Stop With the Brilliant Ideas, Already

I had this great idea for an article about five minutes ago. An interesting, research-heavy piece about a topic that’s getting a lot of attention lately. I even know the magazine I would pitch. I’m sure they would love it, and they pay pretty well, too.

Then, in a rare moment of clarity, I realized I need to stop having great ideas, and start producing some finished product. Cheese and crackers. If you’ve browsed my site at all you know I’m working part time as a freelance writer, trying to finish my novel, slowly chipping away at a guide book about northern California, waiting to hear from my agent about my non-fiction book proposal, blogging and oh, yeah, raising two kids. Vishnu, with her many arms, would have trouble juggling all that.

To date, I’ve managed my life on a squeaky wheel system. Kids first (they are, after all, pretty loud), paid work second, and everything else when I have time for it. If my agent actually sells my proposal I’m going to have to seriously reassess my time management/get a full time nanny.

So I’m shelving the brilliant article, filing it away for future reference, and instead, pulling out my notes on the novel – trying to write a little more tonight before I fall asleep, or the baby starts crying.