Sometimes You Pivot, Sometimes You Start Anew
Writing projects sometimes don’t go as planned.
Last week I began writing a blog entry. It was slow going, and the idea was percolating in my head but not fully brewing. Still, I stabbed at it, got a few paragraphs written. Then it was time for fencing practice, so I stepped away and planned to continue it the next morning.
When I sat at the keyboard again, that blog entry wasn’t speaking to me at all. It was due (I’ve posted my Pathwalking blog every single Wednesday since 2012 and wasn’t about to miss one). Pivot, change the angle for the idea I was trying to share? Or start anew, write a wholly different blog?
I decided to start anew. While I didn’t toss out what I’d begun (to take another stab at for a later post), I went down a completely different path and wrote a wholly different blog entry.
Even when you set a plan, sometimes you come across something that no longer makes sense. I had a scene plotted in the sci-fi novel I’m currently working on that was missing something. What the hell was I thinking when I plotted it? After considering where I was in the story (and reading ahead to where I intended the plot to go next), I decided to pivot. I made some slight changes and was much happier with how the chapter came out.
Sometimes it all works out. Other times, you pivot because it’s off. And sometimes you start anew. It all comes down to choices and decisions you make.
Your stories are yours to write
Fiction or nonfiction, you are the genius behind whatever you produce. The idea only exists in your mind until you put it on the page or screen. The formula for how you work is unique to you.
Ergo, there’s no One True Way, no right way or wrong way, to write. No matter how many guides are out there, what works for me might not work for you, and vice versa. However, there are some Universal truths that apply to anyone and everyone.
For example, you might find you come to a point in your work where you need to pivot. What does that look like? Years ago, while working on the first book in my Source Chronicles fantasy series, I hit a major snag. The villain ceased to be the villain. Whoa. How the hell did that happen? What do I do now? I was stuck.
I was really, really deep into the story. Like, 2/3 of the way through. I didn’t know how to fix the problem (I was writing as a pantser at the time, so I was going with the flow as I wrote). A conversation with a friend helped when he asked, “Why do you need a villain in the first place?”
That got me thinking, and a new idea took root. I was unstuck, and by choosing to pivot, I was back on track and writing.
Even though it was my work, it felt weird to need to pivot. But it happens. When you find that Plan “A” can’t continue, there’s no harm in shifting to Plan “B.”
But sometimes a pivot is not sufficient.
Sometimes you pivot, sometimes you start anew
More often than not, it’s working on nonfiction where I find the greatest need to start anew.
More than one blog idea was begun, where, partway in, the topic fizzled out. My point either got made too early, or it stopped speaking to me. I found myself disinterested in my own writing, and if I was boring myself, how much torture was I putting my readers through?
Sometimes I could pivot. As I wrote and moved my idea around, I found a point where I could pivot and take a different approach or reach a different conclusion. But sometimes it was best to move on and start anew. Maybe I’d readdress this idea later or drop it entirely.
Whatever choices you make when it comes to your writing, it’s never wrong to pivot or start anew. That’s just the way it goes. A great idea might start fantastically, then prove itself unsustainable, or less great, or too derivative of that movie you watched last week, and/or some other challenge. That’s the nature of the beast.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a pantser or a planner. Even a plan can look great at the start, but then take an unexpected left turn. When I plan a novel, I have a chapter-by-chapter plot I work from. It’s sufficiently vague that dialogue is largely written by the seat of my pants, and certain characters take actions that might not have been included. But, once in a while, I find that the point of the chapter shifts or a story idea I was working with ceases to do what I intended. Now I find I need to pivot or start anew.
There is, of course, a trap here to be avoided.
Pivot or start anew versus starting over versus quitting
When you write, no matter the genre, editing is important. However, as I frequently point out to others, editing should not happen until you’re done. If you go back and constantly edit, you often take 2 steps back while taking only 1 step forward. This can also massively derail you completely and leave your work unfinished.
Choosing to pivot or start anew is part of the ongoing process. It’s not the same as starting over because it doesn’t discard what you were already doing. At least, not completely. Maybe you do abandon what you were doing, but you still take something with you for the pivot or new start.
Starting over involves a complete, total reset. That can be frustrating, disempowering, and lead you to start questioning the value of your work, and then your self-value. It might also lead you to quit entirely.
But remember, there is no One Size Fits All in the world of writing. Or any of the arts, for that matter. Hence, sometimes, you might choose to start over and utterly abandon where you were going. That might be due to learning something new, to losing all interest in what you were doing, or otherwise deciding this isn’t what you intended to create.
The important thing here is to recognize how choosing to pivot, start anew, or start over are similar and different. Compare and contrast. But most of all, recognize that there’s no right or wrong here, and whatever suits you and the work you’re doing is good for you and your creativity.
Choosing to pivot, start anew, or start over is better than quitting. Of course, sometimes that is the answer. But the world needs all the art it can get, so please don’t quit or give up your creative vision.
Do whatever is true to you
Let’s cover one last important matter.
My biggest issue with Generative AI is that it is not true to any creative. I’m not saying that all AI is bad, or that Generative AI doesn’t have some value. What I have a problem with is using Generative AI to do the creative work for you and passing it off as your own, original genius.
When you choose to write, paint, sculpt, or whatever, you’re making your art. You’re expressing your creativity and genius, which is unique to you. It should be true to you and the story you’re choosing to share.
Hence, when you find you need to pivot or start anew, don’t beat yourself up. You’re not wrong, bad, idiotic, unworthy, or any other negative idea that might come up. It’s natural to hit a snag and need to pivot, start anew, and even sometimes start over. But the key is to remain true to you, your vision, and your genius.
Got an idea for a story only half-formed? Go for it. That blank canvas crying for color is calling you? Answer the call. Be the creator you are, and recognize that sometimes you pivot, sometimes you start anew. And that’s okay.
Thanks for reading. As I share my creative journey with you every week, please consider this: How are you inspired and empowered to be your own authentic creator, whatever form that takes?
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