When To Work on It; When to Scrap It

Okay, here's a tough quandary that has haunted me a lot during the absolutely tortured genesis of my latest chapters: WHEN IS IT JUST PLAIN TIME TO START OVER?

This is very, very difficult. At some point, you just have to dig down and pick getting something done over getting it perfect. Use your own judgment on this one; a good rule of thumb is to give as much thought to re-starting as possible. Chances are the idea will break down just as quickly as you built it up. It can seem to be the quick, sexy alternative to scrap what you've done and write it JUST HOW YOU WANT IT. Beware these thoughts. They crop up quickly and vanish into the night, leaving you with a bunch of scrapped half-drafts. Don't compromise your need to get your story just right but, similarly, don't sacrifice it on the altar of a cool new idea until you've given that new idea some HARD thought. New ideas are tricky, and they can leave you for dead.

SONG OF THE POST

Hushabye by The Beach Boys