# Revising Posted Stories?



## DragonTalon (Dec 8, 2009)

I have been writing and posting chapters of a story here on FA and when I am writing I often come across a problem.

I might get an idea about a plot or a new character that I want to write, but can't because I would need to write them into earlier chapters.  Or have a better idea for something I all ready wrote and want to do a rewrite of it.

As writers or readers, what do you think about it?  Should stories stay as written or should they change and if so, how to let people who have been reading ti know they need to go back to earlier parts?

For the record I am not going to make major changes to the stuff I have written, but want to know what other think, or have done about it.


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## kitreshawn (Dec 8, 2009)

Change it, but only if it makes the story better.  That said, the fact that you are making changes means that your story probably wasn't really finished to start with.  There is nothing wrong with it, but the fact that you want to make such serious alterations as adding in characters indicates that the story is far from finished.

You will find that you will never be 100% happy with anything you post.  Give it enough time and when you go back to look at it you will see things you would have written/done differently.


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## GraemeLion (Dec 8, 2009)

DragonTalon said:


> I have been writing and posting chapters of a story here on FA and when I am writing I often come across a problem.
> 
> I might get an idea about a plot or a new character that I want to write, but can't because I would need to write them into earlier chapters.  Or have a better idea for something I all ready wrote and want to do a rewrite of it.
> 
> ...



I often write the complete story before posting.  (And I haven't posted to FA.) 

It's far worse when you write into a corner and discover that you can't end the story than just taking the extra time to do the work.


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## SSJ3Mewtwo (Dec 8, 2009)

Digitally written words are not words chiseled into granite.  If you come up with a concept that you feel enhances the story and makes the writing better then by all means go back and redo what you feel should be redone.  

Do not think that because a story is 'submitted' ever means that it is 'done.'  Many, many, many professional writers with published works will redo things and have the changes released in new publications.


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## PheonixStar (Dec 8, 2009)

This is the challenge of post-as-you-write works in progress. I make a practice of not doing that (meaning revise WIP works-- I do post WIP works), myself. Mostly out of courtesy to the 'fans' or the reader base.

The fact is, not every good idea we have gets to see the light of day. It's one of the harder parts of being any kind of an artist. Letting an idea die is a painful experience, only understood by other artists or writers.

I will allow the story to develop dynamically as I write, but if I've already put the story out to my readers, I work hard to not go back and change things. The rare times that I have, I have made it totally clear that I did so-- and they were small changes.

But you'll get different answers from different people. 

For me, there are two priorities for me:

1. Honoring the story.
2. Honoring the readership.

Most of the time, I have a story line in mind when I write, but I allow the story to live, breathe, and alter as it sees fit. However, I expect the story to "understand" in a manner of speaking, that the readers also are a priority.

So if I come along with 4 main characters, then I decide that I'd like to have this other super cool character come in about 8 chapters ago... I just politely tell the new character that he'll have to wait for another story, give me his own personal story... or shove off.

Because the readers get the story in their minds. They get to thinking certain ways about your characters. They read the story and they remember it in that way. When you change it on them, it creates confusion. They have to reconcile what they read new with what they first read and have most ingrained in their minds.

So that's why I don't do it. Because while my new ideas might be FANTASTIC, I've already committed my readers to a certain course. 

I think that once in a while, with a story here and there, it might be okay. But I think that if you make a habit of it, you'll lose a fair number of your dedicated readers. Humans in general aren't big fans of change. Some will even resist positive change only because... it's change.

So yeah. I wouldn't do it more often than extremely rarely, and never in a big way. 

But again, you'll find all kinds of different answers.

If you think this is something that you'll run into often, I would caution you to write, finish, and then post. In that order.  What you can do rarely can create irritation if it's a common occurance.


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## M. LeRenard (Dec 8, 2009)

What I'm going to do with my somewhat serialized novel I've been posting here is to just finish it as is, then some day go back and edit things.  Once it's edited, I'll post the new version as a separate file.  That way there will be both versions available.  As long as one is clearly marked as a rough draft, people will get the idea, and it might even be kind of amusing for them to go through and see what all you fixed in revision.
But either way, I think you should finish the draft you're on before making any significant changes.  The only reason I'd want to make changes in the middle of a draft would be if I found a particularly egregious error that was somehow keeping me from progressing the plot in the direction I wanted it to go.  If you did it for that reason, I'm sure your fans would understand.


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## Xipoid (Dec 9, 2009)

I tend to only post things when I feel (at the time) it is finished enough to show to another person without fear of ridicule or I realize I will never continue work on that piece ever again and perhaps it would be best to let it see the light of day. This consideration usually takes a good deal of time, thus it is rare for me to post something that I do not consider "done enough".


I don't really think it matters either way though. You can pull things down and repost an improved version if you like; however, if you find yourself doing this often, perhaps you should wonder if it would be wise to wait a while before posting (both in terms of the story's development and in time) to see if something new rears up.


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## DragonTalon (Dec 10, 2009)

Thanks for all the replies. 

What I realized when reading them is that I will ALWAYS find new things to add or change no matter how long I work on a story.  I could spend years on a chapter and the next day think of something I like better.  

I'm quite happy with what I post, and I like doing it chapter by chapter to get feedback as I write it.  And the handful of people who watch me would murder me if I said it would be a year before the next chapter... ;-)


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## ScottyDM (Dec 10, 2009)

For the new writer getting immediate feedback is invaluable. But it'd probably be best if you were to make a note saying the posted chapter was a first draft and that you welcome feedback.

On the other hand, if you want feedback Fur Affinity is probably not the best website for that. Not the only game on the net, but CritiqueCircle is especially designed for author-to-author discussion and feedback (critiques) of works in progress.


Once you're in the realm where you've got the basics down and you're writing stories to show to people, _when_ you publish becomes a critical question. It also depends on where you fall along the "pantser / planner" spectrum.

A practiced planner has probably worked out storytelling issues in the planning stage, and so could do fairly well by publishing only 2 or 3 chapters behind the first draft. That is, write a first draft according to the plan, then let it set for a few weeks before editing it.

A pantser (seat of the pants writer) would probably need to finish the first draft. Then sit down and take a hard look at what he or she has written. What should be cut? Are the scenes in the right order? Too many characters or too few? After the first pass edit (story restructuring) then the pantser author could put the first chapter into the queue for further editing and eventual Web publication, and have an edit/release schedule similar to the planner.

Neither writing method is superior. We write the way we write.


For the reader it's never about the process, but the final product. Our reputations as writers are based on the final product.

Scotty


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