I think it’s fair to say that most writers have a lot in common with Doug from Up. We’re mid-story, then an idea scampers through our brain and we stop everything we’re doing to try and catch it. Okay, so there’s a slight difference between us and Doug. We don’t yell “Squirrel!” Squirrels are too mainstream. Instead we scream “Plot bunny!” because plot bunnies are way cooler. In case you’re wondering what a plot bunny is, let me explain to you where this term comes from: I have absolutely no idea. Maybe sometime in the writing community the term “going down a rabbit trail” morphed into “chasing plot bunnies.” Makes sense, at least as much as anything that comes out of the writing community can make sense. Anyway, plot bunnies are those super cool but annoying ideas that pop into your head while you’re already working on a separate story. At first they look adorable, and you just feel like you need to go and pet it. But you get close and start working with it, then it suddenly transforms into an annoying creature that won’t cooperate and you’re left holding it in your arms like an idiot, staring at all of the other temptingly fluffy plot bunnies that can only be reached if you let go of the one you’ve already got. Sound familiar? Probably. At least 9 out of 10 writers I know have issues with this (or used to have issues with it). Me? I have finally learned to control my plot bunnies. It took a lot of chocolate, several hours spent having melt downs in the shower, not to mention a couple close calls with rabies infection (yeah, bunnies can carry rabies. Thank you, Google, for giving me rabbit-phobia). But now my plot bunnies are very well behaved and don’t stop me from cracking down and finishing a novel. So how do you focus on one story, and one story alone, without getting dragged under by plot bunnies? Let me tell you: Have a decent plan in mind. Before you start your story, you need to have a definite end in mind so that you don’t start a story and then just trail off or get tempted by new plot bunnies. It obviously helps to have a beginning charted out, along with a rising action and climax. If you don’t have these, you have no story. Your plot bunny is still a plot bunny and if you go in without a plan, you’ll end up flopping around, getting frustrated, losing interested, running off with another plot bunny, and then repeating the process. A vicious cycle, I know. Have well developed characters. I cannot stress this enough. The more developed the characters are, the more you will be attached to them, the more you will want to see their stories through. You will be far less likely to abandon them for another book. I think we’ve all experienced loss of interest while reading a book or watching a movie because the characters suck. Sure, the idea may be cool, but the main character is kind of lame (*cough* Luke Skywalker *cough *cough*). Or maybe the book is written well, but nobody cares whether the characters live or die. Think Wuthering Heights, though I may be one of the few people who actually read that book. Oh the hours of my life I will never be able to get back….Anyway, you have to love your characters in order to keep the desire to actually see your book all the way through. No book hopping. Ever. You work on one book from start to finish. You can’t write two separate books at the same time…that’s like having an affair. Just stop it. Sure, you can be writing a novel and take a break to write a short story or a blog post. That can be helpful. You can even edit one book while writing the first draft of a different story. I do that, and it works really well. But don’t ever write the first drafts for two books at the same time. This is a very bad idea unless you are: A professional writer who knows exactly what you are doing Writing a fiction and nonfiction book at the same time (slightly easier, but still not recommended) Writing two books of the same series Batman Under any other circumstances, just don’t even try. It’s distracting, slows down your writing process, and you’ll often end up liking one story better than the other, thus ditching one of the two books. Keep an idea journal. While it’s not good practice to chase after every plot bunny you see, it is actually very helpful to jot down the random ideas that float through your brain. Especially if there is one idea that nags at you very often, then for goodness sakes, document it! You might need it later. Make a Pinterest board for your book. If you don’t have a Pinterest account yet, just go sign up right now. It’s free and it has saved the lives of countless half-finished novels. By pinning character look-alikes, dialogue prompts, pictures of places that look like scenes in your novel, songs that fit themes in your story, etc, you will keep yourself engaged. It’s liked adding fodder to the fire. You constantly have images in front of you, inspiring you to write, getting you pumped about new ideas. Pinterest is a safeguard against quitting or becoming tempted to gallivant off with just any other plot bunny. Write on a schedule. If you want to write a novel from start to finish without getting side-tracked, you need to dedicate a specific time each day to doing so. Writing is a job. Treat it like one. I have more on how to become a scheduled writer here. Come to terms with the fact that you will never be able to write down all of the stories you see in your mind. A bit harsh, sure. A bummer? Definitely. But you can’t do anything about it. Just suck it up and move on. Completing one story is better than having dozens of half-finished books lying around. All we can do is pick the stories that we think are the best, that we think can make the biggest difference, and be happy with the fact that we’re seeing them to the end. Those are a few of the ways I’ve found to actually finish a story without getting distracted by plot bunnies. What about you? Do you struggle with being unable to finish a book? How do you control your plot bunnies? Related articles: The Scheduled Writer - How to Boost Your Writing Productivity What To Do When Your Story Bogs Down 10 Way to Make Your Writing Time More Productive Enjoy this post? Take a look around. If you like what you see, please don't forget to subscribe by email for a new post every week!