The draft I began five or six weeks ago hit 35,000 words on Friday. Around four in the morning today, sleepless and mulling it over, I decided to can the thing and start again.

It's possible I will go back on that decision and take another angled sweep at the same narrative. It's possible the new narrative, which is a spur of this one, not an entirely new story, won't work too. If you want certainties, writing is the wrong business for you.

But for the sake of openness (and for all you out there who think seasoned pros like me never make any false steps) here are the principal reasons I'm screwing  up that draft and starting afresh from scratch...<!--more-->
<ul>
	<li>I wasn't convinced the principal characters had struck up a significant relationship in all that time, and a part of me was of the opinion that it would be artificial to go back and force it on them just through a rewrite.</li>
	<li>The narrative was heading towards a multi-location story, one that took place in two different countries. I don't much feel like going in that direction right now. As I've said before, I think authors divide into binocular writers, who scan distant horizons looking for something that moves them, and microscope ones, who look at a very small part of the world in great detail. I'm in the latter camp.</li>
	<li>It was showing signs of getting too complex, and my books are complex enough as it stands.</li>
</ul>
More than anything though, I was moved by this thought... <em>I think I've got a way to tell the same story more simply and more effectively.</em>

I like simplicity. I'm a low-budget writer. Small casts, limited locations. I like to see what drama comes out of throwing people together in confined spaces, not letting them loose to roam on an endless landscape. The first version was veering towards the big. This new approach to the same fundamental story -- the hunt for something important both culturally and of personal interest to those involved -- suits my style better and makes me feel more enthused about the project. Enthusiasm's a big thing when it comes to writing a book. If you're having a hard time, it will show through the words.

Here's the real point though. Even if I end up throwing away all those 35,000 words -- and I doubt I will do that, since some of it makes sense for the new story approach -- <em>this would still be progress.</em>

You can't measure a book's growth simply with a word count. It's how it's developing in your head that matters too, sometimes more so. And then there's the 'how does it feel' factor. Old writers don't find this strange profession gets easier. We just have a better nose for spotting the warning signs and killing a project before it withers on the vine. Better to put something to sleep at 35K than plough on regardless to twice that length. Or, heaven forbid, finish the damned thing and try to convince yourself and others that it must be good because of all the blood and sweat that's gone into it.

Of course I may feel differently tomorrow. I doubt it, though, because I wrote out a new opening page for the second version today and it felt infinitely more comfortable than the previous stab.

So if you find yourself junking stuff when your own writing don't ever feel guilty, a failure or somehow incompetent. We all do it, and smart people learn a lot more from their mistakes than their successes.