Please Read, Important
Added 2025-03-11 03:13:34 +0000 UTCSorry for the silence; I've been struggling to write the next chapter and started to spiral a bit. However, instead of falling into that trap again, I'm reaching out to you, my readers, for help.
First, I'm going to do my best to explain my problem, and I'd very much appreciate your thoughts on the matter.
Now that the story is transitioning back to Spotted Creek Village and the wider world, I'm finding that I have no recollection of several things. Understandably, it's been years since I wrote much of this, and I'm finding myself making a lot of continuity errors.
For example, a few chapters ago, people asked me why Aaliyah didn't directly inject her flames into the logs to light them; honestly, I completely forgot that she learned how to do that by purifying the winged serpent's venom from her hammer.
It wasn't until I edited that chapter for the public that I realized my mistake. Now, I'm finding myself in the same boat.
Off the top of my head, I don't know what Spotted Creek looked like the last time Pacore and Pitz were there or even the progress they made before Aaliyah and Tabitha left. I've also lost track of the seasons and how long Sandra has been pregnant, both of which are integral to what I want to write.
So, naturally, I started to reread my story from the beginning, taking better notes and writing brief chapter summaries to find information more easily. The first several chapters were easy, but then I reached chapter 7 or 8, where I stopped updating them a year ago, and oof, those chapters are hard to read.
I didn't realize how much I've improved over the years, and as you all know by now, I'm a perfectionist. My therapist helped me see that I can't be 100% perfect all the time, but rereading those earlier chapters hurt my soul all the same.
My question to you all is this: How angry would you be if I wanted to go back and edit things from the beginning? I don't want to change the story; I want to merely rewrite it so it's better to read while taking more detailed notes and maybe posting a list of chapter summaries in intervals of 10 so people are reminded of everything that's happened.
With your guy's support, I think I could edit multiple chapters a day. Is that okay with everyone?
Please voice your opinion in the poll, and feel free to comment below. I'm visiting my grandfather tomorrow to clear my head, but once I get back, I'll make my decision.
As always, I thank every one of you for your opinions.
Comments
If i could suggest trying to make small summary notes like skill usability like mana skin can become slippery due to layers or can inject spells and mana into objects who has what skills and stats and their relationships you could ask ai like chat gpt to do that or do slowly by hand and save it in xml file so you can easly acces people and look up their skills usage or stats for featire referance if you forget some one could do something it could be attributed tosome one beeing underpresure or forgeting it or not beliving that current mental self can fail by disintegrating log into dust thats my example
RhyxMormarteno
2025-04-20 01:40:26 +0000 UTCWell even the original 3 Star Wars movies got a do over. Do the rewrite with an eye to publishing on Amazon maybe. But if you need the notes anyway, I think you have to do what you have to do.
HardhatDoozer
2025-04-15 11:24:26 +0000 UTCNo rewrite.... just enjoy writing the current chapters, and we'll enjoy reading them.
Steve B
2025-04-14 14:58:38 +0000 UTCPerfection is the enemy of good.
M. Lampi
2025-03-27 00:03:13 +0000 UTCI too wish you the best in your writing endeavors. A rewrite seems premature. Rereading the older chapters to put together a bible of lore and character notes and refamiliarize yourself with material is good to maintain quality and avoid errors. You seem to have two pieces of fiction currently in progress and writing both of them will no doubt be keeping you busy. As a serial writer you need to build up a nice cushion to guard against the interruptions of life and allow for the occasional vacations. Rewriting should be for when you want to publish a chunk as an Indy novel on Amazon or wherever. Best wishes and good luck.
David K Dwyer
2025-03-22 01:03:31 +0000 UTCJoining patreon again for a few months or whatever i can afford, so happy your writing again! Just wanted to drop a comment with my thanks. Ive been off work with post concussion issues for the last 5 years and struggled a lot with anxiety and depression. Litrpg novels had just the right amount of action and low stakes that i could occupy my time and not get stressed from the story. Have read magic smithing through twice already for those reasons. Thought id mention it because it sounds like youve been going through your own mental health journey, super appreciative of your writing thus far and hope to read much more in the future!
Zelder
2025-03-21 00:49:47 +0000 UTCI just re read the whole thing and honestly didn’t notice any inconsistencies myself. Its a well crafted story and as a fellow perfectionist i can say that no mater how much you edit it will still be painful to look back at anything. I say that you should only look at the future and improve your process as you go, looking back is just going to stop you from making new exciting things and wont pay the bills or give us fans what we crave! Moar story! I love the world building and the story!
Patrik Rosén
2025-03-16 11:37:50 +0000 UTCAs a few others have said, I'm not totally against the idea of a rewrite... but for your own sake I'd wait until you're in a better place backlog/story-wise. Maybe during a 'filler' arc later down the line? Otherwise I can easily see you getting bogged down in endless rewriting, as a lot of webnovel writers unfortunately do. Still: at the end of the day it's your story and your life, do what makes you happy/satisfied.
Meridian Prime
2025-03-15 14:47:12 +0000 UTCGlad you are back but please continue the story as is. People will not die just because she didn't infuse a piece of wood with fire. At least not directly
Devin Williams
2025-03-14 23:33:50 +0000 UTCOr a good alternative to PureRef is Scrivener. You can use the free trial for 30 days
Draco Von Hellsing
2025-03-14 08:26:36 +0000 UTCI think going back and taking sone notes is good. Alternatively create a wiki with chapter by chapter details and enlist interested fans to populate it. But a lot of good webnovels have died on the pyre of re-writes. Typically they work best when the author has the full story written and then does their second pass upgrading the old chapters.
David Murphy
2025-03-12 17:09:19 +0000 UTCI'll be blunt about it - odds are you'll find yourself caught in a re-write loop. What I mean is: You'll go back, do some editing, then find that your changes impact future stuff and that'll need to change. Then as you make changes you'll find that you want to change other things as you go, which will further deviate. At which point you're asking yourself if you need to add/change other things earlier. The cycle starts over and you find yourself never satisfied and never progressing. And there's no one in any creative media, be it writing, film making, art or music, who doesn't look back at their earlier work and cringe at it. I'd say that's normal.
TooOldForThisShit
2025-03-12 04:20:49 +0000 UTCGood idea. Could make a spin off on other peoples perspective or the story of Tabitha's upbringing.
LilSaint001
2025-03-12 00:25:21 +0000 UTCRewriting would make a mess of things. I have followed so many writers that rewrote their older chapters and I never bothered to reread them. I guess its good for new readers but overall it down to you, You can do it now or do it in between or do it later. Up to you really
LilSaint001
2025-03-12 00:23:57 +0000 UTCI could get behind that...esp the part where the author is better able to manage some more money for there great creation.
Straven
2025-03-12 00:19:49 +0000 UTCMy grandmother is a book editor and her advice to an author like you I got her hooked on was to get to a point you can make easy non canon chapters (for that story it was a school arc) and then do a rewrite of the first like 50 chapters this way your still moving the story a little bit while fixing things you don't like (She also said it helps with selling it later if you want to do that.
Black Unicorn
2025-03-12 00:07:09 +0000 UTCAs a reader I wantt you to just plow on and start writing (I binge read) the entire book over the last few days. As an author, who is facing similar issues (I have two series each 400k in that I will need to restart at the end of the year) I understand where you are coming from. It is hard to continue writing the series without feeling like you're gettign things wrong after that length of time. Just be warned a re-write is a big effort and is no where near as fun as writing out new stuff. I would almost suggest you focus on writing another piece (Like you're doing) and try to do sixty percent on the new piece and forty percent on the re-write. Good luck. This is your choice and well done for writing such an amazing story. It was bittersweet when I reached the end because it was just that good.
Allan Greenwood
2025-03-11 22:05:12 +0000 UTCHi, I haven't read what others wrote, so I apologize if my thoughts are repetitious with other people. I'd recommend against doing a rewrite at this stage. That's slightly colored by my desire to enjoy the story going forward, but it is also about the practise of completing a story. I don't necessarily mean to the end of the end of the saga, but at least to a stopping point where you feel that the "novel" would stand alone as a complete book without leaving readers hanging. (And just to be clear, that doesn't mean some kind of cliffhanger ending). I can understand the desire to rewrite/polish earlier chapters. But I think you may find yourself feeling that you could do better again after another year or more of writing. I can also imagine your motivations for a rewrite; you haven't said, but I imagine that to be the case if you are looking to (self) publish "book 1" of the story. That's great, but be clear with yourself about your goals and the tradeoffs with your time. In the end, you need to decide how to balance your output with your growth as an author. You have been very honest about your struggles with stress, and I would say that you might make more progress as an author by focussing on consistent output, and leave polishing for a time, perhaps not far from now, when your chosen writing output is something that you can rely on. If that sounds harsh, then I've failed to convey the genuine well-wishes that I feel for your efforts and how much I've enjoyed the story so far. Good luck!
SteveC
2025-03-11 21:13:51 +0000 UTCGreat Author Kami. I have a recommendation for you if your willing to hear me out. I understand where you are at with the desire to do a rewrite and I get why others are against it so here is my recommendation. Set a plan to write 1 or 2 chapters a week with a set post day for the harry potter fic so you can keep new content available for your readers. Do a chapter summary for all the old chapters while doing this. Create a time line and maybe some charts and other docs for keeping track of the story. Once your to the current chapter and know what's going on you can work on the new chapters until you get to the end of the ark where pacore and them arrive in their kingdom empire whatever. Break down your existing chapters into what you would do physical book size prints. And do one book at a time on rewrites that you can publish on Amazon. This will let you do both in keeping up with new chapters and eventually within the year doing a solid rewrite for a reason other than perfectionism.. Let me know what you think boss love your works. Find your 😊 happy place
Scott Fellman
2025-03-11 20:26:43 +0000 UTCWhatever will ease the stress on your part...it sounds like you would feel better going back and editing...if not doing so is going to constantly be on your mind then do yourself a favour and get it over with.
David Eddy
2025-03-11 20:26:24 +0000 UTCPlus with the help of your readers comments, we can help by giving our different opinions on your story so you could more clearly see any flaws which should be edited to perfect your story. Nobody's perfect, but together perfect is a matter of time.
James Everhart
2025-03-11 19:14:10 +0000 UTCWhatever makes you happiest and allows you to complete this story.
LEMON
2025-03-11 19:06:03 +0000 UTCI think just by rereading and editing you can fix error, but not change it entirely, because it makes it feel more human when characters aren't perfect, cause who is.
James Everhart
2025-03-11 18:57:57 +0000 UTCAs I mentioned elsewhere, I read the whole story from the start. Yes, you've improved a lot. As someone who got stuck on a rewrite, I'd say don't do it. If you ever feel like something like that is needed, or you just can't get it out of your system, get a buddy, an editor, or some other help to keep things progressing. There's no shame in asking for help. I'd also suggest to only start it after a point in the story where changes won't really affect the story as it continues. For example, after leaving with Pacore or Tabitha for Scholl (which I feel like is going to happen, maybe after the baby is born, but who knows), when changes won't affect the part of the story you're still going to write. Basically, after 'book 1'. Or book 2, whatever, you know what I mean. Now, you can also ask us to help you with the continuity rather than looking up everything yourself. The last update we got of the wall was when Kervin arrived at the village in 109.3: "The last time we were here, there wasn't much to look at, but they had already built maybe a hundred feet of wall in only a month." and “It looks like they’re only going ten feet high; I could scale that in two seconds.” Next chapter is the start of the expedition into the mana dense region, but it's hard to tell how much time passed I'm having trouble establishing the timeline for Sandra's pregnancy, maybe someone else can help? Anything else we can help with?
Oskatat
2025-03-11 17:25:10 +0000 UTCI enjoy the story and would be glad if there were one new chapter a week. Can you manage that and still do some rewriting? There is a LOT of back story, so a full revision will take you some time.
Scott, just Scott
2025-03-11 16:07:15 +0000 UTCI am a bit conflicted. While there may be some mistakes in the early stages (not that I noticed any significant in any of my rereads) of the story, it also has its very own unique charm in style and feeling. I can also sympathise in wanting to avoid any continuity errors. So i can't agree on any of both options. I would propose that you dont rewrite the story (maybe just fix minor already acurred continuity errors) and just take the time to bring your notes up to date. PS: Thank you for writing
Dr. Rage
2025-03-11 13:59:04 +0000 UTCI haven’t really noticed anything inconsistent in the story. I have been enjoying it and I’m glad that you are back. I have the problem of wanting to read more of your story
Ken
2025-03-11 12:44:10 +0000 UTCAlso, I found writing on platforms like Campfire to be incredibly helpful. You can make characters, items, magic, and systems for stats and such all easily accessible and updatable. I know the problem of forgetting something when you write. This was one of the programs online I found incredibly helpful. Hope that helps!
Undead Writer
2025-03-11 11:56:25 +0000 UTCI won't vote because writing is deeply personal. If rewriting is necessary for you to feel comfortable with writing then rewrite. Your audience waited this long, they can wait a bit longer.
Tyicius
2025-03-11 11:47:57 +0000 UTCI think that this is a situation most writers find themselves in. We always want to go back a change what we previously wrote to be better. However, no matter how much we edit and change, it will always feel like we need to do more. The big thing is to TRUST YOURSELF! Yes it’s been years, but do not let yourself fall into the pit writers get of constantly needing to edit your previous work. Just keep moving forward. Make a summary of things in the village, people, etc to remind yourself, but don’t let yourself get tricked into spending weeks trying to edit things. Push forward until you reach the end of the current book. A great writer I look up to always said, “THE TIME FOR EDITS COMES AFTER THE CURRENT BOOK ENDS! YOUR WRITING WILL NEVER BE PERFECT AND THATS OK!” “A good writer sees the story before them, not the mistakes of the past. An editor or even you can look the whole thing over once that book’s overarching story closes. That way you have a completed the beginning, middle, and end and can edit the whole story, seeing it all clearly laid out in front of you.” Hope this helps!
Undead Writer
2025-03-11 11:44:34 +0000 UTCThis is what i want to see in these kinds of stories, your continuous improvements, trust me i’ve reread your story like 6 times and like how you can see the improvement, again if it can help you, make a discord with your readers so we can point things you might have forgotten
P Bogdan
2025-03-11 11:32:37 +0000 UTCA great thing to say in situations like this is that a single person can't think of everything. Just use that if you end up forgetting something, and let it me a mistake the character made.
Captdeth
2025-03-11 10:25:01 +0000 UTCOne thing you could do to help with continuity errors is to compile a list of things you cannot remember like the pregnancy and the state of the village and post that list here so that us as readers can help go through the story and get the relevant information for you as someone that not that long ago did a full reading of your story I honestly don't think it requires a rewrite and would honestly be really sad to have to wate months for new content
Freya
2025-03-11 09:22:18 +0000 UTCAs a first answer I always want to answer : Do what is best for you. Which is why you think before speaking. Because, a rewrite....I have NEVER seen one of these done. It always kill the fic. ALWAYS. And now that there is hope I think I shall cry if this go in Limbo ad vitam eternam. I don't know why rewrite never make it. But that's what happen and I have hoped time and time again that this one would be different...but in the end I feel like the girl always finding a good excuse to bad behaviour. It doesn't work, no if, no but about it. I understand that it is painfull to read something that you can see is , for you, not perfect. In France we say : "Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien." Which I can try to translate in " The Best is the enemy of the good". And always trying to reach the perfect end goal is often impossible and even if it is frustratring and infuriating it is almost always best to stop when you are at a good point. As your reader I'm telling you, you are at a good point. Not your best probably but you can't reach your best. Life is always pushing your limite, what is your best Today will probably only be the good of your tomorrow. Your readers already love what is there, we don't need you to come back on your past chapters. If you can't bear to read them ask us or put yout text in a AI and ask it . My honest opinion is that you can't rewrite a fanfic until it's perfect. It doesn't happen, and it's not needed. Maybe ask your psy his opinion too? Because if he think that it would honestly help you then maybe it's not good for the fic but it's good for you. In which case I'll go back to mourningthe fic but better it than you.
Iphigelina
2025-03-11 09:22:08 +0000 UTCWhile I do think a rewrite would be beneficial, I'd suggest you do this at a point when there is a natural break, something that could be considered the end of book 1. Or doing it along side current uploads depending on your schedule. I recently reread the while story and it isn't as bad as you're making it out to be, and honestly seeing your growth is kinda nice.
ianh16
2025-03-11 08:35:20 +0000 UTCAnd you don't need to upload that new content until you finish it. So while you continue with the main story
Sebastian Romero Zapata
2025-03-11 07:48:47 +0000 UTCI think that if you want to rewrite the chapters to remember the story and give more details to the story, there is no problem, so you will be inspired with new ideas for the future.
Sebastian Romero Zapata
2025-03-11 07:45:43 +0000 UTCThanks for keeping us in the known. I don't think it's a good idea to pause the story now that you've finally got it started again and got a flow going. I've also just finished a whole reread when I saw you became active again, and while I did notice some inconsistencies, overall it was a very nice reading experience, even if the earlier chapters where a bit rougher, the story is solid enough it drags you through until things get better. I'd suggest keeping the story going, reread it at your leisure, make notes where you notice an inconsistency, and give it time to consider all angles so you don't add new inconsistencies. For the example of lighting the logs, I didn't think of it as an inconsistency. In earlier chapters you described how the trees contained vast amounts of mana, to the point of compressing it down into actual water. Considering how hard they were to cut down and how much energy they provided in her makeshift forge once they got going, it seems logical they'd be to hard interfere with and beyond Aaliyah's ability to inject a spell into. It's also not like she had spare logs to experiment with. So take your time to reread and take notes, prepare for a rewrite if you want to, but keep things going forward foremost. We know this is a draft and we're more then happy with some inconsistencies and retconning if that what it takes to keep the story flowing.
Enthernal
2025-03-11 07:45:38 +0000 UTCRewrites are really difficult, especially for a story this long, you have to really commit to doing it quick, otherwise loads of people leave. On the other hand, this sounds like something that could really affect your motivation for writing if not done. I am of the opinion that edits like this are best done in tandem with usual updates, even though it's much slower for both sides.
Stubbsee
2025-03-11 07:44:55 +0000 UTCPersonally I am against a full rewrite at this moment, as that is what can easily kill a story. From readability point, the earlier chapters are perfectly readable, even if the quality improvement can be seen, so that is not something that needs immediate attention. Therefore, the only real problem is the continuity errors, but I personally thing that minor ones are ignorable, or can be outsourced to community. If you want to improve the chapters quality regardless, I would recommend doing it "on-the-side", slowly over time, treating it like preparing the story for publishing. (Usually that would imply having a good editor alongside it too) Honestly, I think best alternative would be to take just the notes from the chapters, as rewrite could imho harm even the note taking. The story at this point is approaching the "massive" mark, taking nearly a week to even just quickly read it...
Roukanken
2025-03-11 07:14:11 +0000 UTCRather then rewriting it all at once, have you considered alternating between releasing new chapters and updating old ones? That way the wait won't be too torturous for those eagerly awaiting more, but you'll still get to fix the older parts.
Robmart
2025-03-11 07:07:42 +0000 UTCThis is why we are here brother
P Bogdan
2025-03-11 07:05:48 +0000 UTCIf you wanna do something interesting for you notes download a program called PureRef. It’s free. In the program you can do ctrl+n to add notes and upload images. With infinite zoom in and zoom out capability. Utilizing your kingdom map as time stamps and then infinite zoom in on certain location where you would make the relative note for that location. Like scenery, lore, importance, and so on. Then you can go online and find reference photos to help your brain mentally picture things. Like photos of everything Aaliyah has forged, and so on. This creating a giant mental map of notes and images. And because these documents can be infinitely big and infinitely expanded, you can do some cool shit with them.
Moon Winchester
2025-03-11 06:40:09 +0000 UTCWe’ve been waiting for h them to return to Spotted Creek for so long it would be pretty counterproductive to focus on anything else
heh
2025-03-11 06:39:01 +0000 UTCSo, I've been a games master for dungeons and dragons for almost twelve years now. What i personally recommend is to have a small notebook or word document where you you have the main story beats and important details that you want your players (in this case readers) to learn about. It may sound a little classical of me, but for things like remembering her inject mana, you can just say that her spell was simply not potent enough to interact with th wood and roll that into future improvements. I personally always recommend to keep writing. Do not stop until the book is finished. If we notice a little something out of order, the readers will comment on it here and you can add a couple lines if needs be. Something to remember is that perfection in fantasy writing is simply not possible. Even Tolkien didn't describe or write about every little thing in the Lord of the Rings or the Silmarilion. If you notice something important that you forgot about to mention in prior chapters, you can take advantage of the fact that you are not using an Omniscient point of view and simply add "she had not noticed it before" and write in that she is learning to be less so focused on her work. Her point of view is *not* perfect as has been previously established. For the inject mana issue I'd strongly recommend that she can include a chapter or something where she finds her main skill that kicked off her magical journey is no longer sufficient and she starts to work on experimenting. Ideas like her using her mana threads to inject comes to mind. In any case, I recommend that every five chapters or so (number dependant on you) ask for a little "hey, what did you all think of this last little interaction? I tried something different, did it work?" I personally do it all the time "hey guys what did you think of this session or battle? Was the energy shield too much or just right?" (Thank you for coming to my TED talk)
CelestialNight
2025-03-11 06:24:45 +0000 UTCHave you tried loading the complete book into, say, the Google Gemini AI, and asking it your questions? (Check against some questions you know the answers for, so you can assess the degree to which it's making up things that are wrong.)
Eliezer
2025-03-11 06:04:49 +0000 UTCAs a reader of RR and Pateron I know that I'm getting a first draft and I enjoy watching authors like yourself grow. I personally am ok with the past and would enjoy new content as I'm quite excited to see what happens next. That said, what's best for you the author? I've been here (on and off again) for almost the whole time so I don't think another few months will matter. Do what's best for you. If I could give you my armchair opinion (to be taken with a large grain of salt) it would be to finish them back in town, give a few chapters there, let us readers have our reactions, THEN PAUSE, do what you need to do, and hopefully continue. What I could see happening is it taking significantly longer to correct than planned. Why because as I say at work: take the time you think you need, add time for interruptions, then add another few weeks/months to account for all the unplanned bullshit that gets in the way. Then you should be able to deliver on time with some last minute panic. So Cheers and either way works. Edit: @Morten Bork said it nicely too, don't stop the forward momentum. We enjoy watching the improvements.
Justin
2025-03-11 05:57:04 +0000 UTCThere is a map in the chapter where they discuss buulding the wall. That might help your image of the village
Ninta Silverwind
2025-03-11 05:51:38 +0000 UTCMy preference is whichever course of action is best for your mental health. Then, if multiple options exist which are good for your mental health, whichever one does not result in several more years of hiatus. Do you have anyone who looks over your work, or do you work alone? If you work alone, have you considered starting a discord? I am sure there are several of us who would be more than happy to help you go through and summarize or find information if you cannot remember it. Regarding the urge to rewrite where you feel you could now do better, perhaps you could split down the middle. Spend one month rewriting/planning and the next month writing new chapters. Alternate until you have caught up to the point where you do not feel rewrites are currently necessary.
Torn2.0
2025-03-11 05:49:17 +0000 UTCYou being happy with where you work is matters more for the life of the project as a whole than our short term feelings. Do what allows you to move forward comfortably.
TheGooseDaddy
2025-03-11 05:48:01 +0000 UTCWait until you finish the story to do a rewrite. Take care of your mental health first and foremost though.
White Neko Knight
2025-03-11 05:38:27 +0000 UTCWhat helps as well, is that you use the first Person, which allows the person, to forget Things.
Timo Immig
2025-03-11 05:33:44 +0000 UTCI needed about 2 weeks for a reread and that is without taking notes
Timo Immig
2025-03-11 05:31:56 +0000 UTCJust slap a note on it explaning.
Luboš Hemala
2025-03-11 05:18:05 +0000 UTCIt's not the worst time for a rewrite, since you're kind of at the end of a large plot arc, but I suspect it wouldn't help. Especially when you're not finding joy in your work, I think it'd do more harm than good to your will to write. Remember, we all like this story, even if it's not perfect to your eyes!
Ash
2025-03-11 05:11:22 +0000 UTCHave a look at obsidian, my DM uses it to write the recaps. And what I saw of it, it keeps track of all references so when you want to read something back it is much easier
Aran Kieskamp
2025-03-11 05:09:26 +0000 UTCYou should not fix the older chapters. YET. If you go back every two years and fix stuff, you will never finish, and each iteration will introduce more problems as you struggle to remember what you retconned. Also you are supposed to look back and think, "I could do better now" because as you write, it's years ago. Those earlier chapters aren't bad. You just got better. This is a win, not a failure. fix it when you have a stronger sense of where the story needs to be, meaning nearing done. Even if that takes decades, because it's easier to retcon something, when you have the entire outline. Retcon when you are in the middle causes you to take tangents in order to "fix" selfmade problems. Continue to write, get an editor if you are afraid of basic mistakes. And if you feel the story itself needs s polish? Wait till you are done. If you rewrite it ever 2-3 years, your rewrites will eventually take 2-3 years. If you MUST fix. Then segment chapters Into volumes, and fix a volume at a time. But don't stop writing the story. Rehashing content and writing new content is not the same. Every new chapter is a chapter you can look back on in 2-3 years and think "I can do better now...." But without that chapter, you will never get to that place.
Morten Bork
2025-03-11 04:50:57 +0000 UTCEs más cualquier cosa nueva en la aldea se asumirá que fue el progreso y esfuerzo de los aldeanos, escribe que hay cosas nuevas, será genial ver al hermano de Aaliyah brillar.
Lilimu u.u
2025-03-11 04:41:18 +0000 UTCI don't mean to sound insensitive when I write this comment, but it seems like your current issues could be solved by outsourcing and half-assing a little bit. Wouldn't it just be easier to go back and add a couple lines about how she tried injecting mana into the roots like with her hammer, but similar to how they were as tough as iron, they resisted her low tier magic spell really well too? Then the value proposition of using the tier two spell, using that opportunity to train to overcome her limits, or getting themselves the heck out of the hole with a functional shield and mana shield caused them to lean more towards getting the heck out of the hole with a functional shield and mana shield? For the summarizing of the chapters you could probably put a single or few trusted OCD active discord fans on it. Actually, I don't know if there is a discord or if it's active, maybe ignore that.
Paxmorgana
2025-03-11 04:41:08 +0000 UTCI'm fine with continuing on as is. I've re-read the story a few times and still enjoy it. If you want/need to edit prior chapters, I'd suggest doing so if you choose to publish. That said, if it'd be better for your wellness to edit them sooner than later, do so.
Jon Davin
2025-03-11 04:34:55 +0000 UTCBeen here my dude, been here a lot.
Wandering Agent
2025-03-11 04:31:50 +0000 UTCCreo que los errores son algo que le da esa sensación de una verdadera historia. No quiero una historia perfecta; Quiero una que me haga pensar en el porqué de algunas cosas y en posibles escenarios. Creo que los comentarios y los posibles escenarios son geniales, y cuando me das algo que no pensamos, es increíble. La sensación es la misma cuando el escenario es el que sí pensamos los lectores. Lo de encender los troncos… Yo, personalmente, pensé que era porque el maná ambiental está cargado hacia el elemento agua, ese es un ejemplo. Así que si no recuerdas algo lee la historia desde los capítulos cuando ella deja la aldea 114 la verdad yo la leo desde la mitad, si cometes errores nosotros los lectores le daremos sentido así que no te preocupes tanto y disfruta de escribir.
Lilimu u.u
2025-03-11 04:30:28 +0000 UTCFor what you're saying I get how hard it's for you to read everything and edit it, the best option in my opinion would be to continue the story and if you want to eventually print it or distribute in a form of e-book that would be the time for the edit. The story doesn't have that many inconsistencies and it doesn't bothers me, if someone points one out you can edit that part if you find it necessary. Please continue to take care of your mental health and I appreciate how you reach out to us instead of just going silent.
Edgar Ghz
2025-03-11 04:21:54 +0000 UTCI think if you ever decide to publish then would be the time for rewrites. I feel like self uploaded content is perfectly reasonable to have flaws. Side note, glad the stories back. I'd very much prefer the story advances.
Nick
2025-03-11 04:20:56 +0000 UTCI have read the this at least 4 times now and I'm fine with things not matching up. What I adore is the spirit of the whole thing! Thanks for asking us readers
Billy Warrilow
2025-03-11 04:14:52 +0000 UTCFirst of all, thank you for reaching out to us readers. It had to be a scary thing to admit that you are struggling with this project. I appreciate being told that you are trying to work through it rather than being left in the dark. As someone who works in a technical field, I can confirm that simple solutions are forgotten all the time. Especially in high stress situations. It is entirely plausible to forget something and then think back on it later like, ''oh man, why didn't I do it that way?'' Rather than going back to edit little things like that, you can insert a blurb where Aaliyah lements not doing it the easy way.
WanderingPB
2025-03-11 04:11:42 +0000 UTCYou know you better than I know you but from my passing knowledge you seem the sort to obsess over details and polish something until it's dust in your hand at which point you spiral. If you want to change something or rewrite something... It's your story but I'm not certain it's time yet. Rereading your work, taking notes and getting to remember your old plans is great buttt... Id put an explanatory chapter in your setup and just keep going. If you do a thing and feel good enough about it to go back and rewrite something, that's cool. Just mark it in the description as (rewritten) and bobs your uncle. I get the feeling you won't really know what this story is about until you're done though. It's been done over so many years of your life, of course old themes are going to feel like the voice of a younger person at a different stage of life. Better yet, maybe you can take advantage and have Aaliyah reflect how she has grown up along side you.
Valderan
2025-03-11 04:08:09 +0000 UTCI voted for "Rewrite", but on the assumption that it would help you write more than hinder. Mental Health is paramount, so if you believe a rewrite will be detrimental to you then please don't do it! I'm perfectly happy living with the inconsistencies, since I most likely won't remember it either. If rewriting the start of the story helps you get back into the groove, and get into a better place, then please go ahead and do it. I'm invested in the story, and unless you decide to do a table-flip and say "Screw you" to the audience/fan, I'll be here until the end of the story :)
Cheuk Hin Ho
2025-03-11 04:05:08 +0000 UTCTo be blunt, all but like one or two stories on RR have died when a rewrite was started. There arent any major continuity errors, and the ones pointed out here are trivial, and almost no one cares about them. Moving forward is the best and if someone catches a continuity error you can briefly update your chapters as they come out
Derek Walker
2025-03-11 04:03:09 +0000 UTCI've reread this story a couple of times, and I'm very satisfied with what has been written so far. Could there be improvements outside of simple editing/typo corrections? Sure, but they are not critical to the enjoyment of the story as it stands.
M. Lampi
2025-03-11 03:59:20 +0000 UTCI originally voted for the rewrite but then read the comments and yeah. Don't strive for perfection. Get to a good place and go from there. I'd almost suggest using AI to help you refresh memory on plot outline. 🤔 Not to write the story but to remember the past vs going through everything yourself. Then again your only 120 chapters in. A couple chapters a day would see you done in 6 weeks? That you've returned after your previous hiatus is major props to your desire to complete it.
Daniel
2025-03-11 03:58:39 +0000 UTCYou've said before how bad you think those early chapters were and after recently re-reading the story I have to disagree. There might be things you want to do better but I don't anything that seems worth that effort. If you ever decide to publish this as a proper book then that would be the time to do that rework IMO. No man is an island. By that I mean that maybe you don't need to work through this stage alone. Pick one or two people you trust, either online or IRL, and talk to them about what you are working on. Have them do a fresh read through of the story and let them help you track continuity errors. And if something like the fire thing slips through then don't sweat it. You and Aaliyah were both focused on the cleaning spell so that's what was used in the fight. Same thing happens IRL when people are under extreme stress.
Hamfist
2025-03-11 03:52:57 +0000 UTCI recommend do NOT go back and re-write. That's a job for editing when the story is done. All too often web-serial/fanfiction authors go back to re-write previous chapters, and it ends up getting in the way of new chapters and moving the story forward. A lot of stories die that way. I'm not saying it can't be done. It's certainly possible that you might be able to gradually rework through old chapters while also regularly posting new content. But it would be HARD splitting your focus like that, whereas instead focusing exclusively on reworking old chapters could easily end up meaning another year or more or never before the story is actually continued even if you don't actually intend for the rewrite to take very long. So please, avoid this pitfall, and just focus on moving forward.
Karei
2025-03-11 03:46:39 +0000 UTCIt could be good either way. You could also see if those reading on patreon would be willing to catch stuff like that for you. so you can write at your own pace, post here, have comments about things like seasons and village layout and then do a quick edit of your new chapter. after a bit of that you would be able to get back on track for remembering those details, keep writing to prevent yourself from spiraling due to not writing and you can lessen your own burden a bit. you don't have to do all the heavy lifting yourself on this. You kept us all around because of how good your story is. I am sure more then a few of us would not mind being apart of the story in a small way by helping you remember things so that they can keep reading your amazing story.
ShadowWolf1457
2025-03-11 03:45:17 +0000 UTCI'd say strike while the iron is hot with writing, you're just getting back into so a rewrite could kill your momentum. Finish the story arc / one more, peeps here and an editor will pick up most inconsistencies. You can fix everything else when you go to publish.
Samuel McCarren
2025-03-11 03:37:23 +0000 UTCI agree
nfi42
2025-03-11 03:36:47 +0000 UTCI think Patreon is a great way to deal with small continuity issues as they come up. This is basically the early release so it's ok to make mistakes.
mechajlaw
2025-03-11 03:36:04 +0000 UTCThe question isn't really one we can answer, because the question is basically "which way helps me write better/enjoy writing more". If you decide the best way to move the story forward is to first edit it, go for it. If you decide that you can deal with the errors in the early chapters and move forward, then go for that.
Michael Maor
2025-03-11 03:33:03 +0000 UTCThat would be great for the story for its preciseness. Also will be interesting to read your thoughts about how you feel your own world and characters. Maybe there will be some big changes, who knows? And maybe you will leave everything as is and accept your development not only as an author but also as a person (x2 who knows?). But you have to know - we all in love with your story For now, all we can do is imagine the interactions of the characters and their reactions to what is happening. Just be sure to share your thoughts with us. I hope that we could help you some way.
Fortuner
2025-03-11 03:32:02 +0000 UTCI've seen a lot more stories die to a quick rewrite/revision process than I've seen come out the other side. Some manage it, but sort of by definition the early sections were still good enought to temp everyone here to keep going. I've always though of web serials as television compared to a novel's movie - the early seasons aren't perfect, there are some episodes that feel put of place in the context of later seasons, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the show would be better off without them. Some of the meandering and finding a voice is part of the charm.
Sean Carter
2025-03-11 03:29:48 +0000 UTCMe parece que deberias seguir con la historia considera la historia como una web novel osea el borrador de la historia. Y cuando termines tu historia nos das la alegria de publicar un libro completo con toda la historia corregida no pienses mucho en los detalles ya estas haciendo un gran trabajo y tu yo pasado hizo también un buen trabajo.
Brayan :v
2025-03-11 03:27:40 +0000 UTCI think there’s a balance here; maybe read through everything and make a timeline, then make a second more consistent timeline you want to stick to going forward and share that with us, then alternate, spend a week on a new chapter and a week editing the old to match the new timeline, that way it’s less overwhelming from both ends.
Wolf Man
2025-03-11 03:23:53 +0000 UTCYo me lei la historia mas de 1 ves y no esta mal considerando la buena historia que hiciste.
Brayan :v
2025-03-11 03:23:47 +0000 UTCI think you should continue with the story while editing the earlier chapters for publishing.
Ashywar Bhardwaj
2025-03-11 03:23:42 +0000 UTCGet an editor. A free one, if needs be. They can deal with and fix the easy spelling, grammatical, graphical, and continuity errors. For stuff they can't fix, they can ask you. I'm a perfectionist, with bipolar, and I think re-reading your old stuff now would set back all your progress. If your writing wasn't good, you wouldn't have so many paying patrons. So, accept that it is good, it gets even better, do the creative thing and don't start obsessing about past small errors. Maybe ask or pay someone to create a synopsis of each chapter to help you going forward.
Samantha Lane
2025-03-11 03:23:37 +0000 UTCI think it speaks to how loved this story is with how many people are immediately here to comment and back you up within ten minutes of you posting.
Ember
2025-03-11 03:22:33 +0000 UTCI want to follow up by saying, I'm not here for perfection, I like the story plot holes and all. Someone else said that if you aren't changing the plot then it isn't really a rewrite and is more of an edit. If that's the case then rewriting once you're at a good stopping point makes more sense to me
Michael Olson
2025-03-11 03:22:17 +0000 UTCIm torn on this to be honest. I can understand and respect to desire to rewrite but dont see it as critical unless you are going to publish (which you should consider). That being said im reminded of something i read once: When an author annoinces they are taking some time off I intellectually understand and wish them the best. Emotionally I want to grab the magic word person and shake them until all the stories fall out.
Majormajor78
2025-03-11 03:21:28 +0000 UTCOption 3: I'm OK with continuity errors, period. Lol But seriously, probably a blend of the 2. Write the new story, continuity errors and all included, then re-write a chapter or 2, then back to new chapters. .
Kyfe
2025-03-11 03:21:18 +0000 UTCPerfectionism is hard, and I really empathize with how challenging it must be to refresh yourself on the earlier portions of your story. Ultimately, it's your call what you want to do, and I intend to fully support whatever decision you go with. That said, you did ask, so I'll share my thoughts: I don't think you should do the rewrite from a place of anxiety and trying to cope with perfectionism. It'll be hard and it won't be rewarding in equal measure to what it'll cost you, emotionally. I feel that right now, the best thing you can do is keep your writing as energy net-positive if you can. Sustainability of your writing is in my opinion the most important aspect of keeping yourself healthy and writing in general. But at the end of the day, I have nothing but kind thoughts and feelings towards you and your writing and I hope you can find as much grace for a younger you that was doing their best as you can. Perfection is a moving target! You'll always improve and your best will improve with it.
Rayse
2025-03-11 03:20:54 +0000 UTCDon't stew in your past. Just try to improve the next thing you do a little at a time. I've seen so many authors spiral into burnout writing and re-writing a passage. Sometimes there's a point where it's good enough and you need to move on. And to be sure, it is good enough. It's an enjoyable read.
AlbusScitus
2025-03-11 03:20:28 +0000 UTCIn my opinion it's fine to do a large scale edit, preferably between arks not right neer the end of one.
Charles Hughes
2025-03-11 03:19:37 +0000 UTCYeah I also reread the story. And the first few chapters do have problems... but like, you can fix them as you write. You can always edits chapters for errors, and you have readers to tell you in case uou made any you didn't notice. Aliyah is probably going to leave spotted creak village anyways very soon would she not? What's the point of focusing on the past where you still need to plan her trip to scholl? I love what you write, and I think I'm speaking for many people here when I'm saying it doesn't need to be perfect, or even good from your prespective. You're still writing the equivalant of fanfiction. There are no deadlines or critiques for you to pass, and the only people who'll judge you for writing are idiots. Honestly, just do whatever you want.
deus vault
2025-03-11 03:19:19 +0000 UTCYou can do whatever you like. If you make an error we can point it out to you. I think none of us would be here if we judged you harshly based on the early chapters. We had to read them to get to the later ones after all, and I am not afraid to admit that I am perfectly happy to drop any story I feel doesn't have promise in the first few chapters and yet I still managed to follow yours till now. Just... Don't judge yourself by them. I'd suggest a more in depth rewrite to clear things up and make it flow better if you decide to edit it for a book release, otherwise only do it if you really feel the need to do so, for your own sake.
PickledTink
2025-03-11 03:18:40 +0000 UTCOooof. That one's tough. I think a rewrite would be great but I also feel like it could put you in the perfectionist pit that you're trying to avoid. I would honestly do both. Like. Keep writing (once you've reread your work and made your notes) but absolutely allow yourself to go back and rewrite. But like. After you've started moving forward. I think that balance where you're rewriting with what's coming up in mind will be be better.
Ember
2025-03-11 03:18:23 +0000 UTCDo whatever you feel you need to do and try not to stress about it. If you need it to be as close to prefect as possible, I respect that. I'm just here for cool characters making/doing cool things.
pseudonymSean
2025-03-11 03:18:15 +0000 UTCI think that whatever will make you the happiest writer is what you should do. If going back and editing your earlier chapters feel necessary to move forward, then I think you should do that, but if it doesn’t feel necessary for you as an author, then just take the notes you need and move forward. Either way… if you’re happier with your work and with yourself, you’re going to be more able to write the story that you want to write… and that’s what’s important. 💜
Holly Harris
2025-03-11 03:17:56 +0000 UTCI'm not an author or an artist or anything like that, so what I say is second hand at best, but; when people begin to rewrite a story, they tend not to finish rewriting it, and end up abandoning the story (again, in my experience). I'm fine with continuity errors, since it's the growth and effort of the characters that I care about, rather than the finer details.
Deathburn
2025-03-11 03:17:42 +0000 UTCIt makes no sense to rewrite before ending the story. You will for sure need to rewrite again in the future to fix some good idea you will have then. Just make a note of what needs to be changed and wait, in my opinion
Dumniezo
2025-03-11 03:17:37 +0000 UTCI'm gonna take a middle ground here. Finish up this arc, then go back and rewrite egregious errors. I want more, and I want you to enjoy writing it. Personally, stopping in the middle of something to do refactoring means I forget what I was trying to do in thr first place
Michael Olson
2025-03-11 03:17:36 +0000 UTCMy thoughts are to do whatever you feel is best. I voted for the rewrite but honestly those sorts of continuity errors don't bother me at all. Looking at your past reading and seeing it as imperfect also allows you to see how much you've grown which I think can be important.
Richard David Reily
2025-03-11 03:17:28 +0000 UTCThank you so much for reaching out. I know it's a hard thing sometimes. But as someone who has been reading and been on patreon since chapter 23 I really appreciate that you have done so
Jachin Nelson
2025-03-11 03:16:57 +0000 UTCI'm feeling withdrawal like an addict I need my next fix lol
Laurent Catudal
2025-03-11 03:16:06 +0000 UTCWhile I’m not against a eventual rewrite, I think that spending more time on rewriting past chapters when we as readers are still not getting consistent chapters after a long hiatus is really bad timing.
Hetian Yu
2025-03-11 03:15:58 +0000 UTCOk, I marked it as no rewrite, but minor changes to make certain things make more sense is really just editing, you know? So long as you don't change the actual plot it isn't really a rewrite, is it? It's not like you're officially published anywhere, so don't sweat the small stuff
austin kutz
2025-03-11 03:15:55 +0000 UTC
