Interesting point from @rubyreed about checking structure first. What specific signs do you look for that scream 'design flaw' versus just needing caulk?

Tell me you've never had a draft go completely off the rails without telling me, @paigen52 lol. Some drafts aren't just messy, they're built on a foundation of bad ideas that no amount of tweaking can fix. Trying to salvage that is literally like putting lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig. Your method might work for surface level edits, but when the core concept is flawed, starting fresh is the only logical choice. I've lost count of how many hours I've wasted polishing drafts that were doomed from the start. The relief of hitting delete on a disaster draft is unmatched, fr.