Rewriting a story
Wrote these tweets, got to thinking.
I look at old stuff I’ve written and I can see a definite improvement between then and now. But does that mean I should change things?
— Harper Kingsley (@HarperKingsley0) June 27, 2012
I’m not talking about simple edits either. I’m talking about ripping the guts out and rearranging things. Rewriting history
— Harper Kingsley (@HarperKingsley0) June 27, 2012
If I decide to completely rewrite part of a story, what should I do about the original? If I completely change the end of a story, what responsibility do I have to people that read the first version? It’s not currently something I’m doing now, but I can possibly see me wanting to do it in a few years if my writing style keeps evolving.
Both versions would have to be made available because there’s always someone that loves the original more. There’s nothing so painful as re-reading a beloved story and find out you’ve gotten hold of the “Special Edition.” Which makes me wonder if George Lucas ever stops to think about what he’s doing before he changes Star Wars again. Is there ever going to be a time when he tells himself “No, that’s enough” and just stops?
Anyways, I’m currently reworking a story I wrote a long ass time ago. I love the idea of such a crazy sewer rat kind of future. Unfortunately, I didn’t have very much skill at writing when I penned it. There was some beautiful imagery, but it was mostly written in a truly crap style. The characters need a bit more development and some of the stuff is very Mary Sue. But I can fix that!
Picture it: Dystopian future where everything’s dark and grim. It’s like the whole world was taken over by Gotham — the Tim Buron version of Gotham. Dark, but not too depressing, with people wiling away their days and hoping the future is going to be better.
There are gangs everywhere and violence and it’s just the way things are.
One of the gangs is the WoD led by a beautiful girl with the nickname “Angel of Death.” Her teenaged followers are a band of murderous misfits that run their section of The City with an iron fist. They take no prisoners, they are an army, and in the darkest of times they are a beacon of light.
Yeah, so I’m trying to make it into something readable. I hope it goes well because it’s a story I really want to share.
~Pax