Continue or Edit?

[[deleted user]]

Hi, so I have a story that I was working on and then I got to a block and stopped writing it for a while. Today I came back to it and realized how bad it is. I still like the story and want to continue with it, it's just my writing that I'm really having problems with. I know that if I ever want to finish the story I should just power through and then go back and edit, but at the same time, I cringe whenever I read the first few chapters and desperately want rewrite them entirely. Does anybody have any suggestions of what I should do?

[Allison]

I say just keep going and see how it turns out in the end. If it gets really bad, do another draft.

[Jayda]

How much have you written? If it's only a few chapters, I'd rewrite them. If it's closer to half of the book, then I say keep writing.

[[deleted user]]

I've written about 2/3 thirds I think. I've got a very vague outline, so I'm not totally sure about how long it's gonna be, but around that.

[Jayda]

Keep writing, then. Finish the first manuscript and then go back and edit. If you edit/rewrite now you might get too frustrated to finish it.

[Brigid ✩, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.]

I'd say try to power through and get to the end. You can always go back and edit later.

But if you try and you really can't seem to go forward without going back and rewriting, then by all means go back and do some rewriting if it will help you finish. If you're planning to change a lot, and it would really change the style and outcome of the whole thing, then it might make more sense to go back and revise first.

[[deleted user]]

Basically its three trials that the protagonists have to complete and the first two trials are complete crap and not even remotely challenging, but it doesn't really change the third trial much, but the characters are suddenly going to become much more developed as I continue.

[Karlie]

I'm an editor who joined up in the group to help out our younger writers.

Keep writing.

If you go back and start editing now, you will get distracted and perhaps start rewriting before you have finished. It's a viscous cycle.

Finish what you have. You would be surprised how many published authors finish their first draft, look back, and think it's crap. Some chop out half the book when they are finished. But they finish it first.