Rewrites

I have been working on a story for only a month and I've already done a complete overhaul once. It was much improved, but now I find it's really boring.

I'm thinking of combining it with another story idea I've had, but that means I have to rewrite the setting, some of the character's backgrounds, their age, the plot, and really everything. I also find that the first-person view that I thought would be great in the beginning is holding me back. I'm going to have to completely rewrite 17 pages' worth of content. It'll be worth it, but... yeech.

Anyone else struggling with a story that should theoretically be great but somehow just keeps turning to crap? Or just wants to give me a sympathetic virtual hug? I could use it.

*hugs*

I'm sure your story will feel the benefit once you're done with it :]

Yeah. It's called FREAK. I had to rewrite it several times already and the ending is mediocre, so I'm going to have to have surgery on it. Sadness.

And yes... SIX FRIGGIN' YEARS AND IT'S NOT PUBLISHED YET. $%^#$$&#%^!!!!!

Snoink wrote:Yeah. It's called FREAK. I had to rewrite it several times already and the ending is mediocre, so I'm going to have to have surgery on it. Sadness.

And yes... SIX FRIGGIN' YEARS AND IT'S NOT PUBLISHED YET. $%^#$$&#%^!!!!!

I had one like that (worked on it for four years, rewrote it about fifty times), only the ending was fine, in fact, masterful and poetic. It was everything leading up to it that was the problem. I've let it go, because it is screwed up beyond repair. Maybe someday I'll use the ending for some other thing. *Shrugs.*

Denouement wrote:*hugs*

I'm sure your story will feel the benefit once you're done with it :]

*Hugs back*
Thank you!

Don't worry, just keep going and I'm sure everything will turn out fine. Claire and me had a few problems with our story because we wanted it to be based on facts and her ex pointed out a few impossible scientific theories that we'd based the whole novel on. We had the choice of re-write a little, re-write a lot or ignore him and avoid all physics students in future. Lol. We re-wrote the prologue and managed to make the rest work.

Anyway, have a hug from me and keep smiling. You too Snoink, you're both great writers and I'm sure you'll be acknowledged in the not-so-distant future.

kitty15 wrote:Don't worry, just keep going and I'm sure everything will turn out fine. Claire and me had a few problems with our story because we wanted it to be based on facts and her ex pointed out a few impossible scientific theories that we'd based the whole novel on. We had the choice of re-write a little, re-write a lot or ignore him and avoid all physics students in future. Lol. We re-wrote the prologue and managed to make the rest work.

Anyway, have a hug from me and keep smiling. You too Snoink, you're both great writers and I'm sure you'll be acknowledged in the not-so-distant future.

Aww, thanks.

First of all, a big virtual hug! ^_^

Second of all, can you identify what specifically in your story is boring? Is it the characters or the plot, specifically? ("everything" is not an answer, btw ^_^)

AmeliaOliver wrote:First of all, a big virtual hug! ^_^

Second of all, can you identify what specifically in your story is boring? Is it the characters or the plot, specifically? ("everything" is not an answer, btw ^_^)

T'ank you!

It's the plot. My characters are awesome, they're just bouncing around doing nothing. Or rather, the same thing every day. Meh.

So at this point, it's more a chronicle of the everyday? This could be fun because there's so many possibilities for it. One way I've heard of is to imagine the worst thing that could happen to a character (not even the main one, necessarily) and see where it takes you from there.

Is this story on YWS?

AmeliaOliver wrote:Is this story on YWS?

HELL no... I'm not ready to put it up anywhere yet. I mean, I'm still getting to know the characters. (We're acquainted, but not good friends quite yet.)

sanguine_dreams wrote:

AmeliaOliver wrote:Is this story on YWS?

We're acquainted, but not good friends quite yet.

hehe

I often wonder how sitcom writers make stuff like this work. They write about the everyday, yet people tune in every week to see what'll happen next. Maybe think how you can make something everyday into something special, one day at a time.

AmeliaOliver wrote:

sanguine_dreams wrote:

AmeliaOliver wrote:Is this story on YWS?

We're acquainted, but not good friends quite yet.

hehe

I often wonder how sitcom writers make stuff like this work. They write about the everyday, yet people tune in every week to see what'll happen next. Maybe think how you can make something everyday into something special, one day at a time.

Well, I was thinking of "cheating" and adding a zombie subplot. Yes, I said subplot. The main storyline is the friendship/romance between two girls that didn't know they had anything in common. I don't normally write romance, but when you make your characters as stubborn as mine, they tend to take things into their own hands.

[quote="sanguine_dreams]when you make your characters as stubborn as mine, they tend to take things into their own hands.[/quote]

And there you have the possibility of a story. Have you outlined? That often helps with direction (unless you're like me) ^_^

AmeliaOliver wrote:

sanguine_dreams wrote:when you make your characters as stubborn as mine, they tend to take things into their own hands.

And there you have the possibility of a story. Have you outlined? That often helps with direction (unless you're like me) ^_^

I do suckful outlines, honestly. Heh. But I have a great idea for the zombie thing. Instead of the military thing that's usually done, I'll have a gifted college student accidentally discover a way to bring back the dead... but there are *AHEM* side effects. The idea is to make it sort of a campy contemporary sci-fi/fantasy thing, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the like. And since what I've mostly done with the existing story is explore the characters' backgrounds, I'll already have some well-fleshed characters ready to go. Sweet.