Oohs and Aahs for 2.7.25

Choosing your next project

Thank you to everyone who signed up for 4,000 Ideas! This is easily one of the most popular things I’ve ever offered, and it truly is a passion project. The people who like OB really love OB. Join us if you’re curious!

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I just turned in revisions on a manuscript, and I’m technically in between personal projects. It’s a weird feeling, and I’m swinging between feeling too burnt out to work on anything and itching to start something new and hoping I can finish a solid draft before my son is home for the summer. (Yes that’s in six months, but I’m already thinking about it!)

I also just finished coaching an author who is coming out a long, intense season of motherhood and is thinking about how she wants to use her time and attention. In case you’re in that same frazzled but eager state, overwhelmed with possibilities, but also knowing the only way to make progress is to focus, here are some questions that might help you choose your next writing project:

• What books do you love reading again and again?

• What kind of book would you most like to be known for?

• If you’re an artist, do you have a signature style that lends itself to one of the many projects you’re choosing from?

• If you’re not an artist, are any of your ideas especially suited to being illustrated? Another way to phrase this question might be “Which story would most benefit from being told visually?”

• Do any of these ideas feel especially personal to you?

• Which idea has the most layers?

• Which project feels a little scary?

• Is there any project that feels like something you want to “live inside” and that might feel like a retreat from real life or like something engaging enough that you'll want to come back to it again and again?

If you don’t already keep a log of all your ideas, you might want to gather these into some kind of document or notebook. I have an Excel sheet that I titled “Idea Sanctuary.” It helps me relax and choose something to focus on, knowing I won’t forget anything and trusting the next right idea will bubble to the top. (Sometimes I go back to the idea sanctuary and sometimes I don’t. It’s important to not think of it as a to-do list.)

When I work with coaching clients, often they send me ALL their manuscripts (finished and unfinished). I read through everything. We talk about what feels good and what feels hard. Then I help my client figure out what to pour their time and attention into next. Sound dreamy?

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This Week I’m…

• Talking with

  Nancy Reddy
  about caregiving and creativity for her wonderful series Good Creatures (I’m excited to read her book The Good Mother Myth too!)💕

• Thinking about this revolutionary take on regulation 🤯

• Working my way through NYT’s Mystery Menu series with Sohla and Ham with my husband (Something we both like watching!) 🔪

• Mulling over Agnes Callard’s take on why weird characters in kidlit might not be as anti-conformist as they appear 🤔

• Loving Merit’s glowy champagne-inspired highlighter 🥂

• Holding office hours 2/12 when you can ask me anything 🤓

• Warming up for 4,000 Ideas (The Oliver Burkeman Book Club for Creatives) by sharing my thoughts on keeping a done list with

  Marika Páez Wiesen
  —I found it FASCINATING to hear others reflect on OB’s work. If you do too, please also check out the first 4,000 Ideas post. I can’t wait to nerd out with all of you. The first two posts will be available to everyone, and then they’ll be exclusive to paid subscribers. If you already know you want to join 4,000 Ideas, you can upgrade your subscription today.

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Nebula Notebook is a place to meet kindred spirits, get inspired, and learn how to find ease and joy in the creative process—even when life is bananas. 🍌🍌🍌

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✏️ PS—The fastest way to grow as a writer is to book a manuscript critique or a creative coaching session with an expert. My clients get agents, sell books, and win awards. They also learn how to enjoy the creative process, so they can keep going when life gets hard. 👏