While on vacation, I purchased a t-shirt bearing the words “sin sceal eile,” which is Irish Gaelic for “that’s another story.” How appropriate!

There are several applications of this expression for us as writers:

When we come up with an idea for a book, personal essay, or blog post, it’s helpful to jot down enough details that we can come back to it. But it’s important not to get distracted from the work at hand. We must stay focused and realize “that’s another story.”

One of the best times to realize “that’s another story” is when we’re writing fiction or creative nonfiction and determine there’s more to the story than we first anticipated or that one of the secondary characters turns out to be more interesting than we’d first anticipated and deserve their own story. (Perhaps your standalone will become the first in a series because you realize, “Oo! That’s another story!”)

When weaving together a novel or creative nonfiction manuscript, it’s best to leave open loops throughout the work, opening another before the previous one is closed. “That’s another story” is true of each of these open loops. There is a danger in doing this, however. Our readers won’t be pleased if we forget to close one or more of these story loops by the end of the book.

When we’re writing, we may be tempted to go off on a tangent and take our work in a direction we didn’t intend to go. At times, this can be a good thing, leading us to a more insightful, more intriguing, more engaging final product than we would have written if we hadn’t let our imagination wander. On the other hand, sometimes it just doesn’t work and we have to admit, “That’s another story.”

When writing nonfiction or fiction based on real life people and situations, we must decide which anecdotes to include. Those that highlight the point we’re seeking to make have passed the first level of consideration. However, it just may be that the individual(s) featured may not be seen in the best light by our readers. While there are times it’s appropriate to include the incident and those involved, at others, “that’s another story” and not ours to tell.

While we will have to determine what to include and what to leave out of our final revision, in the early drafts, we have the opportunity to explore the possibilities; to go off on a tangent or two; and forge ahead, knowing much of what we include will end up on the cutting room floor (to mix my metaphors).

While it’s important to retain the wonder and joy of writing, when in revision mode, we must determine when “that’s another story.”

Can you think of any other applications for sin sceal eile?