I was re-writing my novel for the hundredth time the night Leela was born. She’d wake up, I’d help take care of her, she’d go back to sleep, I would continue writing.
I should’ve rested, I should’ve enjoyed the moment, I should’ve…
But I’d reached a point where I couldn’t breathe anymore until I finished the book.
Don’t become a writer or an entrepreneur until you have that one idea that’s possessed you for days, months, years. Else you’ll lose the will to plug away through the unending rejections and disappointments inherent in the journey (read this for a timeline of my sixty rejections).
The world doesn’t need one more “5 ways to become productive” listicle or another e-commerce app. What it craves is the one book, that one product, the one idea, that’s come from deep within your soul because if it fills your yearning, it’ll fill someone else’s.
How do you get such ideas?
Three Steps to get ideas that possess you completely.
- Live widely to generate a range of ideas.
I failed miserably the one time I chose a “cushy” job that allowed me to balance my corporate career and writing. I was bored, anxious, and was neither creative in my work nor in my writing. Both collapsed.
Since then, I’ve tried to find work that stretches me to the maximum and consumes my full creative energy. There’s no balance. Life is one stream of constant learning. Lean into your work, lean into your art, lean into your family, lean into your hobbies, lean into all of them or some of them at a time, depending on your capacity. But don’t hold yourself back anywhere. There are no half-measures. Make every dimension of life a fountainhead for ideas.
The best ideas are unexpected combinations of expected worlds. Johnny Gone Down was initially a travelogue-of-sorts. It didn’t work. The blood in the re-writing came when Johnny became a regular MIT grad who gets sucked into an inter-continental odyssey.
That’s why, in the gestation period of your ideas, I recommend seeking out both specific and general knowledge. Specific knowledge is in-depth knowledge of your domain eg, reading every detective story you can lay your hands on if you’re a detective fiction writer. General knowledge is getting interested in a wide variety of unrelated subjects eg, practicing say, Buddhist meditation and learning how films are made.
Do this and now you’ll end up writing about a Buddhist detective solving a murder mystery in Bollywood, for example. Much more interesting than the millionth FBI agent-turned- detective story, correct?
And the best laboratory for big, interesting idea combinations is to live a big, interesting life. Live at full throttle and become insatiably curious about a range of things and soon the ideas will rain.
- Feel deeply to give your ideas depth and texture.
I regretted the self-destructive decisions that led me to be single, broke, and sleeping on my sister’s couch at age 31. Johnny Gone Down arose from that regret.
I was disappointed at how petty my thoughts were despite reading yoga and Buddhist text regularly. The Seeker/ The Yoga of Max’s Discontent was borne from this feeling of failure.
If you’re falling short of your standards in life, acknowledge it, question it, feel deeply disappointed about it, don’t numb it with self-help books and busy work. Every writer, every creator, is trying to complete an incomplete world by creating a more perfect world. Your discontent, your sadness, is beautiful. Let it be the seed that gives your ideas depth and feeling. If you’re hurting, you’ll touch hundreds of others who’re hurting too. Don’t deny yourself your pain.
P.S: Also watch this companion video on how to create an idea with meaning for your novel.
- Start zoning into your ideas by putting them in the public domain.
I was struggling with questions of purpose until I shot this video.I was feeling lonely until I wrote this blog. Each time I write a blog or post a video, I articulate a deep, unarticulated thought for myself and get new direction for my life.
That’s why I recommend the discipline of creating something small–a blog, a You-Tube video, anything– often. Converging streams of random, disconnected ideas into a singular thought frequently will help you get sharper and sharper on what you truly care about. Once you start getting feedback on your ideas, you’ll also know what’s striking a chord, helping you zone in even more.
The final step
Now, you’re ready to start executing against the one idea that matters to you. Radically alter your life. Go narrow instead of wide. Become possessed by the idea and think about it all the time. Eliminate all superfluous work, family, social commitments. Become an introvert. Take a sabbatical if you have to. For days, months, years, just become consumed by bringing your idea to life. Success or failure, you’ll get a glimpse of transcendence during the process, transforming you completely.
This final step is the one decision that shifts you from consumer to a creator–and then, nothing in this world of men and hobbits is beyond your reach.
Which step of the process are you in today? Is something stopping you from taking the final step? Do drop me a note in the comments and I’ll try my best to help.
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20 Responses to “How to have the best ideas in the world”
Now I am tired of waiting to hear back from publishers and don’t feel like writing at all. I mean what is the point of writing if no one wants to publish it?
I know I am being melodramatic. I have published 2 books through Tulika books. One of them has just been published in 9 languages. But I have 4 books out there – waiting for a publisher. 3 of them are for a children’s series. If these 3 books are accepted then I have plans for another 9 books. I have not thought of self publishing. Don’t consider myself to be a marketing person yet. I read your emails and am so impressed by your effort to reach out to people.
But then I just wonder, perhaps my books are not meant to be picked up by traditional publishers. They are meant for interactive animated ebooks and newsapps. But I do not know the players in this field. I do not use newsapps. My kids have never read interactive ebooks. There is so much to learn if that is the way to go.
Swati, have you tried Juggernaut(Chiki Sarkar’s new venture)? They’re doing a lot in the app/interactive space and she’s terrific as you may know.
I was feeling disappointed because I hadn’t written anything in months… I’ve been letting life get me down, but now I’m thinking of how I can use these feelings to get back on track. Sharing the depth of my struggle might resonate with others. Thanks for this!
Indeed it will Robbie!
Hi Karan.
Thank you for the story about Max and the yoga of his discontent. It was most compelling, and I didn’t want it to end. Sigh.
Please, can you comment on Paramahansa Yogananda? Do you have any experience with self-realization as PY describes it in his autobiography? in the film “Awake”? with Kriya yoga? Is the SRF he founded in California a legitimate, spiritual place?
Good luck to you on your path. God bless you always.
Thank you Bonnie! No personal experience with SRF–was left somewhat untouched when I visited their NY center. He was of course an incredibly worthy man but I don’t know how the modern day organization is. The only spiritual institution/course I can whole-heartedly recommend without reservation is Vipassana as taught by Mr. Goenka. Hope this helps.
http://www.karanbajaj.com/yoga-meditation/vipassana-meditation/
Thanks Karan .. loved the article … Even I want to start writing or do something which contributes to the betterment of world .. your thoughts are inspiring
Good luck Manoj!
Hello Karan, your books have been my favourite since a long time. Even though I am a woman, I felt Johny Gone Down was my personal fantasy. I recently embraced motherhood and the storyteller within me has resurfaced again. Isn’t it a wonder how your own child inspires you to lead a fearless life? I want to start a bilingual blog soon and write in Marathi and English. Thank you for being an inspiration and reaching out with this genuine advise. Wish you good luck.
P.s. I too practice Vipassana. I am also friends with you on your facebook since many years
Lovely Amruta! Super congrats on motherhood–we just entered the phase two years ago(and then again). It’s been delightful yet caused a seismic shift in the my thinking on the kind of stories I want to write, quite like you!
Thank you for sharing so honestly. Sometimes though I feel I get torn in different directions when I do so many diiferent things on one day, cook, clean, read, sing, teach, try to catch up on writing….
Keep at it Anuradha! Once the idea comes, it won’t let you go.
Hi Karan,
A big fan of all of your works. Thank you for writing the blog. All of your writing has been of big help to me.
Currently, I have an idea that I have been working on. It is a script that mainly revolves around the most difficult time phase of my time. I have written around 40% of first draft of the script. I have been having difficulty to have a discipline about the writing. Also, I have been wanting to do meditation everyday. But it’s been difficult to develop the habit and do it consistently. Any strong context that you can suggest that I can have to develop both the habits. The job that I am currently doing has fluctuating timings hence, on the days I come home late, it’s difficult to make up my mind to do either one of those things. Any suggestions on how to handle this?
Akash, can you swing a short sabbatical? http://www.karanbajaj.com/yoga-meditation/how-much-a-gap-year-costs-the-full-finances-of-our-sabbatical/
Hi Karan,
A sabbatical won’t be possible for now as I started working a month back.
I’m caught in a terrible situation of re-writing. Every time I go over my story, I find it far below expectation, and another idea comes out of the woodwork, ready to replace the existing text. But the cycle keeps going on, and so does the quasi-sabbatical :). Is there something like a writer cannot like his writing? How did you manage a 100 rewrites? And what typically changes in these re-writes? I’ve done major overhauls, from changing the sex of the protagonist, to nationality, jobs, family, friends, purpose. It just feels that every time I rewrite, I end up writing a different book!
Raj, have you tried using the services of a freelance editor? They’ll really, really help focusing your re-writing efforts.
Hi Karan, I’m from Calcutta, India. This above post is a great and inspiring read for budding writers, and though I’m not a budding writer, it helps one to go back and get one’s batteries recharged. And that’s what your post did. You know it’s like retreating to yourself, letting yourself ask a question, “Hey are you on the right track?” It’s somewhat like stopping to write at the end of the day and reviewing what all has been written. Your work helped me likewise. Thanks, Karan.
I have a small question. My next completed story (novel) is totally based in India where I have brought in the difference between two worlds — the First World and the Third World existing in India. The story is said from the perspective of a domestic help and how he succeeds in life. My question is, is there any US literary agent who cater to work(s) that deal only about another country and not the US? But can be said is that this story has an international appeal.
I don’t have a website but my writing information is given in: http://www.amazon.com/author/bobdcosta
Hello Karan, I always get a positive vibe, when I talk about your name, read your blog, hear about work. I guess more than your writing, I guess the experience you have make you a simple, humble, human being. I like simple people and their work, I love your thoughts, can related and I care for them.
I’m in the phase where I am starting to weave my thoughts., I slowly find it’s meaning and its purpose. Sometimes I see, many a times, i don’t know why I am writing, mulling over too much and kind of doing things passively.
I spend too much thinking, overanalyzing stuffs before I start doing it. I procrastinate as well in the name of cautious thinking. I need more action and take some risks. This is my problem statement.