I have forgotten more story ideas than I’ve written. Easily. And a big reason for that is unreasonable standards. Instead of hammering out an idea as a short, one-page story, or a quick one-panel comic, I make excuses. “I should wait until I can flesh the idea out more.” As if a shorter work isn’t legitimate.
Why do I believe that a project isn’t valid unless it fits into a particular category? I like making stuff. What excites me about an idea isn’t that it would be a book/movie/comic – it’s the idea itself! So who cares if it’s short!? I’m doing it because it’s fun (and I can’t stop). So conquering unnecessary expectations needs to be a priority.
I moaned to my friend, Yngbi, about a novel that I want to finish but can’t find the motivation. He told me I should write something shorter then I would be able to complete it. And that got me thinking about past story ideas that could be short and still effective. In fact, there was one in particular…