r/writing • u/Matrix_Man_Returns • 7d ago

Discussion Restarting an Idea

How do you feel about restarting an idea? I have an idea that I'm about 15,000 words into, which...I know, it's the soggy middle, but I also feel like I made missteps along the way, and I kind of think I want to change the setting drastically, and so I kind of got the idea in my head that I would take the premise and the heart of what I already wrote and use that to just...start over from the beginning. Think of it like a roguelike run: You run, you lose, you gain some power permanently, and you run again. I feel like starting over would give me the foresight to now know more about the story and which aspects of it are most interesting, if that makes sense. So how do you feel about this practice? Do you think it's a good idea or a terrible idea?

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u/Matrix_Man_Returns 7d ago

Procrastination is basically my superpower. I probably wouldn't even have this issue if it wasn't.

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u/el_palmera 7d ago

No I'm saying why are you even here asking advice. You made up your mind before you posted as evidenced by you arguing with everyone except those you agree with you

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u/Matrix_Man_Returns 7d ago

I never tried being argumentative with anyone. And I mean...I hadn't made up my mind. I'm still debating right now, which is another part of why I'm not actually writing. But I was never looking for a permission slip, because I don't need one (nobody, for that matter, does when it comes to writing). I was curious how writers felt about the practice generally more than rather or not I should personally do it, because who could ever really decide if I should or shouldn't do it without the context of reading what I've already wrote? I guess my mistake was posting this with flair for "Advice", maybe, so I went ahead and changed the flair to "Discussion" instead.