Advice needed for tackling old WIPs
Jun. 21st, 2014 03:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
graychalk posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
write_awayHiya fellow writers! I'm looking for some thoughts / advice / suggestions regarding something I feel rather conflicted about (in that I keep swaying back and forth between what to do), and I'd really appreciate any opinion you may have on this.
Basically, I'm digging up a WIP from about 10 years ago as it's my intention to go back and hopefully finish the darn thing. In terms of where it was left off story-wise, I'd say it's roughly around midpoint. But what I have so far was also written so long ago that it not only has large areas that need major fixing, a character I'm likely taking out, another character I might insert, and several scenes I know are missing... but the tone and style has also evolved. Some of these changes require complete rewrites of certain chapters, others not as drastic.
So... the question I keep bouncing back and forth in my head is this:
Since it's been so long, would it be better for me to just start fresh and write the entire thing from the beginning again? Or would I be better off continuing the story and then coming back and heavily comb through and fix the first half?
I feel like the second option would be the "smarter" choice (however hard it might be for me psychologically because I know myself and I'd keep thinking about all those things I wanted/needed to do about the first half). I'd have to try to find a way for it to not distract me. On the other hand, while the first option of starting the whole draft fresh from the beginning sounds very appealing, I'm almost afraid that that way is a rabbit hole where I end up having a WIP that will never finish. What do you all do when you return to work on very old unfinished drafts?
Help? :\
Basically, I'm digging up a WIP from about 10 years ago as it's my intention to go back and hopefully finish the darn thing. In terms of where it was left off story-wise, I'd say it's roughly around midpoint. But what I have so far was also written so long ago that it not only has large areas that need major fixing, a character I'm likely taking out, another character I might insert, and several scenes I know are missing... but the tone and style has also evolved. Some of these changes require complete rewrites of certain chapters, others not as drastic.
So... the question I keep bouncing back and forth in my head is this:
Since it's been so long, would it be better for me to just start fresh and write the entire thing from the beginning again? Or would I be better off continuing the story and then coming back and heavily comb through and fix the first half?
I feel like the second option would be the "smarter" choice (however hard it might be for me psychologically because I know myself and I'd keep thinking about all those things I wanted/needed to do about the first half). I'd have to try to find a way for it to not distract me. On the other hand, while the first option of starting the whole draft fresh from the beginning sounds very appealing, I'm almost afraid that that way is a rabbit hole where I end up having a WIP that will never finish. What do you all do when you return to work on very old unfinished drafts?
Help? :\
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Date: 2014-06-20 11:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-06-20 11:52 pm (UTC)