Thoughts on Amending and Re-posting a story?

[Priscilla_June]

So I have a series-story where I don’t feel like I did chapter one right. While I like the contents of the chapter, there is something I want to add to the very beginning as the first part the reader will see. So should I:

• Repost the entire story with the new lead in or
• Edit the story with the new lead in and just leave it at that?

 

[ElectricBlue]

I'd edit the story with the new lead in, but remember, no-one who has already read the story will read it, because no-one gets alerted to Edits, and anyway, they've already read it.

Better yet, write another story. I don't understand all these people who agonise over their last story, when their next one is waiting to be written. It seems to be such a waste of time.

 

[Priscilla_June]

I'd edit the story with the new lead in, but remember, no-one who has already read the story will read it, because no-one gets alerted to Edits, and anyway, they've already read it.

Better yet, write another story. I don't understand all these people who agonise over their last story, when their next one is waiting to be written. It seems to be such a waste of time.

Yeah I get your point there. Its more or
Less because this is a series of chapters and I just realized that I didnt like how I set up my first, so I figured Id address it as I do continue to write more in that line of stories.

 

[Rustyoznail]

If it's going to bug you each time you look at your story list, then do the fix. But as EB said, only newcomers to your series will care about it.

 

[Priscilla_June]

Ha… yeah I think at this point its more about me and whats in my head. But yes I hope new comers like it too.

 

[tenyari]

I edited a story from 2008 recently just to fix some typos and make some elements more consistent with the 'canon' of the setting as I have it in my notes just in case I ever someday write another story in there.

That was done for me. After I post my upcoming round of stories, I plan to go back and update all my old works to fix typos. Again for my own sanity.

 

[Smuttyandfun]

I edited a story from 2008 recently just to fix some typos and make some elements more consistent with the 'canon' of the setting as I have it in my notes just in case I ever someday write another story in there.

That was done for me. After I post my upcoming round of stories, I plan to go back and update all my old works to fix typos. Again for my own sanity.

I have to do that, too. I almost hate looking back at my older stories, the typos just seem to jump out at me. Hopefully, one day I'll get them all cleaned up.

 

[HeyAll]

Is Chapter 2 already posted? If so, don't delete chapter 1, otherwise the formatting alightment on your page might get messed up. (chaptered stories are indented on your profile)

But it's always worth it to re-edit stories if they still get readers.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Ha… yeah I think at this point its more about me and whats in my head. But yes I hope new comers like it too.

Most of us have done something like that, even if we know it's mostly moot with the readers after a couple of weeks or so. There will always be some new readers dribbling in. They'll favorite a story that was posted years ago.

 

[8letters]

So I have a series-story where I don’t feel like I did chapter one right. While I like the contents of the chapter, there is something I want to add to the very beginning as the first part the reader will see. So should I:

• Repost the entire story with the new lead in or
• Edit the story with the new lead in and just leave it at that?

My advice - delete both chapters and then create a new chapter one which is the old chapter one revised and the old chapter two. I think the first chapter of a series should be the best it can be because if it isn't, no one will read the rest of your chapters.

 

[Priscilla_June]

My advice - delete both chapters and then create a new chapter one which is the old chapter one revised and the old chapter two. I think the first chapter of a series should be the best it can be because if it isn't, no one will read the rest of your chapters.

Yeah… hmmmm that isnt an awful idea. Only issue being my chapter 2 is a Hot chapter. But I see your point. I was hoping that if I amended the first chapter that new readers seeing a subsequent chapter post would get hooked in?

 

[ElectricBlue]

Yeah… hmmmm that isnt an awful idea. Only issue being my chapter 2 is a Hot chapter. But I see your point. I was hoping that if I amended the first chapter that new readers seeing a subsequent chapter post would get hooked in?

What's the logic for thinking that? Nobody is going to know you've done an edit on the first chapter, so that's not a hook.

 

[Priscilla_June]

But if they see a second chapter they may go look for the first if they are not already familiar with the series.

The negative id see with reposting chapters is folks who already liked it are not gonna read/rate again

 

[Rustyoznail]

There's no right or wrong answer. You have to make the final call on which way to jump based on the info others have suggested.

 

[Priscilla_June]

There's no right or wrong answer. You have to make the final call on which way to jump based on the info others have suggested.

WWRD? What would Rusty do?

 

[Rustyoznail]

WWRD? Geez, no pressure.

If it was crucial to the flow, I'd find a way to incorporate it into the next chapter. Just because you can resubmit edits doesn't mean you should. Think of it as a pile of dead tree. You don't see Stephen King running around demanding everyone return their copy of 11.22.63 and forget the last couple of chapters because the ending was dumb and he's now thought of a better one.

As a reader. if I had read Ch1 and 2, and something completely out of left field arrived in Ch3, I wouldn't be going back to look for changes that made the new thing make sense. I'd either shrug and keep going or just leave. Depending on the rest of the story.

My "Cricket, Anyone?" stories were originally only to be one part, but after number 1 was posted I could see further potential with the characters. I had to include some back story to explain a few things to allow the new story to move where I wanted.

====

Now, if it was just a typo or something else that just irritated me, then I'd do the edit and move on.

 

[dmallord]

There is no negative side to modifying one's posted work(s). It's the writer's discretion to or not to take on that task. If you have the inclination and time to perfect it then have at it. Some remarks in this thread point out that readers have already read it so there is no point in amending the story. They are chasing the next adventure. Yet, revision of one's work hones the mind and focuses the art of writing and its skills. In the same breath, comments note only the new readers will see it. There in lies the reason to fix it. New readers get the benefit of your extra effort. New reader's should anticipate the work to be one's best effort. They may be the reason your readership increases as they find you to be a better writer.

I make remarks in the introductions in my modified works to alert new readers that some comments may no longer be applicable as I have responded to them and, sometimes fixed the errors the commenters have spotted.

It's all about the writer's perspective on the legacy they leave for readers. Was it the writer's best effort? If, in the writer's mind's eye, it was best effort, not just good enough, then leave it alone. I'd like to think that what I've posted was well done - not oh well it's done, now let's run to the next one.

My $0.02.

 

[BuckyDuckman]

I rewrote my only romance story, The Fall. It was an extensive re-write to strengthen a weak story. I did it out of curiosity. Would an objectively better story earn a better score? It still shows with its original posting date of 2015. With 18 favorites, 31.5k views, and a rating of 4.26 on 579 votes - it remains one of my lowest scoring stories. Did it earn a few extra points after the re-write? A few, but measured in the hundredths. Even with the re-write, it's probably not my strongest showing.

 

[ElectricBlue]

There in lies the reason to fix it. New readers get the benefit of your extra effort. New reader's should anticipate the work to be one's best effort. They may be the reason your readership increases as they find you to be a better writer.

Or, ask yourself what's so special about that last story that demands continual tinkering, versus learning from it and putting all that energy into the next story, which undoubtedly will be better. Plus, you then have two stories, not just the one.

 

[dmallord]

Or, ask yourself what's so special about that last story that demands continual tinkering, versus learning from it and putting all that energy into the next story, which undoubtedly will be better. Plus, you then have two stories, not just the one.

Your presumption is that moving forward to other stories carries some inherent improvements from your previous work. I would agree, on first glance, that has potential. For me that premise reads, 'the more you write, the better you should get ...' I accept that as a truism. Although, as I review my works, I see that the same or similar mistakes carry from one to the other. I was not cognizant of those in journeying forward. Only by a recursive writing approach did I find them and made improvements in those glitches—moving forward. The revision process helps me to see those pitfalls more clearly; tinkering is focused effort toward improvement. It's a personal best effort ethic, I suppose that motivates my tinkering. It's about best, not more of less best, effort.

Once I sat in on a job interview where the person spoke of his work as he proudly declared he had thirty years of experience, pointing that out in his portfolio. After he left the room, the lead evaluator wryly remarked, "Yes, he has thirty years of experience, thirty years of 'first-year experiences.' Obviously a sardonic way of saying he had not learned from his past experiences.

And, I love your work. You continue to amaze me and encourage my advancements. Thanks for your $0.02.

My added $0.02.

 

[Priscilla_June]

WWRD? Geez, no pressure.

If it was crucial to the flow, I'd find a way to incorporate it into the next chapter. Just because you can resubmit edits doesn't mean you should. Think of it as a pile of dead tree. You don't see Stephen King running around demanding everyone return their copy of 11.22.63 and forget the last couple of chapters because the ending was dumb and he's now thought of a better one.

As a reader. if I had read Ch1 and 2, and something completely out of left field arrived in Ch3, I wouldn't be going back to look for changes that made the new thing make sense. I'd either shrug and keep going or just leave. Depending on the rest of the story.

My "Cricket, Anyone?" stories were originally only to be one part, but after number 1 was posted I could see further potential with the characters. I had to include some back story to explain a few things to allow the new story to move where I wanted.

====

Now, if it was just a typo or something else that just irritated me, then I'd do the edit and move on.

So the main reason Im contemplating this is because I felt my Ch 1 was dry and not long after I had it posted I thought of an amazing lead in that would be more enticing in the onset. So it adds to the story but its not crucial to it. For the most part just improves Chapter 1.

 

[BuckyDuckman]

So the main reason Im contemplating this is because I felt my Ch 1 was dry and not long after I had it posted I thought of an amazing lead in that would be more enticing in the onset. So it adds to the story but its not crucial to it. For the most part just improves Chapter 1.

Ultimately, it's your story = your choice. Have fun!

 

[Voboy]

So the main reason Im contemplating this is because I felt my Ch 1 was dry and not long after I had it posted I thought of an amazing lead in that would be more enticing in the onset. So it adds to the story but its not crucial to it. For the most part just improves Chapter 1.

How much material are we talking about here? And can it stand more or less on its own?

An option, if there's enough material, would be to submit it, alone, as "Prologue." That way, existing readers who follow you would know you posted it, and will likely go read it.

I'm generally NOT in favor of editing published work. Once posted, I feel it's finished, for better or for worse. It was wrong when George Lucas did it to Star Wars in 1997, and it's wrong when I do it with my own paltry output. "Published," to me, means it's "public," and no longer mine to fuck with. If it wasn't right, I shouldn't have posted it.

If I do need to retcon something later on, I find a way to work it into a subsequent story.

 

[Pureotica]

I'd edit the story with the new lead in, but remember, no-one who has already read the story will read it, because no-one gets alerted to Edits, and anyway, they've already read it.

Better yet, write another story. I don't understand all these people who agonise over their last story, when their next one is waiting to be written. It seems to be such a waste of time.

I'm rewriting one that I only posted the first part of. I kind of rushed it to make a contest deadline. I want to finish the story for the sake of those who enjoyed it, but I also want to fix the stuff I wasn't happy with, because it affects the later parts. If I don't fix it, I'll wind up abandoning it. And I like the story enough to invest the effort. If I didn't like it, I'd let it die. My hard drive is a grave yard of aborted projects that didn't quite work.

In any case, I plan to leave the original up as posted, and just post the rework as a new submission under a new title. I'll post the entire entry as one story and abandon the previous three part structure. Plus it will probably change categories because the first part was EC while the rest is kind of a potluck of assorted perversions.

I'm working on new stuff too, but I'd like to get the story as good as I can because the character grows as I write, and she's a fun character to work with.

I wouldn't post edits for typos and such. Only to make changes in the story.

Once a story is "done" to me, I never really look at it again. Except maybe to use elements of it in later writings. Some characters have more than one story in them.

I'm not arguing against your point. I mostly agree with it. Just offering some perspective as to why some of us post edits on past projects.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I'm not arguing against your point. I mostly agree with it. Just offering some perspective as to why some of us post edits on past projects.

Fair comments, too.

I guess I'm the kind of writer who thinks, "Well, that went well, but could have been better," but by then I'm so far into my next story to bother with a fix.

The only story I've done a few edits to is Rope and Veil, where I got detailed commentary from a woman with spina bifida. She gave me much deeper insight into the issues of life in a wheelchair. I made a few changes of fact and emphasis, based on her advice, which were less literary, but far more informed. She beta read the two sequel chapters before they got published, on the principle, "Get it right the first time."

"Some characters have more than one story in them." So true! I reckon at least a half of my story file is spin-off stories, where a minor character gets a story of their own.