Like many creators I know, I have huge backlog of ideas that I could progress. Some are stories, some are single images, some are ideas for plays, graphic novels, movies, picture books. Deciding which one to make next is difficult. Every idea will have its pros and cons, its risks and rewards. Trying to weigh those up, however, is a minefield because often those pros and cons are not comparable to one another. For example, one idea might further my dialogue writing skills, another might further my visual storytelling and pacing skills.
So, when those comparisons fail, I’ve tried reaching for other ways to assess the worth of an idea, “What are the chances an audience will like this?” That audience may be a publisher, or a mass of people on the internet. I’ve caught myself more than once saying, “this project will more likely lead to a book contract, so I’ll focus on it”.
But, the problem with trying to predict another’s reaction is that it’s much more difficult than assessing the benefit of an idea to one’s self. For example, I know that Idea A will further my dialogue writing skills, and I know that Idea B will further my visual storytelling skills. But will an audience prefer Idea A over Idea B? Who’s the audience, anyway? Maybe each idea will satisfy or dissatisfy a different group of people?
With such a finite time on Earth, it’s easy to get caught up in trying to optimise the way we spend it: for the ‘right idea’. But, perhaps the right idea isn’t the one that an audience will prefer and not even for the skills we might develop. Perhaps it’s about the one that will move us one step closer to meeting the person that we want to become.