distracted and my mind can wander, I’ll find myself consistently returning to a particular story idea. It will grow slightly or flip around, and I’ll see it from a new perspective. This is a sign that the story has a beating heart. It’s living and now I need to care for it.

If you’re like me and facing the overwhelm of indecision—or making the “right” decision—try paying attention to these cues. Don’t let the gift of many story ideas feel like a burden. Because it is a gift! Let your creativity generate more creativity. But be patient. Let the very best you have to offer rise to the surface. And then… get writing!

Michael Leali is the award-winning author of The Civil War of Amos Abernathy, which won SCBWI’s Golden Kite Award. His work has also been twice nominated for Lambda Literary Awards among many other honors. His other middle grade novels include Matteo and The Truth About Triangles. He is a veteran high school English teacher, a seasoned writing coach, and he now teaches creative writing at the University of San Francisco. He holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Follow Michael on Instagram @michaelleali and learn more about him and his work at michaelleali.com.