Let’s say someone had a chapter story they were still writing and had a few chapters planned out. But they did not like how the story started. Like they wish they planned the start differently, or there was an OC that seemed important in the first three or four chapters but they decided they did not want this OC part of the story anymore. Or they stopped appearing after a certain chapter for any reason. With the only excuse being “They disappeared/left” that was not part of the plan. Or maybe there was something they simply did not like that happened in an earlier chapter.

If they were thinking of starting from scratch. Despite already having written at least 5+ long chapters and published them.

What are some things they should consider first?

This is quite the tough question! And something only you will be able to answer effectively yourself at the end of the day. Everyone has their own misgivings about a few of their stories, and gracefully reworking them is not as simple as it sounds since a big part of reworking stories is fighting your own nature when it comes to guilt, since you don't want to cheat those who might've been following along with you throughout. Fanfiction's chapter-by-chapter publishing is both a blessing and a curse in that way, since a periodic audience can shape a story a certain direction, but will build unnecessary expectations. A story written in that way is in constant flux, and while that should naturally be an unspoken agreement between you and your audience when we talk about fanfiction, it unfortunately isn't for some people.

That said! The most important thing to note here and something that NO ONE should take away from you is: You're the author of your story. It's your right to be able to make changes as you see fit. Tell the tale that you want to write.

With that out of the way, there is some things you can do to alleviate the situation between you and your readers. First thing you can do is to prepare them. Write blog posts describing the situation you find yourself in and your intentions. As for elegant solutions directly correlating to this website and it's rules? Instead of deleting all older chapters or reworking them, consider publishing the very next chapter of your story as "Chapter 1: ---" then use a top formatted author's note to explain the situation to any reader who might've been caught unaware (since most won't follow you and even those who do might still not see your blogs), then from future chapters onward, you can start deleting or moving around your older chapters to the bottom of the story list (if you wish to archive them for public viewing). You do this so as to prepare your older audience and not alienate newer audiences due to the circumstance.

Another thing you can do is, if the changes to the story are substantial enough, speak to a moderator about possibly deleting your old story and starting anew. Just don't make a habit of it for the same story! Once in a very long grace period is likely acceptable.

Just be thoughtful and considerate, and people are likely to understand. If they don't despite all your efforts, then those are people not worth your thoughtfulness and consideration. And remember! It's your god-given right to do with your story as you see fit. Let none tell you otherwise.

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Okay, the answer depends on personal preference a lot, and what you should do is highly dependent on how much you are changing the story. There are four options as far as I can tell:

1. Do nothing, ignore your gripes with your earlier chapters and just continue writing.
2. Retcon earlier chapters by editing them.
3. Post new versions of existing chapters in the existing story while hiding or deleting the original versions.
4. Post a new story and link to it from your old one.

I have, at different points in my writing, employed all four of these on the same story. And I am very happy to have eventually chosen number 4.

The first thing I recommend doing is determining how significant your gripes with your old story are, and how much your reluctance to rewrite your story is due to sunk cost. If the gripes are minor, then Option 1 is the best bet. However, the fact that you feel the need to ask about it on the forum tells me that they probably aren't minor.

The next possibility is Option 2; this is best for minor changes, but really shouldn't be used for any changes of plot relevance, since doing that can confuse your old readers (who will remember the original version). None of the changes mentioned seem to be the kind of changes that Option 2 is best for.

Next is Option 3, this is probably the best option in the mentioned situation, unless your changes are 'significant'. It lets all existing readers read the changed parts and not be confused (it also puts your story on top of the recently updated list, which is good for visibility).

Finally there is Option 4, which is kind of the nuclear option. It's the only one that could possibly violate site rules ('7. “Rewrites” of an old story posted as a new story, unless the changes are substantial. If you are not rewriting your story from the ground up, please just edit your changes into the original story.') That said, if the magnitude of the changes justify it, it's the best option. If you're uncertain if your changes warrant this, you can always contact a moderator.