Two months of 2017 have waved goodbye to us. Looks
like this year is in a tearing hurry to be a blip in our lifetime. It's time for another IWSG (Insecure Writers Support
Group) an online group of writers posting on the first Wednesday of every
month. IWSG posts give us a chance to discuss all aspects of writing which we
are unable to discuss with non-writers. It’s a relief to discuss the worries,
anxieties, fears and insecurities which haunt our writing space. Other writers
who have undergone these feelings and overcome them help out with their advice
and tips. Check out the IWSG website for amazing writing
tips. To read the other IWSG posts, click here.
If we mention IWSG, can Ninja Captain Alex J Cavanaugh (author
of the Amazon Bestsellers: CassaStar, CassaStorm, CassaFire and Dragon of the
Stars) be far behind. This wonderful group is his brainchild. A4 (Amazing, Adorable
and Awesome Alex) has ensured that we writers retain our sanity by giving us a
chance to let off all our writing steam (stress, doubts and worries) in a
healthy way through these posts.
March 1 IWSG Question: Have you ever pulled out a
really old story and reworked it? Did it work out?
Yes, I have pulled out a couple of old stories and
reworked them. But to be honest, I lost interest midway while revising one old
story and had absolutely no interest while tackling the revisions for the
second story. I thought I was wasting my time, I felt it would be better if I
spend that time working on a new story. I also felt that both the stories
sucked and they were full of cliches and the writing was so crappy that I wanted to hide myself in that dusty drawer out of embarrassment.
I am eager to read all your posts to see how you all
tackled your older stories which were gathering dust in drawers.
Recognizing when something doesn't work is so important and a great skill to have/to learn. Some things belong in that dusty drawer - but not you! :)
ReplyDeleteBut like all writing, they were good practice. Maybe third time will be the charm.
ReplyDeleteMy wife is going to laugh herself silly at the adorable part... But thank you.
When I start rewriting my old story I plan to not read through it. I'm just reusing the setting, plot, etc. Because I think if I reread it first, I will be horrified:)
ReplyDeleteAt least you know reworking those stories won't help and you can completely discard them.
ReplyDeleteSometimes starting fresh is the only way to go. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from elements of emaginette
Sometimes stories don't work. Diane is right. At least you gave them a second chance. But I'd still keep them...just in case. ;)
ReplyDeleteGosh! I'm right there with you! Better to give the old stories a shot and figure out if they need to go back in the drawer than keep wondering that big 'what if'?
ReplyDeleteI have old stories that recapture my attention and I want to rewrite them (usually from scratch) or revise them. Then, there are those other old ones that make me cringe. I get what you mean about those kind.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to know when something won't work no matter what you do too.
ReplyDeleteIt's all about the rewrite, over and over and over...but after all that, I went back to version 3 of my favorite manuscript, written 2007-2008, fixed it, and it will be published by Five Star's Frontier Fiction line in November. It never hurts to give a favorite story another chance.
ReplyDeleteSo many older stories I'd like to tackle again, but the trick is making them new and fresh for both the author and reader.
ReplyDeleteI once took a 1,500-word adventure story and turned it into a 3,000-word fantasy story, but it was only two or three years old at the time, and I had worked on it in much smaller ways up until I made the big rewrite.
ReplyDeleteThis year is already flying by. Sometimes stories aren't ready to be rewritten. It's a good thing to see how far you've come as a writer when you do go back to old stories. Our best story should always be ahead of us. :)
ReplyDeleteEven though they are awful to you now, those stories were inspiration in their time, and got you on the journey to where you are now. I say they earned their place in your heart.
ReplyDeleteI'm constantly leaving work, then months later picking it back up; which is time consuming as I have to read the whole draft again to get back into the story! Thank you. Love love, Andrew. Bye.
ReplyDelete