RANT-Don't rewrite your story that has already progressed too far ?

[DaelyxLenAuphydas]

Rewrites are a fundamental part of writing imo. The only way for me to find out what kind of crippling issues I'll run into with a story is to just try to write it, run into those crippling issues, and then have to go back to the start to rewrite it. I think all but one of my stories has needed a rewrite at least once, one needed it twice. I havent quit any of those stories, rather I just view starting to write it and then having to rewrite it at some point as just part of the writing process.

See me, I can't write something if I feel awful about it. I just can't. If something doesnt make sense to me, then I can't just keep going. I can try, but every single time I start writing on it I'll get mega writers block that'll only get worse the more I go on. Some people say 'finish the whole thing first'. Well, I dont really write stories that way; my stories won't be 'finished' in the forseeable future, and if I had to wait decades before I could have the luxury of feeling okay about what I'm writing, then I would never be able to live with that. That might make sense if you're one of those super crazy fast writers but I'm not, a few hundred words in a day is what I can manage.

Besides of which, the rewriting process often changes the trajectory of the story substantially. Going all the way to some arbitrary 'end point', even if it didnt feel like cutting my soul in twain, wouldnt even accomplish anything since the further it went on from the part I started having trouble with the less relevant it would be.

I'm fairly certain I would be fundamentally incapable of writing without rewrites.

 

[l8rose]

As I am a pantser and someone who is in the semi-hiatus of a rewriting something phase, I'll put my two cents here.

For a few years now, when I have time, I've been working on rewriting one of the first fanfictions I wrote and shared online. I have multiple reasons why I wanted to rewrite. Mostly, it's because my writing has improved (imagine me being worse at grammar than I am now, terrifying, I know), but it's also because I'm not in the same headspace I was in when I started it. I'm literally no longer the same person who started writing that tragic love story (I mean, I've gotten married and had kids since I started writing it), and some parts just make me wince. Even by the time I finished writing it, I didn't enjoy writing the ending as it was just damn depressing and, like I said, I was no longer in that headspace. I never uploaded the final chapters because even rereading for editing made me feel terrible.

The other thing is, I don't write for other people. I write for myself and then share what I've written because it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy knowing other people enjoy my cracked-out ideas. So, rewriting is simply me adding the elements that make more sense and fleshing out chapters, rather than just stating things like "He walked." Nothing has really changed with the trajectory or ending of the story; every reader knew how it was going to end because the beginning reveals the sort-of lobotomized main character before jumping back into the past to tell how it all happened. Sure, I could just add the expanded writing in, but it doesn't feel right to do that. I don't enjoy reading stories where a new chapter tells me I have to go reread older chapters, so I don't do that to others.

I don't intend on editing the original or deleting it from online; the rewrite will be its own separate thing once I finish everything else I need to do. It's still there in its early 2010s glory (god, it's been a while since I started writing fanfiction).



On the other side, as a reader, I do get frustrated when a story is paused for rewriting, but it's a minor thing imo. As someone who has had a rollercoaster few years (when they say the hits start coming and they don't stop coming, they really aren't kidding), I understand how writers sometimes just need a break. Whether it's a few weeks or a few years. Rewrites make sense to me, especially if someone is writing something over a few years and returns to the story after a break. Honestly, I'd prefer the rewrite to a writer accidentally retconning something they said earlier. I suppose that's just personal preference though.

I mean... my favorite rewrite is always going to be Stephen King's The Stand. The version that most people read is the one that his publishers made him edit and rewrite the original down into because the original was just too much. It's significantly longer and explains what happens to a lot more people. Basically, how the rest of the world went to shit while the main characters built their safe haven. The original is a brutal read because it's honestly like watching paint dry.




And sorry for the word vomit, been awake since 1 am and apparently there is still some blood left in my caffeine system.

 

[Lysander_Works]

The only part of this I can really agree with, is be careful with how much time everyone has left in the world. Sometimes it's less than what we think.

 

[Zagaroth]

I do firmly sit in the camp that you should finish the story before you rewrite it. You *should* be improving as an author constantly through experience. If 300 chapters was enough that you felt the early stuff was so bad you *need* to rewrite it, in another 300 chapters of rewriting, you'll feel the same way about it again, at least in theory. It's better to conclude the story, then do a full rewrite.

I think another argument that is valid is that by rewriting before you reach the final stages of your book, you're also not practicing your ending portion, one of the more critical parts of a book. If you wait until the end, you know the end, which means you can begin sprinkling in all the foreshadowing that you want into the opening parts. A novel makes sense in all of it's context. If you start rewriting before the end, you'll end up rewriting a third time because of that.

Alternatively, you can do a partial re-write while continuing the story, if there are just a few things that really need fixing.

I edited my chapters 1-6, yanked out 7 and replaced it with a better idea that I could connect to other things, rewrote 8 to match the changes I had done previously and to match so deeper thinking I had done, and now I am in the flow of gradually editing all chapters to match any discontinuities from the changes. While continuing to put out new chapters.

It's not fast, but it gets us there with out stopping the forward progress.

 

[Cookiez_N_Potionz]

Im guilty of doing this once.

 

[Anonjohn20]

I hate it when author waste their time rewriting their story, especially if the story has progressed too far rewriting and will take too much time. For those kind kinda of author I want to politely ask, WTF is wrong with you?

Like, here I am reading a very nice webnovel for few days managing to finish most of the released content (~300 chapter) and this headless author decided to rewrite his story because he didn't like some of the starting stuff after he re-read his own webnovel.

I don't care if you don't like that the protagonist seemed a bit sexist for opening the door for a girl, I don't care if all the main characters are white and I sure as hell don't care if that bartender died for the sake of dying. I don't even f*cking remember a shit about how the protagonist and his aunt has risque moments.

And what the heck do you mean by the pacing being wacky and unnecessary pov shifts, you are already deep in the story and now you remember, to better your pacing, for the love of your made-up god continue the story and the implement changes their rather than holding your story and your readers hostage.

Huuuuuuuuu*

Okay, that was a lot of words. On the other note, I love reading story i genuinely do and I have read stories with worse grammar and punctuation you can imagine so please be kind to this world and don't do things like this. Please ? ?

The thing about reading free web novels is that anyone can do it. So many people who can't do it well will try. You are better off buying published books if you need completed stories. The last book I bought was the "Dune" franchise.

 

[Wenlock]

I am not against rewriting at all (I did it myself) but doing it after 300 chapters??? I understand the rant