Doing a Re-Write of Old Stories?

[DVS]

Once a story has been published, I NEVER re-write it. The best way to destroy a good story is to over-work it.

Kind of like first sex with a new partner? That pure animal emotion can never be repeated.

 

[BJ]

I suppose that is true but it could also be better. Then again it could also be worse. I guess it's the luck of the draw.

 

[DVS]

I can see redoing a story to repair something you didn't do correctly in the first place, but too much correcting can actually kill a good story. Sometimes it is best to leave well enough alone.

I am a musician and the same goes for a song. A song written and recorded in one style is never easy to redo and make it better. It will only be different. Both styles could then live fine on their own, but I don't think something that has lived a life can really be made that much better.

Am I making sense? If you are going to change something for the better, do it very quickly, before it has a life started. After that life has started, it has to stand on its own.

Another analogy would be your kids. You try to bring them up as you think they should be, and mold them to be good honest citizens of the world. But, once you send them out on their own, and they are an adult, you can't do much more about it. You have done your job, and it is now their job to live their life.

I must add this...if you try to make something better, I think you must remove the original. If they both are allowed to survive, you will have people constantly expressing their opinions on this very subject.

OK, I'll get down, now. My knees are starting to hurt from so much getting up and down off this soapbox.

 

[BJ]

I do thank you for your thoughts on the matter. I have a generalized plan to make the best of the old ones into a Part 2 mabey. That however will be some time down the road.

 

[beaverhunter76]

I don't necessarily want to re-write one of my stories, but thee are a few that I'd like to re-edit. Change a few words here, correct some spelling mistakes, add in some parts. Especially for my Fantasy Palace works. When I write the later chapters, I think of new things that I can add to the earlier chapters to improve the stories. But I can't do it here without deleating my already published work and starting my voting count at 0 again, so that's why I have them posted on my own web site and change them there.

 

[BJ]

I don't necessarily want to re-write one of my stories, but thee are a few that I'd like to re-edit. Change a few words here, correct some spelling mistakes, add in some parts. Especially for my Fantasy Palace works. When I write the later chapters, I think of new things that I can add to the earlier chapters to improve the stories. But I can't do it here without deleating my already published work and starting my voting count at 0 again, so that's why I have them posted on my own web site and change them there.

That's not a bad idea. Your own web site. I'll check your stories out. But you are right about wanting to re edit a number of them.

 

[DVS]

I don't necessarily want to re-write one of my stories, but thee are a few that I'd like to re-edit. Change a few words here, correct some spelling mistakes, add in some parts...But I can't do it here without deleating my already published work and starting my voting count at 0 again...

Follow the below link to the FAQs area to see if this will help you. I have used it to fix spelling errors and such. It goes through the same process as a newly submitted story, and it takes the same amount of time. But it won't lose any views or votes. I don't think it was intended for major revisions, but it might work for what you want.

www.literotica.com/faq.shtml#edit

- I've re-edited my story and want to replace the posted version with my new edited one. How do I do this?
Easy! Simply submit the new version as you submitted the old one, only adding the word "EDITED" to the title (ex. "My Sexy Firefighter Ch. 3 - EDITED") so that we know to replace the old text with the new text. We will then replace the original text with the new text. Your story will retain its previous voting score and views.

 

[BJ]

Re-Post

You may want to contact the Lit. operators directly by email

 

[susurrus]

Well, though there has been a lot of opinion both directions on this, I'll add my own two cents...


I'm most definitely not averse to coming back to something that I originally thought was *done*. I think most of us are our own harshest critics. I'm pretty sure that even a majority of the professional writers, best-selling authors, probably would find something to change in their stories, even after they're published.

And not to downplay this "web-publishing" type thing, but I often wish that a *lot* of writers *would* redo their work after it has been made public (I won't get into how many shouldn't have released their stories in the shape they get posted in in the first place...).

Anyhow, as far as myself, I had it pointed out to me by a fellow author on this site that it was obvious, comparing one of my earlier stories to some of my later ones, which one was written first.

It got me thinking, I liked that story, maybe I should see what I can do to "update" it. I've done so, but have wondered what to do about getting it to the public. I'd like to post it as new, since I am happier about the whole thing in this new version, but don't care about people voting for it, since it was posted before.

So, anyway, I have no problem with coming back to stuff I've already counted as "done". I'm of the opinion that as long as the writer is still there to critique his own work, that it will *never* be done. Hence, the people that (and I'm not criticizing here) "finish" a piece and then turn their backs on it.

Besides, it gives me something to do while I try to think out how the hell to finish (or start) all the other stories I've got rattling around in my warped little cranium.

 

[BJ]

susurrs

Well, though there has been a lot of opinion both directions on this, I'll add my own two cents...


I'm most definitely not averse to coming back to something that I originally thought was *done*. I think most of us are our own harshest critics. I'm pretty sure that even a majority of the professional writers, best-selling authors, probably would find something to change in their stories, even after they're published.

And not to downplay this "web-publishing" type thing, but I often wish that a *lot* of writers *would* redo their work after it has been made public (I won't get into how many shouldn't have released their stories in the shape they get posted in in the first place...).

Anyhow, as far as myself, I had it pointed out to me by a fellow author on this site that it was obvious, comparing one of my earlier stories to some of my later ones, which one was written first.

It got me thinking, I liked that story, maybe I should see what I can do to "update" it. I've done so, but have wondered what to do about getting it to the public. I'd like to post it as new, since I am happier about the whole thing in this new version, but don't care about people voting for it, since it was posted before.

So, anyway, I have no problem with coming back to stuff I've already counted as "done". I'm of the opinion that as long as the writer is still there to critique his own work, that it will *never* be done. Hence, the people that (and I'm not criticizing here) "finish" a piece and then turn their backs on it.

Besides, it gives me something to do while I try to think out how the hell to finish (or start) all the other stories I've got rattling around in my warped little cranium.

I can see that you have some of the same problems that I seem to have. I just posted a story for the Holiday Contest, and I am also trying to work on a new story line that another reader asked me to put together. Of course the story is just barely off the drawing board, but I can see trouble ahead, espcially the end. I can never quite figure out how to just end a story.
I hope to hear from you again. Let me know when you post a story, I will be glad to read it.

It's a jungle out there and I'm tired of playing Tarzan