Hard Decisions: Stopping my first novel to master the craft. What do you think?

[S__Aether]

Hi everyone,

I’ve recently reached a turning point in my journey as a writer. After publishing 78 chapters of my first novel, "The Prince's Rise from the Shadows," and receiving valuable (and blunt) feedback from several critics and experienced authors, I’ve realized something important.

My story has "structural gaps." While the world-building is there, the foundation—the pacing, the over-descriptive style, and the early hooks—needs a professional level of refinement that simple editing can't fix. Even though I’ve managed to make the hooks much stronger in the middle chapters, the core issue remains with the beginning.

So, I’ve made a tough choice: I’m going to stop this work.

I won't delete it, as it represents my first steps and a huge learning curve for me. Instead, I’m going to dedicate my time to studying the "craft" of storytelling—focusing on pacing, better character dialogue, and more natural narration. I want my next project to be something that truly meets global professional standards.

I’d love to hear your thoughts:

1. For those who went through this, did you "reboot" the same story later, or did you start something completely fresh?
2. Is it better to keep practicing on a "flawed" story—considering that a weak start fails to attract readers, meaning I don't get enough feedback to improve—or is a "hard reset" the right way to grow?

I’m looking forward to your advice!

 

[Rosica]

There is no wrong way to grow. Hermit crabs don't grow their shells as they age like turtles. Find a way that suits you better.

You can begin by reading other people's works written in English. Analyze them. See what you can learn.

 

[S__Aether]

There is no wrong way to grow. Hermit crabs don't grow their shells as they age like turtles. Find a way that suits you better.

You can begin by reading other people's works written in English. Analyze them. See what you can learn.

Interesting analogy! I'll definitely take your advice into consideration as I plan my next steps. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Avarice_Of_The_Seven]

Disclaimer: Inspired by 'Did You know?' short videos.

Did you know? If everyone had your mentality, readers would stop saying: "That novel is really good. I know it starts average, but the story becomes peak after XYZ chapters. Trust me, bro."

Jokes aside, all I can say is that no novel can be perfect from start to finish.

The rest is up to you.

 

[S__Aether]

Disclaimer: Inspired by 'Did You know?' short videos.

Did you know? If everyone had your mentality, readers would stop saying: "That novel is really good. I know it starts average, but the story becomes peak after XYZ chapters. Trust me, bro."

Jokes aside, all I can say is that no novel can be perfect from start to finish.

The rest is up to you.

That's a fair point. But honestly, if the beginning isn't gripping and intense, won't my work just drown in a crowded market filled with high-stakes, creativity, and harsh criticism? I feel like as a new author, I don't have the safety net that established names do. What’s your take on finding that balance between a 'natural' start and one that's competitive enough to survive?

 

[Representing_Tromba]

Do it. I took small breaks to write smaller stories that forced me to focus on where I lacked. Just don't spend so much time honing that you lose track of your main story.

 

[TinaMigarlo]

1. Finish this story. I don't care if the character gets run over by a truck tomorrow... or it takes 100 more chapters. Pinch it off, drag it out, but FINISH it. if you pause it, come back to it.
2. Take time off to read/study/figure out... whatever.
3. make the next one better.

#1--- You need to get into the habit of *finishing* stories. A finished story in hand beats any three unfinished stories in the bush.
#2--- There will always be "the next thing" you need. If every next thing requires a dropped story... see the problem?
#3--- finish story X. Learn SOMEthing. Finish story x+1... rinse and repeat.

if x+1 is a rewrite of this idea? fine. if its something different and the rewrite comes x+5, fine. Or never rewritten works.
Question: did you make some kind of rough outline? Or did you fly seat of the pants. Be honest, lol.

 

[LeilaniOtter]

I'm of the opinion you should finish it, but first do a full, complete re-read and restructure of the book outline to the point you stopped, along with a complete "character sheet" of the players. Spend some time reading it after you've written the plots/subplots/etc., and perhaps look online for a good, solid guide to outlining your book.

Then get back to it, because you'll have everything you need. *^^* Go, do this now. Forget any other advice and trust me.

 

[GreenStudio]

When I wrote the first draft for my story CCC, I was 16. Needless to say, it was awful. So, I wrote short stories and studied up on my craft for about 4 years until I felt comfortable with my level of ability, in which, I am now writing CCC again at 20 years old from scratch.

Did the story end up changing? Absolutely. Characters are the same, yes, but there are so many new elements that I can hardly call it the "same story."

That said, if you take a similar detour, I can say with 100% certainty that you will at least respect your work more.

 

[JordanIda]

78 chapters, and you're only now realizing that you don't know what you're doing?!

I'll be wild and crazy here and suggest you just stop this project. You could sink another 78 chapters into it and find yourself in the exact same place. Don't let that happen. Sweep the knee, dude. Put it on the ground hard and kill it.

Here's why: there is a common misconception that stories can self-organize. This stems from the notion that the story is a sentient entity, with a mind and will of its own, independent of the author, which, given time, sunlight, and watering, can grow and surprise us with its brilliancy. You know. Variants on the idea that we as authors don't really know where the story's going; we're just riding on its coattails and seeing where it leads us. This idea is all too common with beginning writers, but it's complete balderdash. This never produces a successful outcome, yet it's all too common, and it leads to something even worse: the tendency toward giant unfinished novels. Because if at first we don't know where it's going, we hoodwink ourselves into thinking more is better. Ten chapters into it, we as the authors are still lost, so we decide that what it needs is lots of time, and lots of sweat equity, and lots of wards. Maybe forty chapters in, a coherent plot will self-organize, so we keep plodding away, and on chapter forty-one, it's still trash overall, so we double down again! Before we know it, the tome is thicker than War and Peace, and it's going nowhere. So what does it need? More chapters!!!!

Just don't. KILL IT.

Retool, regroup, and start with short stories.

Short stories contain all of the essential elements of large novels. Everything's smaller, but it's all there. Protagonist, antagonist, opening hook, development, crisis, climax, denouement. It might even have scene breaks. (Think chapters, only smaller.)

Write a hundred short stories. Finish every one of those. Be methodical on every one. Outline the story. Don't write the first sentence before you know the last. Stop. Read the previous sentence again. Seriously. Keep reading it until you understand it. Know where the story is going. Know how it ends, before you begin. The story is a funnel that leads inexorably to the ending. Every word contributes. Nothing is wasted. Nothing is spurious or extraneous. At no point are you at sea, the author waiting for a plot to present itself. YOU are in command. The story is YOURS.

When you've finished a hundred short stories, then try a novel. Only then will you be ready. Only then will you know what a novel is. I can tell you what a novel is, but you won't understand it, without walking the path.

What is a novel? A short story. Only bigger.

Doesn't seem sufficient, does it. Yeah. Because you haven't walked the path, yet.

 

[WineImmortal]

The story is a funnel that leads inexorably to the ending. Every word contributes. Nothing is wasted. Nothing is spurious or extraneous.

Well said. This reminded me of a previous post on the forum... something about the end and the journey.

This fits accurately in the thread. You made realise that ending is the more important cog of a story... not to say the journey is anyless important though

 

[Eldoria]

If I were in your shoes, I would STOP MY WRITING STYLE, rewrite my chapters, and continue the latest chapter with a new writing style. I would not betray the integrity of the work, the readers, and the growth of the writer's skills. No work is perfect from the start.

 

[Rosica]

If I were in your shoes, I would STOP MY WRITING STYLE, rewrite my chapters, and continue the latest chapter with a new writing style. I would not betray the integrity of the work, the readers, or the growth of the writer's skills. No work is perfect from the start.

It's possible for a work to be perfect from the start. The cost is that since it's already perfect, it will no longer have any rooms to improve. Perfection is a dead end.

 

[Eldoria]

It's possible for a work to be perfect from the start. The cost is that since it's already perfect, it will no longer have any rooms to improve. Perfection is a dead end.

The fact that the editing stage exists inherently proves that the work wasn't originally written perfectly. It requires numerous edits, whether it's storytelling, story content, and language. If an author can write perfectly from the first draft, without typos, plot holes, info dumps, etc; they are truly a creative writing sage.

 

[Rosica]

The fact that the editing stage exists inherently proves that the work wasn't originally written perfectly. It requires numerous edits, whether it's storytelling, story content, and language. If an author can write perfectly from the first draft, without typos, plot holes, info dumps, etc; they are truly a creative writing sage.

Creative writing is like this too. Keep looking for imperfection and you will never reach perfection. It's a state of mind.

The caveman decide his work is perfect. Therefore, it's perfect. It's up to the others to convince him otherwise.

 

[Dawnathon]

"Kill your baby" is common advice for a lot of reasons. You're just keeping yourself rooted to what you already have. It's not always a bad thing, but don't be afraid to wrap things up and move on. I've had to give up two stories of over a million words before. It's never fun, but sometimes you really do just need to let go and start something new. A painter isn't going to spend their whole life with just one canvas, after all.

 

[Rosica]

"Kill your baby" is common advice for a lot of reasons.

Is killing your baby murder or abortion?

 

[TinaMigarlo]

Is killing your baby murder or abortion?

depends. it could be a mercy killing.

 

[JKKnotts]

If I am understanding this correctly, I take you're on draft 0. You haven't even finished the story?

It takes about draft 2-3 to get it to good enough to publish. If you're exhausted by the story you're working on now, put it on the back burner and have a second smaller project to get out of how you think about that story. A smaller project like short stories not connected to that one. Eventually finish it up, then look at what you can rewrite.

Hell, I post draft 0 of my story for fun, garner some attention, maybe some free feedback. What I write is objectively bad because it's draft 0.

I even gave a quick look at chapter 0 (would be called prologue) and chapter 1. The feedback, if you want it:

The chapters are incredibly short, especially if you consider like full book publishing. If it's only meant to be a web serial, it's fine, but for my own personal tastes it's too short. There's not enough sentence variations; it's dry and repetitive, far too short, there's not much of a sense of tone or interiority. Very underwritten, leaning into Middle school level to YA.

Chapter 1 starting paragraph is more like a prologue, then immediately it's four years ago? If you skip the prologue, it makes no sense. And it makes no sense since you're... starting where the prologue is, then back four years? The prologue and chapter 1 should be swapped. The prologue when he runs away and the circumstances around it. Then chapter 1 is his return.

There should also be more of a connection with the guards and him. One of them worked there for twenty years and recognises him. There should be a stronger sense that whatever happened in that time made him change that the guard struggles to identify him. Kin should say his name first, and lead the others to question who he is until they put two and two together.

If the room hadn't been touched to the point the servants haven't even changed the sheets... there should be a layer of dust.

A lot of paragraphs are just one line, and should be fused. You could also fuse chapters and be fine at ~1.4k, which is a bit more reasonable.

A big structural change is changing from 3rd to 1st person. It's not a popular choice, sure, but this story is going to be better in 1st person. He feels incredible emotion, anger, and it's revenge; the reader should be limited to that POV than a more objective one. Everything should be coloured from his perspective, his very home.

Chapters end on a nice bow. To keep engagement and interest, you need a hook to get them interested in what's happening next.


Keep in mind, you can always go back and improve upon things. If you need a break, take it. I've been burning myself out trying to write really well repeatedly day after day. Keep any opinions and feedback in a nifty little document for later when you're ready to edit.

Find a buddy to trade stories with and have them look over it, look over someone else's projects. Read. Read a lot of stories, professional ones. If you're short on cash, go to your local public library... and there are places to get free books online ;)

 

[WriterTrek]

Hi everyone,

I’ve recently reached a turning point in my journey as a writer. After publishing 78 chapters of my first novel, "The Prince's Rise from the Shadows," and receiving valuable (and blunt) feedback from several critics and experienced authors, I’ve realized something important.

My story has "structural gaps." While the world-building is there, the foundation—the pacing, the over-descriptive style, and the early hooks—needs a professional level of refinement that simple editing can't fix. Even though I’ve managed to make the hooks much stronger in the middle chapters, the core issue remains with the beginning.

So, I’ve made a tough choice: I’m going to stop this work.

I won't delete it, as it represents my first steps and a huge learning curve for me. Instead, I’m going to dedicate my time to studying the "craft" of storytelling—focusing on pacing, better character dialogue, and more natural narration. I want my next project to be something that truly meets global professional standards.

I’d love to hear your thoughts:

1. For those who went through this, did you "reboot" the same story later, or did you start something completely fresh?
2. Is it better to keep practicing on a "flawed" story—considering that a weak start fails to attract readers, meaning I don't get enough feedback to improve—or is a "hard reset" the right way to grow?

I’m looking forward to your advice!

I'd say do something fresh. If you still want to come back to your original story and revise it, do it after you've written another 2-3 stories and have improved your craft. Chances are that either your idea for your first story will have changed a lot by then or you will have moved on. Don't let it become a stone around your neck.