So I'm the author of a (probably largely forgotten) fanfiction called Children of the Revolution. I first started the fic over 10 years ago (Christ.), but it's something I've come back to and written in bursts every few years.
Really, what I probably should have done is scrapped it entirely, but I've come back to this story so many times that I'm attached to it. I know how it ends, I know where I want it to go!!
But the problem with writing a story over such a long period of time is how much you as a writer change over that time. My style has changed, my beliefs have changed, my understanding of the world etc.
So just over a year ago I decided I was going to do a full rewrite of my 35 chapter WIP, with the idea that I'd very quickly get rid of all the bits I don't like from the beginning and then I'd be able to happily continue and eventually finish it.
Here's the problem I didn't anticipate: even a bad plotline can be a "load-bearing plot". A rewrite that goes beyond a bit of grammar feels like trying to replace the foundations of a house without letting it fall over - it was so much more difficult that I anticipated.
Now I'm back at it again. It is after all still a really interesting process. I'm in the middle of trying to write my first original fantasy novel, so I like to think this process is preparing me for some serious edits I'll have to do on that side down the line.
I feel like I'm getting mixed results. The writing is definitely improved, but ultimately even in a rewrite, I'm tied to some parts of the plot and characterisations I originally wrote, otherwise the whole story is going to veer in a completely different direction.
I've decided to go for it, and try to aim for a "get it out there!" rather than a "get it perfect!" mentality. It's been over 10 years since I started this story - from a teenager to a mother - surely I'm ready to finish it.