How can I stop re-writing the same story again and again...?

Question

I've been writing a fantasy novel for at least 5 years now. And the problem is I write a whole bunch of pages, and then go back and revise it the next day. Is this an ADHD thing, because then I'm doomed!

By the way, "fantasy" does not mean sexual fantasy, but magic spells and elves kind of stuff.

Let's hear from all the aspiring authors out there!

Great answers so far! But I'm chuckling at Persiphone's response... I'm 31 years old! Don't let the braids fool ya :-)

Answer 1

The great thing about fantasy is you don't have to revise it. Actually, to 'revise' fantasy is impossibly endless. Think about it! Decide the destination you would like your characters to end up at in the end of each chapter and write their journey towards that destination. Say the beach is my destination and I shall walk. I can see all the neighborhoods I must walk through on my way there. Now I won't get stuck in any one neighborhood because I know I must reach my destination. Each neighborhood offers a myriad of people and adventures.

Answer 2

My most frequently given piece of advice is to outline -- before starting the novel. Whether it's a novel or a screenplay, I find that most people start foundering about 25% of the way through the work, because they start with a good idea for an ending, and a good idea for a main character, but they don't know what's going to happen for that character to get from the beginning to end, and to develop along the way.

However, if you do a pretty thorough outline, it'll give you a lot of guidance and a lot of impetus as you write. It'll also spur some new ideas for secondary characters and subplots. Just remember to give yourself latitude to move away from your outline when something "better" comes up en route.

To give you an example of how much I outline, the typical screenplay is 90-100 pages. I usually have a 15-20 page outline before I start the screenplay, and the producer has usually given commentary and an okay on two drafts of the outline before I ever start the screenplay.

Likewise, my novels have all been right around 110,000 words. I just did a word count on the outlines for each, and they average 18,000 words. If I added in the running notes I keep and the background notes I write on characters, places, etc, I'd guess that I've got about 20,000 words of notes on a novel before I write "Chapter 1."

BTW, I firmly believe that you should get through an entire first draft before you start editing. It's really easy to get mired in constant re-writes, and that can tire you out to where you lose your interest in this project. However, if you get all the way through a first draft, the feeling of accomplishment will provide you with momentum to go back and do a second draft, revisions, etc.

Answer 3

I've had similar problems before, and known people with a similar problem. The best piece of advice I can give you is just to keep writing til you finish, without going back revising stuff. Even if you think what you're writing sucks, get it down, because it will be so much easier for you to edit it well when you've got the whole story in place. If you don't think you can get the whole novel down like this, fair enough, maybe do it a chapter at a time. Just don't let yourself go back and change anything until you've reached a proper stopping point.

Answer 4

I agree with two ideas so far: either 1) go ahead and plow through to the end without revising or anything; or 2) put it aside for a while (like MONTHS) and go back. Better yet, combine these--finish it in a hurry, then let it rest. Find something else to keep you occupied for a while--a LONG while (like this site for instance). And by the way, these aren't just idle words--and God knows I'm trying to live up to them in my own life. I've been working for over 20 years on my own book with the same sort of problems (and without being able to finish)--so things could be worse.:)

Answer 5

Have you triend writing multiple stories at once. Or just keep a list of all the ideas that you have that you want to include, but create another story instead of rewriting the first one. If you keep changeing it i doubt its anywhere near the story it started out as. Many authors write about similar topics and even have similar stories. Maybe they have the same problem as you.

P.S I would also reccomend writing different versions and see which you like better, you should even ask friends and family pick their favorite.

Answer 6

OUTLINE ... I have an ADD son. I know the deal. Most ADD or ADHD kids have a touch of OCD as well. They do tend to run together. It is very hard to stay focused. You distract easily.

You MUST work from an outline. You must also set yourself daily goals. Start small ... Tell yourself ... I will write for 30 minutes today. Gradually increase that. Do it the same time every day in the same place. Work from your outline. If you want to, at the end of each chapter allow yourself ONE session to read over what you have written then move on.

Another thing that will help you is a mentor. As a mom of an ADD I have had to do a lot of mentoring to get my son through his first three years of college. He is great with computer classes, but I have to mentor English classes and the like. Ask a teacher. Explain your situation and your diagnosis. Somebody will understand.

If you have a psychiatrist and are medicated, you might also ask the Dr. Explain what is happening and ask how it can be helped.

Lists also help tremendously. I know from my son it feels GREAT when you can take a big old black sharpie and actually cross a completed project off your list. List your chapters and as you finish each one - cross that baby off.

All you need is focus hon. And I hate to be the one to say this to you but as an ADD Mom I know the internet is the enemy. It is way too easy for kids to get involved chatting and goofing around and the work does not get done. I know it is wonderful to have chat friends, but as an ADHD kid, you must learn to limit yourself- otherwise nothing gets done.

Pax - C

Answer 7

Maybe the problem lays in basic writers advice - Write What You Know. If you want to write fantasy I say go for it, but do a ton of research, play around with how you could apply it to real life, dreams you have had, etc. Fantasy is a great genre but you have to have a strong historical (swords, castle architecture, etc) and be willing to branch out on the established if needed.

Answer 8

i think you need to walk away from it for a time. do something entirely different. then go back to it when you are feeling refreshed. you may have a new perspective that way.

i think it sounds more like ocd than adhd, but what do i know?