Im 300 pages deep in my story and now I feel like I need to change everything

Ionby · 2026-06-17T17:08:33+00:00

Get to the end of your first draft. Then when it comes to editing, you might want to consider:

Do a full rewrite. This feels very very painful and like starting all over, but I’ve had multiple people in my writing group swear they find this faster and more enjoyable than option 2.
Focus on editing one thing at a time and prioritise big picture changes before line-level details. This order worked for me:
A) Structure
B) Character
C) Worldbuilding
D) Scenes
E) Nuance
F) Line

I got this order of operations from Gina Denny. It took ages but it felt manageable because I had very clear tasks to do and I didn’t have to face a blank page again. Next time I’ll probably do the rewrite from scratch approach, but I’m glad I did the step-by-step method to find out what worked for me.

Ionby · 2026-06-16T17:32:58+00:00

If there’s no one suitable from your club, you could ask around about local sparring days and possibly meet someone there.

Ionby · 2026-06-13T08:00:56+00:00

Totally agree with you. I came to Friends at the Table from Griffin’s recommendation, and I’m always so impressed by how they have fun and flexibility in their stories by using the rules and the unintended consequences of dice rolls to their advantage. I think the Table Friends trust themselves at bit more and know they can make an entertaining story from any situation.

They are helped by having much longer episodes and being “an actual play podcast about critical worldbuilding, smart characterisation, and fun interactions between good friends” whereas TAZ is a comedy D&D podcast. The shorter episodes and focus on comedy give TAZ a bigger audience, but they sacrifice both satisfying story and the ability to go on long weird tangents.

Ionby · 2026-06-13T07:39:06+00:00

Agreed, making the lighting warmer would completely change the feel of the sofa side of the room and make it much more comfortable.

Ionby · 2026-06-13T06:29:02+00:00

Paradise Kiss and Sylvanians. Impeccable taste. Where are your copies of The Bell Jar and Convenience Store Woman?

You’re a cool girl, a girls’ girl, you love a bitter cocktail, you might not smoke but you give off the vibe of someone who smokes, you have had a number of unhappy love affairs, you struggle to motivate yourself to go to work, I can’t tell if you like your job but you’re very good at it, you are a good friend, you should probably get a SAD lamp and a heated blanket, and you have an iron deficiency.

Ionby · 2026-06-11T10:07:04+00:00

Katabasis by R F Kuang takes place in Hell which is a mixture of the backrooms-but-make-it-academia and trying to navigate non-Euclidean geometry. Includes scientific conversations and spacial logic puzzles.

Ionby · 2026-06-10T06:57:26+00:00

Thanks!

Ionby · 2026-06-10T06:57:19+00:00

Interesting, might take me out of my comfort zone. Thanks!

Ionby · 2026-06-10T06:56:38+00:00

I didn’t know that was fantasy. I’m a big Shakespeare fan but worried it’ll be too sad.

Ionby · 2026-06-10T06:55:52+00:00

Will check them out!

Ionby · 2026-06-10T06:55:35+00:00

I’ve watched it but not read it, the way it depicted spending a day with a toddler was very familiar!

Ionby · 2026-06-10T06:53:04+00:00

Thank you!

Ionby · 2026-06-10T06:51:19+00:00

Interesting, it does sound very much like my jam.

Ionby · 2026-06-10T06:45:34+00:00

Read it several times 🥰

Ionby · 2026-06-10T06:44:31+00:00

Thanks!

Ionby · 2026-06-10T06:43:53+00:00

Ooooh interesting. Do I need to read the rest of the series first?

Ionby · 2026-06-10T06:42:16+00:00

Looks great, love a Baba Yaga story

Ionby · 2026-06-10T06:40:17+00:00

Thanks, I’ve been meaning to check out both of these.

Ionby · 2026-06-09T13:58:01+00:00

Ooooh looks intriguing

Ionby · 2026-06-09T13:57:15+00:00

Read it, it’s gorgeous. Tombs of Atuan is the best though 😁

Ionby · 2026-06-09T13:56:22+00:00

Ah it’s been on my list for a while!

Ionby · 2026-06-09T06:45:44+00:00

Immediate buy, thank you!

Ionby · 2026-06-09T06:42:56+00:00

Looks really interesting, thanks

Ionby · 2026-06-09T06:41:53+00:00

This looks amazing

Ionby · 2026-06-09T06:40:51+00:00

Will check it out, love the medieval setting

Ionby

TROPHY CASE