Does the story exist before the edits, or do the edits create the story?

[Tempokai]

That's my teaser for a guide that will be posted tomorrow or day after, given how writing the ending and the editing process will go smoothly. For now, discuss this question.

 

[Deleted member 84247]

It exists before and after.

 

[HungrySheep]

Both.

 

[BearlyAlive]

Neither.

 

[LilRora]

The Ship of Theseus does not simply appear, nor does it disappear.

 

[Tyranomaster]

The soul of the story exists before the edits. The initial carvings of a statue made of stone can still relay the same message. The edits distinguish the quality, impact, and impression the story gives to the reader.

You could simplify further and say that a stick figure sitting in a thinking pose conveys the same basic message as "The Thinker" cast from bronze, but the impact and impression are vastly different between the two.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

Pffft! You think you exist? That's hysterical!

 

[LilTV1155]

This question has an answer that is asking whether the egg or the hen come first.
In reality, it's both and not exactly.
There's a third answer to this question, it's the third party, Knowledge.

The soul of the story will always be born existing. Imagination only draw it. Knowledge feed and strengthen the story.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

It depends. Perhaps the story really is happening somewhere out there, and the writer is just chronicling events. Or perhaps the story only exists as it is being read, whether by the writer, the reader or the editor...

Perhaps we are all just pretty butterflies, flapping in the breeze...

 

[Zenomew]

Ah, the classic "does the story exist before the edits?" question..one of the great mysteries of writing


Let's take a deep spiritual trip....we’re talking about the universe of storytelling, where the story technically exists in the ether, floating around like an unbaked cookie dough—messy, raw, and full of potential.

But then, bam, you get your hands on it, toss in a pinch of edits, a dash of “oh wait, that line is terrible,” and suddenly, whoosh, the story starts to take shape! It’s like cooking a meal—you throw a bunch of random ingredients into a pan, and only after adding some seasoning (a.k.a. edits) does it go from "what did I just make?" to "this is a masterpiece, don’t touch it!"

So, to answer the big question: the story exists, but it’s not fully realized until the edits come in. It’s like a house—you've got the foundation, but without a bit of paint, furniture, and the occasional "how did I even write that?" moment, it’s just a skeleton.

Think of edits as the universe’s way of giving you a chance to make everything make sense—and then you can laugh at how much you changed. Because let’s face it, we all know that initial draft is just a glorified napkin sketch of what you thought was genius at 2 AM. So, yeah, edits create the real story... or at least the one that doesn't make you question your writing skills on a regular basis.

 

[LilTV1155]

The author is either a witness or a dreamer. But I am certain it's the Witness part and the Seer being all that.

 

[Thraben]

The story demonstrably must exist before the edits, because otherwise there would be nothing to edit. Simply formal logic, that.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Stories can be obnoxious beasts. Was working diligently on three when two others just jumped the queue and took over - granted one has a deadline (and is almost done, so I should be able to get back to the important ones) - but the stories definitely exist out there in some form, even before pencil or pen goes to paper (or electrons to screens). It is shaped by the writer and refined by the editor, but it may well exist without either.