Heads up: I almost missed a writing contest because I overworked my prompt response.

I spent weeks changing my story from a simple prompt and almost missed the deadline. Set a timer or you might rush at the last second like I did.

4 comments

4 Comments

patricia_chen671mo ago

How do you know when to stop editing? I set a hard deadline for myself a few days before the real one, so I'm forced to call it done. Otherwise I'd just keep fussing with the words forever.

the_cora1mo ago

Define what made the editing take weeks for you, like were you stuck rewriting the same paragraph or did you keep changing the plot.

anthonyc661mo ago

Oh man, my buddy Mike kept chopping his opening scene so much the whole plot got so tangled he had to start over.

sarahf781mo ago

See, I've always found that cutting too much from the start can actually help me find the real story. Sometimes you have to strip away all the extra stuff you thought was important to see the simple plot that works. Mike might have been trimming the wrong parts, like losing a key detail that explains a character's choice later. It's more about smart cuts, not just making it shorter.