The End is only the Beginning

I finished! I'm done! Yay me!

Except I changed directions and plots so many times that now I'm back to the beginning basically rewriting the story from page one. I've heard other writers do this - that their first draft (a 70,000 word manuscript in my case) is more like an elaborate outline.

I feel good about this. The first line, paragraph, page, chapter is new and constructed post ending. In other words: I have a completed story arc. I know how the story ends, thus I'm able to write a stronger opening. I know my characters inside and out, their motivations, backstory, and goals.

This method may seem backwards, but it's actually turning out to be productive. I've already rewrote 9,000 words and going strong. As I get deeper into the manuscript, I hope to use some of the original text, but for now I'm happy writing from scratch. The story is infinitely better now and for that I'd rewrite ten times.