Should I invest effort in editting an older story?

[DaelyxLenAuphydas]

So for context. Immaculate was my first story that really, like, actually got to the point. I've had earlier stories before it and those were perfectly solid in my opinion but, none of them quite reached the apex of the plot. Now, I've been posting immaculate for quite some time now, bit by bit. It has a few readers, not a huge number but some.

Now here's the thing. I've gotten... Much better at writing since I started Immaculate. Much better even since I editted Immaculate. And I tend to be better at editting than writing to begin with. I could probably make it better. The thing is, I'm not sure if I should; part of me thinks that I should just write off the errors as a learning experience and move on with other projects.

But the counterpoint to that is, the stuff posted for immaculate hasn't even reached the apex of the story yet. And further, I might want to write a sequel; while it's been quite a while, the characters are still very near and dear to my heart. And I am deeply proud of some of the later stuff in the story. So the other part of me is kinda thinking that, the rough early sections of the story may dissuade potential readers and kill any real chances of getting an audience with that hypothetical sequel. So I'm not sure.

I think in a perfect world I'd probably have written just a one off story to start with early on, so it would be something I can move on more comfortably from. But since I would like to continue this story, I feel like I'm kind of building on shaky foundations if I dont do something to spruce it up. Especially the transitions early on are rough, I was just looking through it because someone had a critique thread and I thought I'd put it there and I just, I can really see the influence of my older Roleplay-based writing with the way that scenes just kinda peter out.

Well, thats all. Opinions?

 

[Eldoria]

If you have the energy to edit an old story (or early chapters), go for it! Editing old chapters will provide a better reading experience, especially for new readers. The problem is, often the author's energy is sucked into editing and perfecting the early chapters, neglecting the newer ones. As a result, old readers complain and may even abandon the story due to the long hiatus. If you can balance editing (or rewriting) the early chapters and continuing to update the new chapters, that would be great. For the record, I do this too, but it's true that it's not easy. I have to divide my imagination into two different arcs in the early chapters and in the newer chapters. It's very mentally exhausting. I personally can only write 1-2 chapters a day with an average of 1.5k words per chapter. After that, my mind becomes heavy, and the mental fatigue can't be relieved unless I stop writing or sleep. So, I hope you can stay motivated.

 

[DaelyxLenAuphydas]

Ha... I am far slower. One chapter per two weeks, usually between 2 and 4 thousand words. And thats between all of my stories. Editting I do much faster, I editted all of Empire of Mercy in only a week. So thats not too bad. Still, I'm unsure if I should on a principal or not.

 

[MajorKerina]

Do you like the work and want people to see it? That should be the main consideration if it is put the effort in

 

[Alfir]

I learned the hard way that it was most often a waste of time. The always more difficult part of making fiction was probably to make it exist. I find editing the older stories futile, since they won't generate new views and would just sit there. I believe it was better to make a new fiction carrying lessons you gained from older fictions. As a consequence, you might find a lot of unfinished novels in your account, like me. But if you are lucky and really locked into it, you might find your first breakout novel. It's really hard to commit to writing a series. Whether you continue editing or not, godspeed to you and good luck to your writing. We all need it.

 

[VenerableOne]

My current story is something I wrote for myself a long time ago, its very rough around the edges but works as an outline for the story I want to tell now that I am more mature and better at writing and have the free time. You will always feel like you can write it better, I think whats important is your obsession could kill off your next story before it ever exists. The world is not short of authors that stopped writing because of their obsessive perfectionism.

 

[FleecedSheep]

You posted it, stick with it. Serious editing, revisions, or even rewrites rarely work out. Save that for when the story is done. If the story was still on your computer and not in the public that'd be an entirely different matter.

Writing a story can be compared to building a bridge. No matter how many bridges you start, you'll never really learn how to build a bridge until you've actually finished one.

My first story, sucks. I hate it. I wouldn't recommend anyone read it, ever. I'm still happy I posted it, even happier that I finished it, even if I wasn't satisfied with the conclusion. But the lessons I learned from my first story have worked into my writing and are helping me with my new story I'm currently posting. One day, I'd like to go back to my first story and rewrite it, make it my magnum opus, but only after I have more finished stories under my belt.

Honestly, this advice kinda sucks too... but yeah, don't get stuck on the details and just write to completion. It'll help a lot.

 

[sand_spark]

No.

As a reader I say no. The vast majority of time authors try to do this they abandon the effort midway through, this is made way worse by a lot of authors choosing to take the work down entirely as it's rewritten resulting in it just becoming unavailable.

Aside from that in almost all cases the authors are concurrently trying to write new stories that people are actively enjoying and the rewrite/editing takes time away from that.

If you had to choose between getting a sequel to your favorite book or the author going back and rewriting it to spruce it up a bit which would you go with? Because a large percentage of the time that is the choice being made.

 

[LeilaniOtter]

I think this is something you yourself should decide on, and not seek out or be swayed by any opinions.

I hate to use the age-old adage here but, follow your heart. ?

 

[Schemer]

Use AI to do a quick-edit, basically fix the spellings and major grammatical errors. It'll experience better for new readers.
However, old readers don't want any kind of efforts wasted on something they already read.
.
If there is a good amount of new readers comming, then author might give it a thought (quick fix, not more), otherwise it's wasted effort.

 

[Joyager2]

There's always benefit in editing old work. Rewriting is a skill and not only will you get better at it with practice, but it will also improve your drafting. You'll learn very quickly what your strengths and weaknesses are and consider them more when writing something through the first time.

 

[Shorgoth]

It's simple, really. If you're proud of your work and have love for it, I think you should, I did. Even if few will see it, you will. It's also a good way to make your skills better. I do have to warn you about the impact it can have on your writing speed, though. It took me 2 years personally (I'm slow, and it was a complex issue) to rework my style. It's something to consider. Keep in mind, though, I was dealing with other personal issues throughout so it would have been much faster if I was industrious. I virtually lost all the readers I had obtained initially, BUT now that I'm posting it here on scribblehub, I see the difference in the reaction from the public and how fast I'm gathering a readership comparatively, and it's a big difference. It's also an important part of becoming a professional, and not a hobbyist.

 

[DaelyxLenAuphydas]

Oh boy well thats a lot of opinions...
Well, I've met a lot of those types who got obsessively perfectionistic and I can safely say I am not one of them. Based on peoples advice I usually was really hesitant to edit when I started but over time I found that restarting stories and rewriting was a core part of how I handle problems. For me the most efficient means of planning was trial by fire, just start writing and figure out what problems I run into, take it all back to the start and try again. That kinda thing. I just kinda view completely starting over and scrapping most of my work at least once to be a core part of how I write, writing it the second time is always far faster than the first and I don't get tired of my own stories so I don't have that hazard to worry about either.

I've done rewrites for multiple stories and it generally goes well. I dont get caught up on editting for ages because I edit far faster than I write, and I usually finish within a week or two of starting. Unless it's a much bigger rewrite, but I find that trying to just move on and let the problems fester just stalls my feet more and more and I can't keep going. For me at least, looping back and redoing things is the only way I can make it make sense.

I guess I'm more concerned with whether or not I should, not if it would make it better. I'm not planning to rewrite the story, not now; I have other stories I'm working on. Just a clean edit sweep, though it might be a big chunk of edits. I'm confident I can at least make it better, and since I don't have any real trouble with the narrative itself (Just some of the details of the writing) it shouldn't NEED a huge rewrite. I guess I was more concerned about the principal of the matter. Like is it worth expending time and effort on a story which has kinda hit its prime already, and isn't likely to be seen by people? But then again it is the main original story I have and I probably should have some story I can point to and say "This is my original work" if someone wants to read. So. Yeah, I guess I will.

Thanks to everyone who posted.

 

[C.Details]

I consider it future proofing your work. What if down the line you decide to make an official novel of it or a new reader comes in? If anything you're helping new readers and giving anyone that re-reads your work something extra.

I try to edit my story every now and then, adding details or slimming down certain unnecessary parts. But i also log on my account page if i make any updates to existing chapters so my readers are aware of any changes.

 

[lambenttyto]

I believe it was better to make a new fiction carrying lessons you gained from older fictions.

This is basically my stance. However, you can redraft the story and take the key points you like and did well and incorporate them into your new draft. This would mean starting on a blank page, page one, and writing the story again. So this is not editing, it's redrafting. It's creation process, not an editing process.

 

[empalgepuk]

Most edits I've done are around grammar and punctuation corrections. Sometimes I restructure my sentences and paragraphs, sometimes I remove redundant details and patch some plot holes. Nothing too drastic like completely changing plot and stuff.

I'm aware it takes my time, but I can't help it. As long as the reading experience can stay smooth and painless, I'll do anything.

 

[DireBadger]

I would say yes, if only for the practical editing experience.

Then again, I like my stories, so re-reading them is no chore :)