Would you throw it away?

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Dest_Robinson
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Re: Would you throw it away?

Post by Dest_Robinson »

I'm a big fan of not editing as you write. I've had plenty of issues where I go, this really shouldn't be here, and I'll just stop the chapter with a little note. That's the great thing about handwriting your first draft, though. It keeps you from that urge to just backspace on all of it. On the other hand, however, I'm not afraid to dump whole chapters when I'm editing, especially if I feel like they are serving the purpose I wanted them to, or if my story needs to change direction.
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Post by Ursula_Minor »

I don't ever expect that my rough work will reflect the "special quality" (it really is hard to pinpoint!) that I prefer my finished work to have. My process is to edit, but editing also sometimes becomes rewriting. If I'm especially stuck, I'll re-read what I've got, and try to write it out again by memory. Inevitably it comes out changed, and usually for the better (but, of course, not always). I tend to agree with @dest_robinson about editing as you write: the end results are often better if you can manage to keep from self-censoring.
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Post by StoneGargoyle »

I recycle characters, concepts and even genres constantly, all from previous works of mine that weren't good enough for one reason or another. In a sense, the stuff I write is never "discarded" (not the good stuff at least), but instead, "evolves".

As for editing, I tend to write VERY crappy, unedited first drafts and edit my second, third, etc VERY thoroughly.

That's just me though. Everyone works differently.
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Post by DarkestbeforeDawn »

I never delete anything. Because I feel that everything I write has a spark of something that can be remodeled and refashioned. Even if it is dead on arrival, I will keep every piece of work that I generate. Just a habit of mine, I suppose.
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Post by MyBrokeCollegeLife »

I will often print it out and put it in a binder and then backspace it. This way I have access to it should I want to use some of the concepts in an area where it can better come to life or at least so I feel less like I am wasting my time.
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Post by Barbarasko »

I may place it aside for later. consider all the authors World Health Organization nearly threw away their works, or did, and somebody found them and that they became identified for those works. writer King and Carrie.
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Post by Kaywra »

Never. I'd put it in a special folder and tuck it away for another time. I recently came upon old stories I started writing but never finished. Instead of just tossing them I gave them to my sister to read. She loved them and actually begged to finish them for me. So because I had hit a road block with those particular ones, I gave them to her to finish.
Typically I go back and reread what I've written in the past and try to harvest really good lines, plots, characters, etc and use them in different and fresher stories.
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Post by KatherineEWall »

I always suggest never throwing anything away. If it is on a computer, make a folder for miscreant writing pieces. You never know when a sentence, a paragraph, or even the whole piece will spark another idea, or find its way (revised, of course) into another work.
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Post by katiesquilts »

StoneGargoyle wrote:I recycle characters, concepts and even genres constantly, all from previous works of mine that weren't good enough for one reason or another. In a sense, the stuff I write is never "discarded" (not the good stuff at least), but instead, "evolves".

As for editing, I tend to write VERY crappy, unedited first drafts and edit my second, third, etc VERY thoroughly.

That's just me though. Everyone works differently.
This is a great way to describe the process!

I also feel like I need to write everything down first before I start editing, but I need to into the practice of writing more than just two drafts. I lack the ability to fine-tune, I guess. :eusa-think:
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Post by bookreviewer2016 »

I don't throw away my writing. I cut the bad parts and put them in a separate document called "deleted scenes." There may be a way to alter them for a future piece. Plus, I just have a hard time saying goodbye to anything, especially something I worked hard on.
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Post by Amagine »

I never throw away anything that I write simply because I'm someone who gets easily attached to things. Even if I wrote something that I know is complete garbage, I just add it to my reject pile and keep it forever. My reject pile is massive btw lol
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Post by Sushan Ekanayake »

I prefer to keep a backup because feeling a part of story is lacking is time dependent for me. Later I may feel like it is awesome
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Post by clint_csperry-org »

These I put aside. I will find a day when I have nothing going and go back through them and see if there is something worth salvaging. Computer storage is cheap nowadays so I rarely throw anything away. I did that once on a novel, tossed the whole thing into the garbage. I have regretted it so many times since. There was a good story there. I suppose I could rewrite a good portion of it from memory, but I've other projects for now.
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Post by Petra1791 »

Writers are their own worst critic. I remember reading about Stephen King who threw his book, Christine in the trash. Thank goodness his wife found it and sent it to the publisher. I loved that book and the movie as well.
So if I spent time writing a chapter or even just a scene of my book and then think it isn't any good, I will put it in a folder and keep it to look at later. When the book is finished, then I will get rid of the reject folder.
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Post by Inkroverts »

I delete those I really think should go. If I believe a part can be used later, I'd open a separate file so I can go back for them later.
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