March is here and I feel like it is going to be an interesting March. This is my post for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group, where once a month we come together to inspire and be inspired, to vent and share our trials too. Once again, this month’s post is my first time checking in on WordPress. I’m just getting to be terrible with social media.
This month, I’m going to go with the (optional) question of the month again
March 1 Question: Have you ever pulled out a really old story and reworked it? Did it work out?
I keep thinking of the Battlestar Galactica quote: All of This Has Happened Before and It Will Happen Again. If we do not learn from the past, we are doomed to repeat it.
Has anyone else ever heard this advice: Don’t try to unearth and edit things you wrote before. Start over. You’ve changed too much, and it’s too frustrating.
The first story I sold in recent times was, “Do You Believe in Ghosts?” – a short story with a funny history as something I originally wrote as pure contemporary fiction, shortly after graduating with a B.A. in English with a prof who (I’ve mentioned this before) told me to stop writing fantasy. Years later, I came back to it and rewrote the story as paranormal romance mostly just because.
The short answer is yes, I have. The longer answer is something along the lines of – and why not? I think of famous authors (like Tolkien) who spent years off-and-on working on their projects. Maybe I’ll never get there, but I do have projects that I’ve been working on for years and sometimes it feels like – okay, I really need to let this one go, but … someday I’ll be able to do it justice. And those projects are the ones that captivate me most.
What about you? What do you think?
Anne Higa 
I write and rewrite. Sometimes it’s a project from years back. If nothing else looking back at what I’ve done reminds me of why I’m here today. I love it.
Anna from elements of emaginette
I think sometimes we are not ready to write all the stories that come into our heads. Either our skill isn’t up to the task, the idea is not fully formed, or a gazillion other things are in our way. Starting something, realizing your not ready for it, then coming back to it is a good thing…right?
I don’t think it’s frustrating. Only if you try to fix it. Do a total rewrite and it’s much better.
I haven’t heard that specific advice before, but I think I’ll need to take it to heart when I finally get back to a few of my older projects. I’ll just take the basic concept for the story, and start all over. Less frustrating, I’m thinking, overall.
And I love that quote from BSG. Great line from a great show.