Ideas keep changing.

**jeff p** · December 31st, 2009, 11:38 PM

Hahaha.... so true

**JT Billow** · January 2nd, 2010, 11:41 AM

If it required large rewrites, I would not do it. The thing is, there are an infinite number of ways to write a story, to twist the plot, add characters, change this and change that ... at one point, you just have to stick with something. Otherwise, you like you said, you'll never get anything done.

Scorpion, thanks for writing this..

My problem was: I am writing a series, and the first book was finished with the 5th draft. It is submitted to Tor fantasy when all of the sudden, a new idea popped in my brain that would have worked in the first book, yet had no place in the second that I am currently working on.

But you're right; there are a number of ways to write a story, and if you continually change you will never get any thing done.

Happy New Year.....

**KatG** · January 2nd, 2010, 12:02 PM

If it would have worked in the series, you may be able to use it in a later book, if in adapted form.

**ShellyS** · January 6th, 2010, 11:59 PM

I start with characters and situations, and ideas grow out of those. I write as I go and am willing to rewrite large chunks as needed. For my WIR, I rewrote 80 pages, twice. That's my process. My characters help me discover the story.

Re: mysteries. My WIR is a mystery/political thriller sorta, set on Mars, which is where the science fiction aspect comes in. I didn't know "who did it" and was iffy on motivations until I got very close to the climax. Things I wrote gave me those answers.

For non-SF mysteries, Minette Walters is one of my favorite authors. For one of her books, The Breaker, which really had me guessing (there were only 3 real suspects, and each of them could logically have been the killer), she said she didn't know who the killer was until she got close to the end when the killer is revealed. That she didn't know for most of the book really added to the suspense in the writing and because she'd developed the plot and characters and clues so well, I would have been satisfied, as a reader, with any of those 3 being the killer. Now that's writing skill!

**Yjar** · January 14th, 2010, 01:58 AM

I've written 65k words and am coming across this problem. I am basically rewriting the entire story, slowly.

**Window Bar** · January 14th, 2010, 05:46 PM

Originally Posted by ShellyS

For non-SF mysteries, Minette Walters is one of my favorite authors. For one of her books, The Breaker, which really had me guessing (there were only 3 real suspects, and each of them could logically have been the killer), she said she didn't know who the killer was until she got close to the end when the killer is revealed.

This sounds like something worth trying, even on non-mysteries. Let's face it: None of us know what will happen tomorrow. Walters' approach to keeping her own mind open might prevent the telling and the didacticism that are so deadly to good storytelling.

--WB

**ShellyS** · January 14th, 2010, 07:12 PM

Originally Posted by Window Bar

This sounds like something worth trying, even on non-mysteries. Let's face it: None of us know what will happen tomorrow. Walters' approach to keeping her own mind open might prevent the telling and the didacticism that are so deadly to good storytelling.

--WB

I don't think her other books were written that way, but it sure worked for that one. I like that she doesn't write a series, so every one of her books is a bit different than her others.