Rewriting an old story

[Artee]

Hi, sorry if this is the wrong place to post but I thought it might be the, err, right place to post.

Let's say I really hated my writing, or wanted to fix some plot points in an old story. I've rewritten the whole thing - it's quite different now.

Is it alright to delete the old story and post the new one under the same name, or is it considered as spamming or something. Let's say it's been a few months since I posted the old story.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I'd just submit the new story, but leave the old one there. Maybe put an author's note up front, saying it's a major rework (assuming it is fairly substantially changed). If the original is several months old, you're going to get a whole new set of readers anyway.

Don't futz with old stories, write new ones, is my advice. You'll become a better writer, faster, doing it that way. Good luck .

 

[GroverLang]

How much rewritten?

If the alterations to the original story are many but minor there’s nothing to stop you submitting it as an edit.

If it’s a massive rewrite then I would suggest you submit it as a new story. If it’s going to have the same title make sure you delete the original before submitting the new one.

To delete the original submit it with the word delete alongside the title and in the notes box put “would you please delete this story from my profile.” That’s the fastest way.

 

[BiscuitHammer]

*sigh* I've come to the conclusion that an old series needs rebooting, because it no longer matches up with the sequels I've since published. Inconsistencies and changes in characters mean I either need to handwave and retcon things (which I HATE, since I'm a Warhammer 40k player), or I can reboot the first series to bring it in line with what I have since written.

The reboot is LOT more work, but ultimately the better option, at the very least for my own peace of mind.

So just submit the new version under the same name, and ask Laurel to delete the old one as obsolete or out of date.

 

[LexxRuthless]

If you decide to delete the old version, you might want to put a note on your author page to let your followers know before you do so. They may want to get a copy of the old version before it goes away.

 

[BuckyDuckman]

Hi, sorry if this is the wrong place to post but I thought it might be the, err, right place to post.

Let's say I really hated my writing, or wanted to fix some plot points in an old story. I've rewritten the whole thing - it's quite different now.

Is it alright to delete the old story and post the new one under the same name, or is it considered as spamming or something. Let's say it's been a few months since I posted the old story.

I did something close to that with my story The Fall and included an author's note at the end saying it was a major re-write on the same theme.

I can't remember why I wrote that story, except to try posting something under the Romance category. The re-write is a marginally better story, but based on its score, it never clicked with the typical romance reader.

 

[KeithD]

I'd just submit the new story, but leave the old one there. Maybe put an author's note up front, saying it's a major rework (assuming it is fairly substantially changed). If the original is several months old, you're going to get a whole new set of readers anyway.

Don't futz with old stories, write new ones, is my advice. You'll become a better writer, faster, doing it that way. Good luck .

If you identify the story as a redo of one you haven't taken off the site, Laurel's position is that you can't have two versions of the same story on the site. This happened to me on an expanded version. So, the OP's proposed process is the best--delete the first one and submit a new version. Might be a good idea to put an author's note on it that its a rewrite of a previous listing.

 

[Artee]

Ah alright, thanks for all the advice.

On me futzing around with old stories instead of writing new ones, the problem is the retcons and handwaving I'll need to do in future stories that I'm writing, because several characters written in the old story were unnecessary, over elaborated upon, and several arcs written poorly or unnecessarily.

But yeah thanks everyone