Rearranging the Pieces, Finding Other Pictures

I never like to take too long between projects. So even though I just finished a manuscript, I've already starting thinking of different stories. Or more accurately, I'm thinking of old stories. There's a manuscript I wrote between Thanksgiving and Christmas that suffered from some construction issues in the first draft. There were elements of the plot that didn't work as well as others and I've been thinking about ways to reinvent the core of the story.

There are some stories that you leave behind when they don't work. You dissect them, surgically removing the usable parts for transplant into other stories. But there are others that you know there is something there if you only can figure out what its trying to say. Sometimes the characters and setup are simply too strong to abandon. Yesterday I came up with some new ideas that will eventually change the story completely. Sometimes a few months away from a story helps me see it more clearly.