The Germ of a New Story Idea

What happens when your muse taps you on the shoulder and strongly suggests the idea for your next novel while you are working on one already?  Guess muses don’t understand the concept of revision, revision, revision until it’s perfect.  This happened to my publisher/editor just recently.  She is presently working on this idea at the expense of the one she was working on.  

I’ve got an idea, to, but my idea isn’t as developed as hers is.  Her idea seemingly popped out of her head fully grown as Athena popped out of Zeus’s head.  The idea I got last night during How the Universe Works  is still just the germ of an idea.  I spun it out a bit more when I laid it out for her, but this is all I’ve got thus far.  But tonight if we do any word sprints, I can jot down a few notes.  

As I write this, my idea slowly germinates in the back of my mind.  I won’t tell you any more of what I’ve come up with because I’ll want you to read it, should it grow into a full-grown novel.  My muses are gently pushing this idea forward, while her muse is hitting her over the head with it.  My muses realized that I had to get one project at a semi-finished stage before I began another.  Since her muse was pushed by a fan,  I guess I can understand where it is coming from.  

I have a friend, another writer, who told me that if she talks her story too much, her muse considers the story done, and refuses to help her any further.  That is the real reason I won’t talk any more today about my idea.  I’m afraid they’ll believe the story is done, and won’t help me anymore with it.  Most people have just one muse; I have 5, one of whom has departed this life. One is my cat, one is my SO, one is the writer friend I mentioned earlier, and one is my publisher/editor.  She’s good because she gives me a metaphorical kick in the derriere whenever I need one.

Where do your ideas come from?  How do you treat them?  What’s your turn around time?  That is, the time scale from the time you get the idea until it emerges as a fully fledged story, ready to be revised and cleaned up to be submitted to the publisher of your choice?  Stay tuned next week for another episode in the writing life of this writer/author.