Rewriting before Writing? [Order vs. Feeling]

Ooh, great question Ren!
I've kind of been considering this myself recently.

I've heard many times that you shouldn't start editing before you've finished the first draft, because otherwise you'll be forever editing and never get finished. I think that is so true. I've never tried editing my stuff as I go along, because I know that I'll find other things I want to change.

But now, I've realised that one on my MCs isn't quite how I want him to be. I want him to not be so nice all the time. So, do I go back and change the stuff I've done so far, or do I just carry on?

I think what I'm going to do is, instead of changing what I've done so far, which is about 23k, I'll just change it from now on, and finish the story like this, then come back and change things later.

Kick out the story.

I used to reread the current chapter I had worked on and edit it "quickly" but then found that I really didn't catch much of the problems while I would do that.

Now, I reread to actually get "in tune" with the story again once I've taken a break from it. I stop myself from editing unless it is driving me insane (more like grammar problems). But other than that, I have learned not to edit until it's done with the first draft.

Maybe you should do both. You can finish you first draft but rewrite the scenes with your new character in a notebook when you have free time. That way youcan breeze through that part when the time comes and get onto the real editing.

Fior me, I think the answer must be that cop-out: 'it depends'! There's much to be said for getting ot the end and then reviewing the whole thing in toto, when stuctural things that were invisible to you as you were writing suddenly become clear.

But if you think of somehting early on that you definitely want to alter, and you know it's going to change significantly the shape of what is yet to come, it makes sense to me to go back and fix it, and track through the changes up to where you're at - because otherwsie you know you are writing on in a direction which isn't ultimately a productive one.

Good luck, either way!

As much as I think it's a bad idea, i do revisions before I finish the novel. Sometimes it's just too big of an issue to continue from where you are with such a large change you will be doing (ex. changing major characters or plot lines). I think it might be better to go on and go back later if it's a small change, but if you're changing something of more importance, I would change it now so that way, your story can continue without having to completely rewrite it again. :]

I've read somewhere that may authors consider their first draft to not actually be a 1st draft at all but an actually outline of the story. I'm a fiend for not writing but rewriting the little i have, but i think that getting it done is important, you can then look back and even change your characters or play around with it. After a year of trying to be good and 'outline' i'm just going to type, make mistakes and flat characters and then go back and edit like a krazy woman

Thank you for the insight - I think I'm going to end up going back and editing first before continuing on, because I am changing the essence of one of my characters who is minor now but will become major, and the thing I am changing is central to her ascension to the title 'major character' Good ideas everyone!

<3 Ren

belated! I go back and re-write. I have one story that's changed four times now... *sigh*

Its time consuming, but changes made in the beginning effect the remaining parts. In fact its been so chopped up and reworked that its not even the original plot anymore! Which works GREAT for me now!! Haha

Ren - i'm intriqued!

does this concern wings?