A Creative Audit to Quiet the Chaos
A simple exercise to help writers turn overwhelm into art
Writers are no strangers to creative drought. We talk a lot about writer’s block—the blank screen, the blinking cursor, the prayers to the creativity gods.
But there’s another kind of stuck: creative overload.
The kind where your brain is bursting with ideas, and somehow, you still can’t move forward.
The Buffet of Too Many Ideas
Creative overload is the head side of the writing coin.
It’s exhilarating. Inspiring. Paralyzing.
You’re standing at a buffet of story ideas—each one glittering with potential—and you don’t know where to start. Instead of writing, you’re bouncing between possibilities. And nothing gets done.
Writers are often told to:
Write everything down.
Pick the most exciting idea.
Return to the one that won’t let you go.
Take a break. Clear your head.
All good advice. But incomplete.
Because the ideas aren’t always the problem.
Another Issue
For me, creative overwhelm happens when I’m not taking enough action.
And the ideas that show up? They’re always massive.
Think: epic novels. Generational sagas. Metaphorical operas.
I get stuck because I assume every idea must become a Big Project.
But what if… it doesn’t?
The Exercise That Changed Everything
Back in 2021, a brilliant career coach gave me a prompt I now use anytime I’m creatively fried.
Here it is:
Write down every idea that’s popped into your head, then ask:
What else can this be?
Yes, seriously.
Could it be…
A poem?
A short story?
A podcast episode?
A party theme?
A song?
A painting?
A collage?
One of my favorite examples of this in my own life: I had this sprawling idea—a reverse Orpheus and Eurydice set within the 1930s New Orleans mob world, blending noir and horror. It was rich and cinematic and... completely overwhelming for my then twenty-one-year-old self.
So, I made a collage. That’s it. No draft. No outline. Just images, textures, shadows, mood.
It helped me exhale. It helped me keep going.
This exercise is about giving your creativity somewhere to land, even if it’s not where you originally imagined.
Try It Yourself
List every idea floating around in your head. One sentence or title each.
Ask: What else could this be?
Choose the version that takes the least effort and do it.
Even if it’s messy. Even if it feels small.
Small creative wins matter. They keep the channel open. They build momentum. They help you live in story even when you’re not writing a novel.
If you try this, I’d love to hear what your overwhelming idea became or if you’ve ever taken a wild story and turned it into something smaller, faster, or totally unexpected.
Drop it in the comments or send me a note.