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foolish_m0rtalDon't be afraid to scrap your story
Yeah. I know. Here's a tissue.
There are times you know a story is dead. It's going nowhere. You've put a lot of effort and thought into it only to realise it's never going to be realised. Don't be afraid to scrap it. Don't put it up on the interwebs just because you've put a lot of effort into it. A number of things can happen. You will either hate that story forever and be constantly reminded of it. This will bleed through into your writing, and other people will realise that you weren't a hundred percent with the story. You may realise you liked some parts of the story that could have been recycled later but oops, too late. I know people who have hung onto their stories for so long that it's like a chore or a millstone now, and you should never feel like that. I usually don't do things without a great deal of thought, so most of my stories usually turn out fine, but I know when I'm beating a dead horse.
I have several documents for fandoms that are just scrap piles, pieces of things I'm thinking about but not sure how to shape yet, pieces of fic I had to take apart even though I loved it. I have scrapped three Endgame stories, and I am currently in the process of taking the scraps from them and integrating them into another story. These things happen.
I for one am horribly afraid of the way I represent myself on the internet, where you can make a bad impression very quickly. (Great, now I've got you paranoid.) One of the most powerful ways I think you can express who you are is through your stories. Let your stories represent who you are, and let your fics lie. Take them out back, shoot them yourself, and throw it in the scrap pile.
(Back to main advice page)
Yeah. I know. Here's a tissue.
There are times you know a story is dead. It's going nowhere. You've put a lot of effort and thought into it only to realise it's never going to be realised. Don't be afraid to scrap it. Don't put it up on the interwebs just because you've put a lot of effort into it. A number of things can happen. You will either hate that story forever and be constantly reminded of it. This will bleed through into your writing, and other people will realise that you weren't a hundred percent with the story. You may realise you liked some parts of the story that could have been recycled later but oops, too late. I know people who have hung onto their stories for so long that it's like a chore or a millstone now, and you should never feel like that. I usually don't do things without a great deal of thought, so most of my stories usually turn out fine, but I know when I'm beating a dead horse.
I have several documents for fandoms that are just scrap piles, pieces of things I'm thinking about but not sure how to shape yet, pieces of fic I had to take apart even though I loved it. I have scrapped three Endgame stories, and I am currently in the process of taking the scraps from them and integrating them into another story. These things happen.
I for one am horribly afraid of the way I represent myself on the internet, where you can make a bad impression very quickly. (Great, now I've got you paranoid.) One of the most powerful ways I think you can express who you are is through your stories. Let your stories represent who you are, and let your fics lie. Take them out back, shoot them yourself, and throw it in the scrap pile.
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no subject
Date: 2011-06-26 04:32 pm (UTC)There was one fic I had that was high concept and it just wouldn't. fucking. work. I think I pounded at it for about a year and it was just wrong wrong wrong, but I was so pissed because I really loved the idea and I love what it COULD be, but none of that was on the page. Everything was clunky. I scrapped it. Then I just completely redid it. Mined a lot from the old fic, but most of the content was new, and it ended up being one of my fave fics ever.