It's the first Wednesday of the month, and that means it's time for another meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group! Our Ninja Captain Alex J. Cavanaugh created this group so writers would have a place to talk about their insecurities and support one another. His minion helpers for this month are Tamara Narayan, Patsy Collins, M.J. Fifield, and Nicohle Christopherson.
Be sure to check out the IWSG website!
The question for this month is: Have you ever pulled out a really old story and reworked it? Did it work out?
I frequently find myself going through my old writing and searching for inspiration. I unearthed my story "Felix Was Here" for the first IWSG anthology contest, and that move paid off. I recently pulled out the story that I wrote for the 2013 April A to Z Challenge and edited it, reworked parts of it, and self-published it on Smashwords.
As for stories that I wrote more than a handful of years ago, I have yet to rework them in their entirety. However, I have gotten plenty of use out of them. More than once, I've found myself mining those old stories for ideas to incorporate into new ones. And the inspiration for the novel I'm hoping to start writing later this year came from a novel I wrote in high school. That book was terrible, but I became intrigued by a side plot that I'd written into it. Yes, the side plot was more interesting than the main plot. This clearly illustrates that novel wasn't all that good. Still, I'm glad I wrote it, and I'm glad I held on to it. Those old stories are worth consideration.
Have you ever reworked an old story?
You've done great with your re-workings! Good luck on the one you wrote in high school. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, ditto the greatness!
ReplyDeleteKeep at it - all authors should have a store house of ideas! Notebooks full of them!
Some of my side plots have threatened to steal the show too! It's the hallmark of a good book.
ReplyDeleteI shared my lack of re-work on my blog including my why, but it sounds like, in this instance, it paid off for you to rework a story. The great thing about art (and especially writing) is that we are always improving, so we always have the opportunity to take what was a good idea and reform it into something better. :)
ReplyDeleteNow you have another story you can write from that sub plot.
ReplyDeleteGlad you had faith in Felix Was Here!
It's always nice when reworking a novel works out in our favor. I have a bunch of old stories sitting around and I'd love to do something with them because it feels like a waste to let them languish. LOL
ReplyDeleteThat's cool to know where Felix came from. What other ideas do you have buried?
ReplyDeleteThere are gems hidden in those older stories.
ReplyDeleteThat's so cool that Felix came from the fabled trunk!
ReplyDeleteI like the way you phrase that: mining old stories for nuggets you can use in new stories.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I also often find the best ideas are not what you expected, and side characters/plots sometimes overshadow the action.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to search old stuff for ideas. I do find myself reusing the same sort of ideas, which is a catch 22, really, as once I start publishing, I don't want my readers to reread the same plot twists or feel like they've read this story before. But that's a different issue. :-)
ReplyDeleteSo Felix came from an older story?
ReplyDeleteMining old stories for ideas/characters that can be used... that's something to keep in mind. Thanks for the nudge in that direction.