Overcome Shiny Object Syndrome: How to Finish Your Story

A photograph of multicoloured post-it notes spead across a white table. Each post-it note has a black ink drawing of a lightbulb on it. Below the photo, it says, 3 ways to over come shiny object syndrome and finish your story.

Do you find yourself struggling to complete one story at a time?

Are all the plot ideas rolling around in your brain distracting you?

You’re experiencing shiny object syndrome.

The downside of being so creative is that you can end up constantly chasing new ideas, hopping from one plot to another without ever finishing a story.

New ideas for stories are so exciting, and they seem way easier to write when you’re stuck in the messy middle of a first draft.

But that high won’t get us a finished story. It won’t help us accomplish our writing goals!

Today, I’m going to give you 3 practical strategies to help you refocus when shiny object syndrome distracts you from finishing your story!

1. Capture Story Ideas

I have a physical “Ideas Notebook.”

Anytime a plot, a scrap of a character or a sentence comes to mind, I jot it down, put the book away and continue with my project.

You are allowed to pause and write down your ideas.

Putting them on paper allows your brain to feel they have been filed away and preserved. You won’t forget them.

You’ll have access to them for future stories, and you can continue with your current project.

Look for a method that allows you to jot down those ideas quickly and easily.

A voice-to-text app might be the quickest way to get all of those thoughts from your brain to the page.

Think of a method that can be used on the go.

Capture your idea and then return to your story.

Don’t spend time attempting to tease it out any further. Just write down what came to mind.

Anytime a new, connected thought pops up, you can continue adding to your journal.

A bird's eye view of someone in a white sweater writing in an open notebook with a beige beret sitting on a white marble table.

2. Set Playful Writing Time

If you’re eager to get some of those stories written, consider having a daily or weekly journaling session where you can play around with them in short story form.

Morning pages are one technique that allows you to dump everything rolling around in your brain onto the page.

You can do something similar here.

Allow yourself the opportunity to play with these exciting ideas without derailing your progress.

Once that journaling session is over, you’re done with those new ideas for now.

Make sure that this session happens after you’ve worked on your main project!

A woman sitting at a brown desk with an open silver laptop in front of her while she speaks into her phone.

3. Talk It Out

When it’s so tempting to switch projects, reflect on why you need to stick with your current story.

Write your own mantras.

“This story deserves an ending.”

“I’m excited to see what happens to my MC.”

“If I can finish this story, that proves I can finish the next.”

“An unfinished story is farther from publication than a finished one.”

“If I want to accomplish my writing goals, I’ll need to finish this story.”

Use your Mantra to initiate a mindset shift.

Get your brain on board!

By creating space for your new ideas and reminding yourself why you are completing your current writing project, you’ll avoid shiny object syndrome and finally finish your story!

Over to you!

We writers are so creative! Yet sometimes we need a little discipline.

If you’re looking for strategies to help you ditch the external distractions and focus on writing, check out this blog post.

Let’s recommit to our writing projects today!

Tell us in the comments. Which story are you committing to writing all the way to its end?

Talk soon!

Julia

Hello!

I'm Julia

I’m here to connect with storytellers, creatives, and dream-chasers. This blog focuses on creative writing, goal-setting, productivity, and mindfulness- all things craved by creative minds who want to bring their dreams into the present.