Yes, but you must do the work to make that fleeting idea into something more.
Have you ever had an idea that came and went almost instantly? Or have you had an idea that nagged at you until you addressed it and did something with it?
Sometimes, all you get is a fleeting vision, an idea, an image. Maybe from there, you get a further notion to take it somewhere.
I know this process well. But how I work with it has changed considerably over the years.
For example, back in the late 1990s, I had a fleeting idea regarding a sorcerer racing across a field, chased by a rather large number of armed pursuers. He turns, faces them, and takes them out. But in the process – his power gets lost.
This would lead to The Source Chronicles. But my creation of the first book, and the ongoing work on the series, would be done by the seat of my pants (writing as a pantser).
While watching Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a fleeting idea popped into my head. What if you created a whole lot of clones to fight a war – and then the war ended? What would become of those survivors? This notion led to me creating my Forgotten Fodder series. This time, however, rather than writing as a pantser, I planned out 4 books and a thoroughly formulated plot for this creative endeavor.
Hence, my long-winded answer to the question is yes, you can turn a fleeting idea into a creative endeavor. But not without work.
The work is variable
A fleeting idea can take any number of forms.
It might be an invention, a business, a painting, a carving, a business venture, a novel, a movie, or anything else that might come into your head. Logic may or may not be involved.
Many a fleeting idea is just that – fleeting, short-lasting, naught but an utterly random notion with little to no substance. And it might or might not be something you pursue.
In reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, the author explores how ideas exist in the ethers. Some we are meant to take hold of. Others are just passing by. These ideas are like small living things, seeking someone to bring them into reality.
I firmly believe the truth of that. This means that some fleeting notions, though fleeting and meaningless to me, might be worth the effort of creative work for you.
Ms. Gilbert has personal experience with this idea that she shares in Big Magic. I believe it also explains how and why, out of the blue, a similar notion gets explored from multiple angles (whether it’s new tech, a type of artwork, or the revival of a well-known fictional character in multiple new stories all at once).
Work can be a challenge for some people. And the work of creating on the part of creatives has additional challenges to it. But when you have that fleeting idea – and it won’t let go – you get to choose if it gets work and effort – how much work and effort – or none at all.
A fleeting idea in development
Over the years, as a writer, I’ve had many ideas come and go. This idea or that idea was or wasn’t explored.
For example, there’s a story I began, years ago, based on a fleeting idea for how faster-than-light travel might be invented. I wrote a good 60 pages of story around this notion – but never got further.
Another example, I had a fleeting idea about racers in custom-built, one-person starships flying through obstacle courses. One of the main characters was ex-military, and the other was a teenager. They’d join forces, and in time lead a mission with other racers for the military to become big heroes. I think I wrote 10 pages of this.
I have multiple other stories in varying degrees of creation and development. Fleeting ideas that took some shape – but went nowhere. A page or two here, a notion or two there. I can open multiple Word docs with such.
While working on this year’s NaNoWriMo project – I finished the book I was writing. Yay! But I was still under the 50k word count.
However, a fleeting idea for a new fantasy novel crossed my mind. I had two separate ideas – but both together worked towards creating something new.
There was a lot of stumbling as I tried to catch the idea and make sense of it. For a while, I had a whole lot of nothing and I got frustrated – but I persevered. I believe that this fleeting idea had come to me because I could work on making something of it.
Finally, I got somewhere with the work, and am world-building. What this might look like and what might come of it – only time will tell.
Turning a fleeting idea into a creative endeavor
Any fleeting idea can be turned into a creative endeavor. But only if you put the work into it.
No idea will magically turn into that invention, story, artwork, business, or what-have-you of its own accord. It will only become a creative endeavor when you work actively and intentionally to turn it into such.
The only person who can determine if it’s worthwhile to do that work to turn an idea into a creative endeavor is you. You alone know if you have the desire, inclination, and ability to take the fleeting idea and make something of it.
If not? Maybe you know somebody to share it with. There might be a more perfect person to pass it on to.
For example, an idea for a song came to me recently. I don’t write songs, but I know someone who does. I passed this idea to them. Turning it into a creative endeavor or not is theirs to decide now.
Only you know your bandwidth for turning a fleeting idea into a creative endeavor or not. The work that goes into it that you do or don’t do is up to you.
Know that you are worthy and deserving of turning that idea into something bigger. Why else would it come your way when it has 8 billion other people it could offer itself to?
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