In high school and college, I worked with a close friend on all kinds of art projects, and so, being dorks and geeks and nerds, we created production company names, such as DVPF: Deja Vu Film productions. Another was Back Burner Productions because we had so many ideas percolating on the back burner.
I have a lot of writing projects ongoing and so at any one time many of these are on the back burner as I am able to work maybe two or three of these in rotation at any one time and often just one.
The back burner is powerful.
Don't be in such a rush.
What does it mean when someone says “Put it on the back burner”?
https://medium.com/@jamvotan/what-does-it-mean-when-someone-says-put-it-on-the-back-burner-cf8597d4875f
James Mason - Jan 21, 2023
“Putting something on the back burner” means temporarily setting it aside or delaying working on it, often with the intention of returning to it later. This phrase often refers to a task or project that is important but not currently a priority.
The act of changing the heat on a stove is probably where the phrase “putting something on the back burner” first appeared.
A cook may place a pot containing a dish that requires less immediate attention on a back burner where the heat is lower so that it can simmer without burning. This would allow the cook to attend to dishes on the front burners that need more immediate attention.
The problem occurs when more than one or more tasks are put on the back burner. Most stoves only have four burners and two are only available at a time for less urgent heating.
The phrase is often mentioned in meetings or standups where someone might suggest putting an action or task on the back burner as it's not required urgently. Something that doesn’t take priority will always be put on the back burner.
In an environment where tasks or objectives are discussed, you could find too many of these less-priority objectives piled up on the back burners and left there for too long as something always comes along that is more urgent.
Where did the phrase originate from?
The expression “placing anything on the back burner” is likely derived from the kitchen practise of shifting a pot or pan to a cooler area of the stove, typically the rear burners, to prevent its contents from boiling over or burning while still cooking slowly.
Since the middle of the 20th century, the word has been used figuratively to denote “to postpone or temporarily set aside” anything.
https://lindasclare.com/2025/03/writing-picking-up-the-stories-from-the-back-burner/
Writing: Picking Up the Stories from the Back Burner
Writers of every stripe know that at least some of their efforts will land in a drawer or on the back burner. Can these manuscripts be revived??
Writing Tip for Today: Here are some tips for repurposing old projects:
Practice Makes Perfect
Some of the stuff you write will probably never see print. If you’re a newer writer, consider your early efforts as practice. For whatever reasons, we tend to think that since we know how to “write,” we should already be producing publishable work.
Pros know that like every creative, writers must hone their skills over many words and some length of time. New writers sometimes complain that they are spinning their wheels. They receive rejection after rejection. But don’t ever give up on your goals—just know that it’s very common to start in the “minor leagues.”
Try to set up a writing schedule where you show up, put in your BIC time and write as much as you can. Even if what you produce isn’t publishable, it’s great practice. Some complain that it’s all in who you know. But editors always recognize writing that’s professional and polished.
Re-Imagine Works
Let’s say you wrote your first novel, but it’s now languishing in a drawer or on a file. Should you keep trying to revise the novel indefinitely? What if you re-imagine the story kernel in a different form?
You could adapt your novel to a short story or a screenplay. The short story market is steep, but if you can write a good screenplay (which will be mainly dialogue and stage direction), you could succeed with your story. If the material is based upon true life or your life, rewrite as a memoir or a personal experience essay.
Often, the theme of any novel is broad enough to encompass evergreen subjects like love, belonging, forgiveness. Try writing a nonfiction article about a person or situation that illustrates the theme.
Try re-imagining old work in a new form, and revise accordingly.
Revise and Resubmit
Another idea is to hire a pro editor for development or content editing. This type of editor differs from copy editors. A developmental editor can help you with structural problems, scene writing and character development.
Developmental editors sometimes give you a dizzying array of things to change in your novel or book-length work. These pronouncements may discourage you from tackling a substantial rewrite. Sometimes, it makes sense to actually write the novel again rather than try to squeeze in all the fixes.
By adapting your novel to a different form or audience or theme, you will undoubtedly grow and learn your craft. Becoming a paid or published writer can be a long road, but if you can’t NOT write, it may mean that you’re willing to practice and reimagine and revise so that you can resubmit the work.
The Backburner: Where Ideas Gain Strength
As I write this, my dog Tess is harassing me. Every few minutes she sits down in front of me and stares. If I ignore her long enough, she barks and gets more agitated. I tell her, “Go lie down,” which she dutifully does. For about eighty-seven seconds. Then she’s back again.
“Why does she do this?” you ask? Because I made stock tonight.
In my former life I was a chef, so there are certain things I do. I mix my own spices for Indian curry. I buy fresh ingredients and cook everything from scratch. And I always buy whole chickens and cut them up or bone them out—which leaves me bones I can use to make chicken stock and keep in the fridge for future use.
From the moment I’ve strained the bones out of the stock, Tess and her little buddy Scruff hover, because they know that most of the time, Stephanie or I will pick the meat off the bones and give it to them.
What, you might ask, does making chicken stock have to do with writing?
Plenty. The writing process is a lot like cooking. It requires creativity. You need to know your craft. It helps if you have good instincts and understand how to put different things together. And at the end of the day, you have to be pragmatic, because your audience will either consume or reject what you produce.
So where does the stock come in? A couple of nights a week when I’m cooking dinner, I have stock simmering on a back burner. When writing, I do the same thing: I always have something else simmering on the back burner of my mind for future use. And I believe that if you do the same thing, it will help you immensely as a writer. So let me explain how to do it.
1. Get Ideas into the Pot and Fire Up Your Back Burner
One thing that separates professional writers from amateurs is an ability to focus. Focus is how I get so much done in a year. It’s what enables me to write when I don’t feel like it, or push through a problem when I’d rather give up. But being able to focus doesn’t mean you work on only one thing at a time.
One of my favorite tricks is to take a look at something I’m planning to work on before I’m really ready to deal with it. It’s like putting bones and water in the pot and letting them simmer. The flavor of the stock gains strength. For a small writing project, I might look at my raw materials a day or two before. For a bigger project, I might do this a week or even further ahead of time. Then I forget about it.
Why do I do this? Because I know from that point forward, my subconscious mind is working on it. My brain is problem-solving. It’s relating those ideas to other stimuli. It’s making me comfortable with the concepts. Its fostering creativity.
2. Add Other Ingredients
One of the things that invariably happens when I put an idea on the back burner is that other things I’m reading or working on illuminate it. Once, I had a short story idea on the back burner. I knew I wanted to set it during a war, and I was considering World War I, the Crimean War, or the Boer War. At the same time, I was also reading a book called The Fellowship, which is about J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. As I read about their experiences in World War I, it cemented the decision to set my story in the trenches of France in 1917. And there have been many times while working on a book for John Maxwell that I came across an idea for a story or illustration for a later chapter, which made it into the book.
You don’t need to try to force this kind of thing. Just let it happen. You’ll naturally make connections. Just be sure to jot down the ideas as you get them so that you don’t lose them. I’m constantly sending myself emails with ideas or tapping phrases into the Notes app on my phone.
3. Recognize When to Shift Ideas to the Front Burner
One of the projects I’m working on this week is a revision of John’s book Developing the Leader Within You for a 25th anniversary edition. About a month ago, we decided to eliminate the introduction and incorporate the ideas planned for it into chapter 1. But I also felt that we needed to replace it with a new preface.
For several weeks, I didn’t give the preface any conscious attention. I just let it sit on the back burner. But yesterday, as I was working on another chapter, I felt this strong sense that I was ready to write the preface. I’m not even sure what prompted it, but I immediately stopped working on that chapter, and moved the preface from the back burner to the front. I opened a new document and started typing. And it poured out without a hitch.
That’s the great value of the back burner. Ideas simmer and gain strength. When it comes to stock, I can usually tell when to turn off the heat by how the stock smells. With writing, I just get this impulse to take a stab at writing the idea. Occasionally, I stumble and say, “Nope. I guess it needs more time.” But usually, I’m able to make it work.
Try it. If you need to write a blog post, an article, a chapter, or a speech, give the idea some attention, then put it on the back burner and let it simmer while you do other things. I think you’ll find that it makes writing it much easier. And the end result will be something your audience will enjoy feasting on.
This post originally appeared at StoryGurus.com. Visit our site for more insights on writing and communication.
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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2512.17 - 10:10
- Days ago: MOM = 3820 days ago & DAD = 475 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I post Hey Mom blog entries on special occasions. I post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day, and now I have a second count for Days since my Dad died on August 28, 2024. I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of Mom's death, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of her death and sometimes 13:40 EDT for the time of Dad's death. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
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