The awesome co-hosts for the August 2 posting of the IWSG are Kate Larkinsdale,Diane Burton, Janet Alcorn, and Shannon Lawrence!
August 2 question: Have you ever written something that afterwards you felt conflicted about? If so, did you let it stay how it was, take it out, or rewrite it?
Easy answer: All the freakin’ time. I worry about the last few words, the last sentence, the last paragraph, the last chapter. Is the story going where I want it to go? Am I setting the right tone? Staying true to my characters?
But I suspect the question is referring to an entire story. The answer is still yes. I’ve written total books that are filed away because I don’t believe they are good enough. If they don’t meet my standards, I won’t foist them off on my readers.
For example, I’ve tried to write romance. Just can’t do it.. At least, I’m not meeting the expectations of the genre. I can’t write the deep emotions that readers anticipate. Give me action/adventure, mixed with a touch of romance, and I’m in my element.
I’ve handled those failed attempts in several ways. I have set some aside. Sometimes I take elements of the stories to reuse in a whole new work. I am currently working on a remake of a manuscript I set aside over a decade ago. As I set to work, I realized the new story was more of a tribute to the original, rather than a rewrite. I’ve shed some of the major plot points from the first version while strengthening others. (The working title is The Edwards Agency. )
I don’t consider any of those set-aside books as failures. I see them as learning experiences. Each one has improved my writing skills.
To see how other authors feel about the question, check out a few of the links below.