i have stopped writing my story for nearly 2 years. i am intending to return to writing stories once again. my story lack plot. but had been entertaining and fairly successful. should i fix it by changing some of the stuff or should i leave it alone and do a totally different story?

i am talking about dagon, dungeon evolved.
https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/7005/dagon-dungeon-evolved

Personally, I would only go back to an old project if I had fresh ideas for it. Based on that I would start by rewriting the previous version with a plan to implement those new ideas and where the novel would go.


I wouldn't be able to pick up a novel where I left it after years, it would be too hard for me to get back into character. I would need the revision process in order to continue it well.

As for whether you should continue your previous work or start a new one, I would say to go for what you are most motivated for. Not much point writing something you won't enjoy.

Remember one thing about writing is RE-writing.

this means 2 things to me
1. continue what i have been doing in the old style of writing until the ebook becomes complete. (sadly this will make the story seem like draft but it will still be funny none the less.
2. make the new one be an expanded Ebook version. everything is the same. just more stuff added to it.

not sure if that is a good idea

If it's a story people like then yes. Writing is not only about yourself, unless it's a diary. If your a novice writer or get writers block, use dice or a number generator with some choices your characters would make/ events.  One star and five star reviews don't tell much, the reviews with details are the ones to look for. 

I've looked at the story your thinking about continuing, the only reasons it's not a popular one is they're too few chapters and it hasn't been updated in two years. Get it back into the recent updates!

from some advice I found from somewhere else, will just leave it here :v :

*About Rewrite :

_#NEW how to do good rewriting (at least for essays for IELTS, but this still may give some idea for you)


*Number 1 tip for writing I’m going to give you. ‘Finish your first draft first!’ 
That means making stuff up, dues ex machina’s, ass pulls. Pretty much create anything and everything to bullshit your way forward. After everything is said and done then you rewrite. 
Reason for this is because some people become entrenched in rewriting as they feel like they need to fix something a while back which stunts their writing. 
Just my opinion, but save the rewrite for when you have a finished story or arc. (God knows the editing sure isn’t as much fun as writing) 
Anyways, this is just my advice. It’s your story and you can write it however you want. Keep up the good work and have fun. 

_My comment about this : but from my experience when reading other novel, at least you should make the first chapter readable and not too bad so at least it not turn off the reading right away (at least in grammar and logic/plot-wise that make sense), no need to go full 100/perfect grade in rewrite, at least make sure it above 50~70 grade 


p/s: if you want some good material or good reading list, you can check my main my main thread here 

royaldarknes Wrote: *Number 1 tip for writing I’m going to give you. ‘Finish your first draft first!’ 
That means making stuff up, dues ex machina’s, ass pulls. Pretty much create anything and everything to bullshit your way forward. After everything is said and done then you rewrite.

These are words of wisdom. Finish the Draft. Print that out, put it on your wall so you see it when you get up in the morning. Seriously. There is no single more destructive behavior amongst beginning authors than the urge to rewrite. As you write, you simultaneously learn so much about the craft. So I get it, you want to start over and do it better. Yet you continue learning new things and suddenly it's just not good enough anymore - again. So this time it will be better...
This is a novel-writing deathtrap because you simply will never stop learning new things and as you get better, this gnawing feeling will keep getting stronger until you give in. Again and again and again. I've seen authors write with the style and flourish of professionals that to this day haven't finished a single book. Because yeah - 'I better rewrite that'.

There's something an author absolutely needs to learn and that's the skill to actually finish a book.
When I think back to my first works, they barely reached chapter 3 or 4 and I'd be back to the drawing board. I'd never get far and always give up sooner or later. Then one time I forced myself to endure. To simply finish the story while fully accepting just how awful it really was. But I learned and I continued learning. I learned, by exploration, what I should put in early chapters to reach the later ones. I would have never gotten there, if not for the stubbornness to push on. There's an important skill in finishing novels.

Besides, when you posted it online, you made a silent contract with your readers that you'd finish the story. They stuck around despite what you considered shortcomings. That's gotta account for something. It's always infuriating when great stories suddenly end because the author got stuck in the deathtrap. Just these days I read a great story that had me laugh and root for the characters - only to see it being on Hiatus. That same author had put a previous version on hiatus too. And one before. This is just... sad and disappointing. Don't be like that. Finish it. You'll feel better once you do, your readers will gain confidence in you (you want to build a followership, whether you're a traditional novelist or a web novelist). And, well you'll learn important things about doing it. Not least of all finding ways out of situations, you deem impossible.

/edit: Note to self: Don't post in forum after a long writing session. Half the sentences don't make sense anymore.

Never go back!

Once you release something, it's released. Deciding to go back and editing/starting over now because you know you can do better than before is a trap. It births a vicious cycle so don't do it. Never ever, ever go back once you release something. Finish the damn thing instead. Concentrate all your newly developed abilities into making the story better from the point it's at now.

I work like so:

Notes -> First Draft -> Proof-read -> Buffout -> Second Draft -> Proof-read -> Loop to a third draft or release.

Once it's out there, the only reason I would go back is to fix grammar mistakes or typo's/missed explanations that don't change the core story at all. No additional content/structural changes period.

I'm going to finish my damn project, even if the beginning chapters were considerably weaker than my current. =)

Just my opinion.