: Re: Uh oh - My book stinks. Now what? The question pretty much sums it up. I'm a freelance author without much of a platform. It's not that I don't like the story - I spent a great deal of

@Sarah872

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Others have suggested that you take it as a learning experience. I would like to expand on that.

The most important part of a learning experience is that you actually learn from it!

If you just stuff it in a dark drawer, what is stopping you from making the same mistakes in your next story?

So, before putting it to rest, you should find out exactly what makes it stink.

You say "I realized nobody in particular would want to read it."

You should be aware that you are not the best judge of that. You could just be too familiar with it to see how brilliant it is! Do you know anybody who is a) willing to read it and b) will not just praise it to please you? If so, give them a call...

Assuming you actually have a stinker on your hand:

Make a list of the problems with the book, and how they can be solved. If you have a test reader, listen to their input.

Given the list, you can choose between fixing and scrapping. But if you choose to scrap, don't forget the lessons learned. In your next novel, try to avoid these problems from the start.

Be aware that it is easy to overcompensate. You can go from too much description to too little, from too complex plots to inane plots. Try to find a middle ground.

Also, if you have a test reader, their word is not gospel. It is just the opinion of one single person who has probably not used all that much time forming it. By all means, listen to them, but in the end you must decide what is right for you.

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