Sometimes when writing a story, we can go in the wrong direction. It’s not until after the story is finished that we realize our mistakes. We edit the story and discover things that aren’t working or key events that take the story in the wrong direction. It can be a frustrating experience.
One example is a betrayal that shouldn’t be in the story. Another is a villain who has the wrong backstory. Or the protagonist could’ve made illogical or careless decisions that take the story the wrong way.
When we catch these mistakes, we end up rewriting scenes or chapters. We might even notice that something is missing from the story, such as dialogue or a scene. It’s a lot of work, but necessary for the story.
When we realize the story is going in the wrong direction, it makes us take a step back and look at the big picture. It’s an opportunity to improve the story and fix plot holes and inconsistencies. It’s better we fix them now rather than have the reader catch them for us.
It’s an arduous and painful process. We don’t want to admit we were wrong from the start, or that there were flaws with our ideas. Perhaps we feel defeated and we want to scrap the project altogether. But it happens with any story we work on. We have to put it back together–refine it until its whole and complete.
Fallton Havenstonne 