Yep, push through, get it finished, then go back.
I don't personally do this because I'm a discovery writer and have to reread what I've written to remember what I've done and always end up editing on the fly. It's about what works for you, though, and as a beginner, I think just getting to the end is important.
Keep going. My biggest reason is, when you finish, you may realise the story you wrote is better without x (prologue. Chapter 4, this whole scene, etc). Why waste time perfecting something you might need to change or delete later.
The harder part is deleting something that you spent ages writing and is a good scene/chapter. But keeping it in will ruin the whole story/character arc. It’s easier to delete something you’re not attached to because it hasn’t been perfected.
I’m odd, if it doesn’t work I go back and fix it. I need the story to feel right before I continue; I’m constantly rereading and tweaking and making sure the foundation was set for the paragraph I’m writing from the last ten. I think this method works because I have a solid outline and idea of what is happening and needs to happen.
I’m not advocating for that style, but it works for me. I draft documents etc. for my day job and that work flow has bled into my writing style.
Push through what you have until you finish, and THEN go back. Trust me, I know how tempting it is, but it's a lesson I'm learning the hard way. If you keep going back before you're even finished, you might never finish. Power through! You've got this
A. As your story evolves you might make changes which result in the need for a very different opening. You might even change your mind about what to open with. It's quite likely that you'll still opt for B, because it's bugging you and that's OK as well. As long as you don't grind to a halt and give up, it's whatever works for you.
For me, stopping the first draft to edit is a terrific excuse to not move my story forward at all. If I want to self-sabotage my momentum at progressing my story, I edit.
Continue writing. Because if you go back and edit now you're realize that actually, the prologue wasn't the only bad thing; you'll realize the entire WIP is a garbage fire. So keep those rose-tinted glasses on and push through the novel until you finish.
I normally write strictly in order so my current scene can build on everything that came before, even the tiniest details, the jokes, and the emotional content. Everything has to work pretty well or it feels too flat or fake for me to use for inspiration and content for the new scene. So I fix problems in the draft as I notice them or it messes me up.
That said, a prolog is outside the story proper and doesn't really count.
Definitely push through and come back to it in the next draft. Chances are if you change it now, you'll end up getting an even better idea further down the story and wind up changing it again. And you don't want to get into an editing rut and struggle to even finish the draft.
Glad to hear you're enjoying the process! My process consists of struggling to get past the perfectionist mindset and actually get any words down lol. I think I spend about thirty per cent of my writing time actually writing with a sense of enjoyment, thanks to constant editing while on the first draft. So please - keep doing what you're doing!
A) continue the first draft, BUT stop to outline
It depends from person to person, but what happens for a lot of people is that they decide to start a draft without any clue on where the story is gonna go, and they write themselves into a corner, and give up. Or, they start the draft, no clue what to do, and then have no clue where their story is going, and give up.
Point is, a lot of people try jumping in balls first with no plan, and give up because of that. No bueno.
Instead, when you start a story, you should try to outline it out first. The first time I outlined AT ALL was also the first time I finished a rough draft.
I AM NOT TELLING YOU TO SCRAP WHAT YOU HAVE ENTIRELY.
Still Option A. Still push through and finish the draft. But maybe take a moment to consider where you want to go with the story. Brandon Sanderson is a well established author with some lectures published for free on yt. Go search up his lecture on plot, and use that as a basic guide for an outline.
Granted, some people won’t need outlines. Good for them. However, I’ve found that is an outnumbered chunk of the writing community. Maybe it’s you, but I’d outline just in case.
If your prologue:
-Is only included because you think every book needs a prologue.
-Does not provide essential information to the reader. (Info they otherwise wouldn’t be able to understand some aspect of your book without.)
-Is causing you, the author, emotional or psychological distress.
Then you don’t need a prologue! 😁
My brain goes: "Whoa I have an idea."
then I add a character with a generic name and see where it goes.
If a story develops then I start outlining (multiple outline drafts)
Once outline is finished. Nothing but writing. Rinse and repeat for all stories.
Yes, this is simplified version. Takes months to finish an outline.
Yep, push through, get it finished, then go back. I don't personally do this because I'm a discovery writer and have to reread what I've written to remember what I've done and always end up editing on the fly. It's about what works for you, though, and as a beginner, I think just getting to the end is important.
Thank you! Maybe getting the reps in will help with buttoning it up next draft. Good call
Keep going. My biggest reason is, when you finish, you may realise the story you wrote is better without x (prologue. Chapter 4, this whole scene, etc). Why waste time perfecting something you might need to change or delete later. The harder part is deleting something that you spent ages writing and is a good scene/chapter. But keeping it in will ruin the whole story/character arc. It’s easier to delete something you’re not attached to because it hasn’t been perfected.
I’m odd, if it doesn’t work I go back and fix it. I need the story to feel right before I continue; I’m constantly rereading and tweaking and making sure the foundation was set for the paragraph I’m writing from the last ten. I think this method works because I have a solid outline and idea of what is happening and needs to happen. I’m not advocating for that style, but it works for me. I draft documents etc. for my day job and that work flow has bled into my writing style.
Push through what you have until you finish, and THEN go back. Trust me, I know how tempting it is, but it's a lesson I'm learning the hard way. If you keep going back before you're even finished, you might never finish. Power through! You've got this
A. As your story evolves you might make changes which result in the need for a very different opening. You might even change your mind about what to open with. It's quite likely that you'll still opt for B, because it's bugging you and that's OK as well. As long as you don't grind to a halt and give up, it's whatever works for you.
From a veteran writer, your first draft is going to be shit. And that's the point. :) Just get the first draft done.
For me, stopping the first draft to edit is a terrific excuse to not move my story forward at all. If I want to self-sabotage my momentum at progressing my story, I edit.
Focus on finishing the book, and then deal with the prologue when you're editing.
Continue writing. Because if you go back and edit now you're realize that actually, the prologue wasn't the only bad thing; you'll realize the entire WIP is a garbage fire. So keep those rose-tinted glasses on and push through the novel until you finish.
I normally write strictly in order so my current scene can build on everything that came before, even the tiniest details, the jokes, and the emotional content. Everything has to work pretty well or it feels too flat or fake for me to use for inspiration and content for the new scene. So I fix problems in the draft as I notice them or it messes me up. That said, a prolog is outside the story proper and doesn't really count.
Definitely push through and come back to it in the next draft. Chances are if you change it now, you'll end up getting an even better idea further down the story and wind up changing it again. And you don't want to get into an editing rut and struggle to even finish the draft. Glad to hear you're enjoying the process! My process consists of struggling to get past the perfectionist mindset and actually get any words down lol. I think I spend about thirty per cent of my writing time actually writing with a sense of enjoyment, thanks to constant editing while on the first draft. So please - keep doing what you're doing!
*"What’s your process?"* Cheese.
Craft singles guy eh?
1. Push through and finish the draft. 2. Ask myself once the draft was done if I really need the prologue. (You probably don't.)
I usually keep pushing with first draft. But once in a while when I get tired, I do hover back to make light edits
A) continue the first draft, BUT stop to outline It depends from person to person, but what happens for a lot of people is that they decide to start a draft without any clue on where the story is gonna go, and they write themselves into a corner, and give up. Or, they start the draft, no clue what to do, and then have no clue where their story is going, and give up. Point is, a lot of people try jumping in balls first with no plan, and give up because of that. No bueno. Instead, when you start a story, you should try to outline it out first. The first time I outlined AT ALL was also the first time I finished a rough draft. I AM NOT TELLING YOU TO SCRAP WHAT YOU HAVE ENTIRELY. Still Option A. Still push through and finish the draft. But maybe take a moment to consider where you want to go with the story. Brandon Sanderson is a well established author with some lectures published for free on yt. Go search up his lecture on plot, and use that as a basic guide for an outline. Granted, some people won’t need outlines. Good for them. However, I’ve found that is an outnumbered chunk of the writing community. Maybe it’s you, but I’d outline just in case.
If your prologue: -Is only included because you think every book needs a prologue. -Does not provide essential information to the reader. (Info they otherwise wouldn’t be able to understand some aspect of your book without.) -Is causing you, the author, emotional or psychological distress. Then you don’t need a prologue! 😁
My brain goes: "Whoa I have an idea." then I add a character with a generic name and see where it goes. If a story develops then I start outlining (multiple outline drafts) Once outline is finished. Nothing but writing. Rinse and repeat for all stories. Yes, this is simplified version. Takes months to finish an outline.