u/Matrix_Man_Returns

So, for context, I'm in my late thirties and have been reading and writing for literally my whole life. But I have an...I guess kind of a big problem. I don't know what makes a story a story. When I'm writing, I often times end up feeling more like I'm just writing a sequence of events. Like...I explore the interior voices of characters and the consequences of things and all of that, but still...it just feels like things happening. And I mean...maybe that is a story, in some ways, in itself, but it doesn't FEEL like a story. So, just to try and get an answer once and for all so I can move on without feeling I'm doubting myself...what the hell IS a story, anyways?

How do you feel about restarting an idea? I have an idea that I'm about 15,000 words into, which...I know, it's the soggy middle, but I also feel like I made missteps along the way, and I kind of think I want to change the setting drastically, and so I kind of got the idea in my head that I would take the premise and the heart of what I already wrote and use that to just...start over from the beginning. Think of it like a roguelike run: You run, you lose, you gain some power permanently, and you run again. I feel like starting over would give me the foresight to now know more about the story and which aspects of it are most interesting, if that makes sense. So how do you feel about this practice? Do you think it's a good idea or a terrible idea?

You wanna see me rap? You fucking wanna see me rap?

Fuck that, I ain't here to hop on a beat
Rather load up a pistol, kill a cop in the streets
And honestly I'm feeling so exhausted by beef
Dishonor me and you won't have no option to breath
You wanna know how I kill so many opps in a week?
Prostitute freaks get to see what I got in my Jeep
And I don't mean the amount of fucking bodies that reek
I mean they get to see the motherfucking shotty I keep
An oddity when I'm dissing you, knife never missing you
I love to stab, they call me Mr. Shankey the Christmas Poo
Cause I'm just talking shit, I'm so cranky, pissed, and rude
Fuck you ______, I left it blank, didn't mention you
Y'all mad you can't handle me, I got a plan to be
The meanest, and just between us you cannot cancel me
F***** go ahead and try, you wanna set it right?
My fantasy, I'd love to see you lose your head and die
Need to step my game up? Coming from a lame fuck
It's kind of funny seeing how fast you can regret a fight

It's kinda funny, right?
The more I post, the more a bunch of fucking dummies type
Y'all say the same shit, it gets repetitive
Is it because your envious? You lame bitch, I bet it is
So you can try to say, "Matrix is fake!"
I wouldn't say it to your face? You'd just take it and hate
You think I'm scared you're packing burners or you'll break in my face?
You silly bitch...all you're really doing is taking the bait
See I'm fishing for these haters, maybe I just got a death wish
I do...I just wanna show your ass what death is
Every single verse I ever write'll be impressive
While every fucking verse you're ever gonna write is less bitch
You think I'd ever be scared you'd reply?
Really motherfucker, I'd be fairly surprised
So post a verse, a line, you can barely comply
I'll still know you did that shit just cause I dared you to try