exhume the body?

[joetrain]

when i decided i was going to be a writer, i wrote a bad novel. i finished it (thinking at the time that it was brilliant), edited it (clumsily), and sent it out. i was then introduced, by way of inundation, to rejection. eventually, a quality san fran editor looked at it. he "passed it around the office" but decided to turn it down. at the time, his reasons for passing seemed too integral to the story to correct it, too much work. i haven't touched it since (4 yrs.) and have been happy writing new stuff and refining my voice.

recently, i've been tempted to lay the body back out on the examination table, but my better judgment tells me to leave it in the ground. i am fine with the idea that it was an educational first novel that is never to be published, but there are some golden scenes, wild story lines and 3-d characters i hate to relinquish to oblivion.

so, if you've got this manuscript that you wouldn't enjoy picking through again, and you know you'd have to rewrite 40-60 percent or more, would you do it, or just keep pressing forward on new work with what you've gleaned?

[reenkam]

If I wouldn't enjoy it, I wouldn't do it. It'd become my personal manuscript to keep for my eyes and my eyes only. Then I'd take those great scenes, characters, whatever and put them into my new work and make that good from the start.

I'd never want my writing to become work. If I wouldn't enjoy it, it's work. And if you wouldn't enjoy it, it probably would turn out that much better because you wouldn't be into it. Best to start with a new project you're really excited for.

[Leigh Walker]

I agree with reenkam, take the characters you love and the scenes that work and use them to write a better story. you may not want or need to try to revive the whole thing, but dont throw the baby out with the bathwater (I hate that saying). I also have a first novel hiding in a box under the bed. mine is going to stay there for sure! It only has one character that I love. she only made a brief appearance in the manuscript but i often think of developing her in her own story.

Now you got me thinking about her...thanks for the post!

Leigh

[Wolvel]

If the old story doesn't call to you I'd let it lie, or salvage what is usable and scrap the rest.
Maybe you could build a whole new story from the good scenes and characters.

[Sean D. Schaffer]

when i decided i was going to be a writer, i wrote a bad novel. i finished it (thinking at the time that it was brilliant), edited it (clumsily), and sent it out. i was then introduced, by way of inundation, to rejection. eventually, a quality san fran editor looked at it. he "passed it around the office" but decided to turn it down. at the time, his reasons for passing seemed too integral to the story to correct it, too much work. i haven't touched it since (4 yrs.) and have been happy writing new stuff and refining my voice.

recently, i've been tempted to lay the body back out on the examination table, but my better judgment tells me to leave it in the ground. i am fine with the idea that it was an educational first novel that is never to be published, but there are some golden scenes, wild story lines and 3-d characters i hate to relinquish to oblivion.

so, if you've got this manuscript that you wouldn't enjoy picking through again, and you know you'd have to rewrite 40-60 percent or more, would you do it, or just keep pressing forward on new work with what you've gleaned?


No, I wouldn't. If I knew I would not enjoy the project, I would not be able to get into the manuscript like I should.

If I knew I might enjoy the project, however, I very well would be thinking about it.

[joetrain]

maybe i'd enjoy it a little, maybe a lot here and there. but i assume i'd spend most of the time being embarrassed with myself.

[joetrain]

it's calling to me in the sense that i know i'll never again write anything like it, and it would be nice to see it all dolled up and at its best. but it's a lot of work that i could spend writing something that'll probably be better in the end.

and because i'm not inclined to write anything like it anymore, stripping it of it's good parts and building a new story from them doesn't appeal to me.

another alternative that's occurred to me is trying to slice the fat from it ruthlessly and see if i have a novella or short novel on my hands, but i don't know if i'd come out this lucky.

[L M Ashton]

I've read about one author who, instead of editing her first draft, will write a second draft completely from scratch on the theory that the first draft is for getting the kinks out. I don't know if that would work for you, but it seems to me to be worth considering.

[arodriguez]

I've read about one author who, instead of editing her first draft, will write a second draft completely from scratch on the theory that the first draft is for getting the kinks out. I don't know if that would work for you, but it seems to me to be worth considering.

Thi is your best idea ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^. go with that.

[amber_grosjean]

I have the same problem with my very first piece. It was originally written when I was 12, lost, haunted by the MC so I rewrote it from memory, still loving the story since day one, edited a zillion times, and resubmitted after already having many rejections from the first round (at that time didn't know what I was doing so it was sent to all the wrong places--I was 12, what can you expect lol). After I was told it was written well, a publisher asked for a few changes. I agreed to them and resubmitted after changes were made. It was turned down.

I still love the story and always think about it--MC is still haunting me lol. With a lot of thinking, I have decided to write only adult stories which means I will be rewriting the whole 65k book, making it more appropriate for my aged readers but clean for younger readers. I think I have found my voice. At the age of 12, this book would have been perfect but with experience and knowledge, my voice has finally made its way out of me lol and has redirected toward a more mature audience. Fine by me lol.

For me, I just enjoy writing so even if I don't like the story, I always try to make it so it is enjoyable. If that means sitting on the story for a while, I do that. I have many unfinished stories that I am dying to get to but new ideas keep running the ship and I obey lol.

Just my 2 cents lol
Amber

[sneakers145]

I'm taking the themes and some experiences of my first novel and set of characters and using those in my current WIP (though new characters, new setting, new plot). While I love the first novel, I can't rewrite it as I have most of it memorized, LOL. So I'm borrowing from it and expanding on it.

[Madison]

I have the same problem right now, actually. I'm considering redoing my 2nd novel - aka tearing it limb from limb into two separate stories. I love all my characters - they have never left me alone - and I would love to return to them. But at the same time, I have so many new ideas! I'm not sure what I'll do, yet. But I think if it keeps hanging over me, and proves it's not just a whim, but a passion, then I'll go for it.

[TrainofThought]

Hey Joe,

You state the question as if you wouldn’t want to revise the ms, yet you still seem attached to scenes, story line and characters. Maybe you should extract the scenes you like and list the characteristics of your characters to see if there is another flight they can take. Otherwise, if you feel it isn't worth the hassle, put it aside until you’re rich and famous and then pull it out again. :D

ToT

[David I]

Sure, I'd do it. In fact, I've done it.

My only tip: be liberal in your use of the scalpel.

[Wraith]

If it still haunts you, it's probably worth a try. Although you're saying that you wouldn't write the same kind of story anymore, so could you still be attached to that one and thus be able to rework it? Anyway, just do what you really want to do - if you're sorry for the poor thing, grab your knife and start chopping (oh my does that sound awful :D). Be prepared for a lot of work though. If you're going to rework it, it'll need as much commitment as any of your current projects.

Otherwise, you have learnt from it, the good characters may help develop your next (even if it's not obvious), so if you can be happy with it there's nothing wrong with leaving it. That's the hard part about first attempts, the golden ideas that often seem irretrievable. But they're not, because you always learn and those ideas help your next ideas to grow, if you notice or not. So do whatever you feel like most, as long as it's fun. :)