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Well, I haven’t really been around here very much lately, but now that I’m back, I have a really dumb question to ask you guys:
How in the great googly moogly do you draft?
Let me back up…most of y’all know I don’t draft…but for those of you who don’t know that, well, I don’t. I’m waaaaaaay to much of a perfectionist to handle writing quickly and without self-editing and careful word selection and mulling over everything seventy-five times (until I’ve been driven crazy).
But it takes me like an hour to write 500 words, and I honestly don’t have the time to write multiple projects at that speed.
Therefore, I would appreciate any advice on drafting y’all can give me. You can start with these questions, if you’d like:
- How do you keep your focus on writing instead of over-thinking?
- How rough do your drafts look?
- How long does it take you to write a first draft?
- How do you keep from editing while you write?
Any other advice is greatly appreciated! Thank you!
@r-m-archer @jenwriter17 @issawriter7 @scripter-of-kingdoms @abigail-m @joy-caroline @writerlexi1216 @devastate-lasting @kathleenramm @lewilliams @anybody-else @i-can’t-remember-any-of-y’all’s-tags-right-now @godlyfantasy12 @nanisnook @daisy-torres @mkfairygirl@gracie-j
Hmm… honestly, this is a question that I often ask myself as well, because I’m certainly no Master of Drafting and am always trying to wrap my head around it too. However, I’d be happy to give you some advice on my personal strategy! *rubs hands together* Let’s hope this makes some form of sense:)
#1 How do you keep your focus on writing instead of over-thinking?
Honestly, this is a tough one for myself as well. Usually I just have to remind myself that a first draft is meant to just exist rather than be a masterpiece. I have to tell myself “Just write, and think later” sometimes, because I’m very guilty of over-thinking even the tiniest of things. And over time, over-thinking can distract you from the storyline and you end up with nothing. So my advice? Take a deep breath and remember that there’s many stages of drafting/writing. The first draft, just write. The second draft (or third draft, or fourth draft, or whichever one is next) is for over-thinking XD I also find quotes to be helpful, so here: “The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.”
#2 How rough do your drafts look?
*takes deep breath* Girl, this is a confession moment for me! My rough drafts are very rough (possibly due to the fact that I don’t outline the entire book prior to writing the first chapter), and sometimes it’s hard to even give my writing a second look. There’s those rare times when my writing turns out impressive-ish on the first try, of course, but it can be difficult to structure everything/get a feel for the storyline on your first time. But that’s what first (or, again, whichever you’re on) drafts are there for. Unless you’re on the FINAL draft, your writing will be lacking, and that’s exactly how it’s meant to be:) So anyways, in answer to your question, my first drafts are rough, though that’s why second-third-fourth drafts exist, right?:)
#3 How long does it take you to write a first draft?
For me? It takes me quite a while. I’ve been working on Fortitude for… *counts on fingers* two or three years, though I’ve been editing profusely so that isn’t entirely accurate. However, I’m planning to begin a second WIP, Runes of Aylesbon, in this fall, and hope to have the first draft done around April-May of next year. First drafts can take as long as one month (if you’re doing NaNoWriMo) or several years, depending on the person/factors involved. But honestly, I don’t think timing matters too much. As long as you get it done, that’s the main thing, right? 🙂
#4 How do you keep from editing while you write?
This is something I’ve recently learned, and let me tell you that doing NaNoWriMo with a close friend of mine this year taught me many things about how writing works. I used to edit profusely while I wrote (every couple of sentences), but now I’ve come to the conclusion that editing is meant for later. (I don’t mean to re-state what I said on point #1, but a lot of it can be applied here.) Besides, I don’t know what scenes are going to be scrapped or saved in the final draft, so I don’t want to spend all of my time editing them and then feel terrible if I cut them out. I have to remind myself that, once I write a complete first draft, I’ll have a fuller perspective of the story and can therefore figure out the structure. So, in response to your question, just tell yourself that editing belongs in a later stage and that the main objective now is to simply write. If you want to do NaNo, I’d highly recommend it, because it pushes you to stop editing and start writing. Whatever you feel is best!
I honestly hope that helped in some form or fashion (oddly enough, though I’m a writer, I’m not the greatest with words), and if you have any questions/need me to elaborate, I certainly will:) Anyways, as I mentioned previously, I’m certainly no expert and there’s no rigid rulebook of “How to Draft 101.” Everyone’s process looks different, but I hope my tips helped you in some way:) You’ve totally got this, girl!!
@gracie-j
Word sprints might help. Just set a timer and go without stopping. I don’t know if you use Scrivener, but it has this really cool feature where when you go to full screen typing mode, it has a setting that will only let you see the line that you’re typing (or a couple behind) to stay focused. My drafts are messy, but I just tell myself I can always go back and fix things when I edit after the draft is done.
But honestly, if editing while you write is your style, that’s cool too. But if you’re wanting to get your books written quicker, finding a middle group would be good, so you’re not completely sacrificing your original creative process. 🙂
I'm a Kapeefer 'TIL WE'RE OLD AND GREY!
www.jennaterese.com@gracie-j Eyy, thanks for the tag! I’ll just answer your questions one by one.
1. Since I handwrite, my handwriting is so messy that I just ignore whatever I wrote beforehand. Also, writing with pen means I can’t edit or delete.
2. When I’m on computer I try not to do second drafts. Although, I will admit, sometimes I do need second drafts to rewrite or add details. On paper, well, my handwriting is incredibly bad, and typos are everywhere… I haven’t actually gotten around to typing them up yep, but I’ll assume that a lot will need to be changed.
3. 40 days on paper. Indefinite time on pc.
4. Same as question one. I physically can’t. Also on pc I guess I try to immerse myself in the story as much as possible instead of thinking about things.
Now, if any of you have advice for second drafts, I’d appreciate that…
Lately, it's been on my brain
Would you mind letting me know
If hours don't turn into days@gracie-j
Hehehehe.. well, my friend, you’ve come to the right girl. XD 😉
okay, maybe not really.Well, I’m just gonna start with answering your questions.
~Well, first off, that’s just really really REALLY hard for me, but it honestly takes me reminding myself over and over and over and OVER again that I’ll come back and edit later, I basically live by the quote “You can’t edit a blank page.” I already know I’m gonna do a second and third draft so why not go ahead and have a li’l fun and brain dump all that’s going on in my mind. What matters is getting this first draft down and completed. (Plus, I’ve realized how sometimes I think what I’m writing sounds absolutely terrible only to reread it and be like, hey, its better than I thought!)
~Welllll, it depends. Used to, they were really neat but now they’re a bit sloppy. Not like most peeps first drafts, but my plot is normally solid in my first draft and characters are on their way to being well-developed, and the main thing that’s just gonna need a LOTTA work is my prose.
~When I’m heavy in school? five months. When I’m not? 1 to three months.
~One thing that helps me is to set a timer and write in sprints. I sometimes like to set out a two-hour writing time. Then I’ll go for twenty-five minutes, break for five. And keep going until the two hours is up. This helps me because I try to write as many words as possible in that twenty-five minutes, and if I’m moving fast, I’m not as likely to go back and reread what I’ve gotten down.
I have no idea if any of that will help or not. In the end, just do whatever works best for YOU and YOUR STORY!! Even if that means it takes you an hour to get five hundred words!!! <333
God gives His hardest battles to His strongest soldiers.
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@gracie-j
*chokes* I am the QUEEN of awful first drafts. Okie, maybe I shouldn’t be bragging about that….
- How do you keep your focus on writing instead of over-thinking? I am also the QUEEN of over-thinking. But seriously, this may be a weird tip but I find that writing under pressure works really well. Like, starting to write one hour before bed, and you know you only have that one hour. As a result, you’ll pound out words like there’s no tomorrow because you really want to get your word count in, and you won’t have time to stop and think about editing. Of course, you’ll still want to write at another time of the day, but inserting some writing time before bed is when I find I really get the most words in.
- How rough do your drafts look? *chokes again* VERY rough. Characters are underdeveloped, I don’t get across half the themes I want to get across, the plot has so many weak points. Honestly, I’m not sure about any of the plot of TAS anymore besides the first four chapters. Obviously, the story is about St. Paul’s sister and what it would be like to have an apostle for a brother, but I don’t want the whole thing to be just a chronicle of Paul’s ministry and Temira’s ramblings on it, ya know what I mean? XD I want there to be a main antagonist, a main conflict (not a general one like Paul suffering all the time, but something more specific), and major character arcs! Especially for Paul. He was kind of flat my first time writing him because I made him perfect from beginning to end, therefore he had no arc and no development. Totally want that to change.
- How long does it take you to write a first draft? If I know exactly what’s going to happen in every scene, approximately two months. If I’m writing to discover, it could take as much as six, with me probably getting derailed and dumping pages multiple times.
- How do you keep from editing while you write? Same thing I said with the first question. Writing under pressure really helps you not to stop and think.
@gracie-j
I average around 500 to 700 words an hour so that’s not much different.How long does it take you to write a first draft?
A first draft for a short piece–not long. A first draft for a novel–hm, well, I’ve been in the first draft of my WIP since January. And my old WIP never got a first draft–it just had a notebook full of notes and multiple scenes written out.
How do you keep from editing while you write?
Because my main goal right now is to actually complete my novel, I’m refusing to look back at the previous pages (unless I need to remember an important detail). When I open the document to write, I scroll down to where I left off and continue on from there.
Sorry if I wasn’t any help to you. You could try different tactics to see which one works best for you. And I wish you the BEST of luck while you’re drafting!!!!!🍀🙂
"It looks like a fairy world"~Meg from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Fall in love with Jesus@gracie-j welp while I’m also a bit of a perfectionist (but also rather lazy) XD, I still think I can help some.
1.
Just do it.
Ya, I know this one is kinda like “DUH”, but honestly this is truly the only way to draft. You just have to get something down. Wether it’s a rough scene idea, terrible dialogue, melodramatic emotions, etc, just get it down! U can go back and edit later but u cannot edit a blank page! (Trust me.)2. Whenever you finish a chapter/scene maybe print it out. That way you oh won’t feel so obligated to go reread it and edit. If it’s printed then you think about the waste of paper if you go back and edit it now lol. Also there’s just something about having what you’ve written printed out, I just love it honestly lol.
3. Think of this first draft almost as more of an outline. Write the draft knowing you’re getting the whole story down, but in the end you’re going to use it sorta like an outline that you can edit.
I hope these help some.
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
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#ProtectSeb@gracie-j oh and as for how rough a first draft is….
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH……heh….ehhh…
But for real tho. My first draft consisted of some fairly okay scenes, scenes that needed total changes (due to things that changed as I went on), and….uhhh….paragraphs about what the scenes will maybe have in them because I got too lazy to write the scenes and wanted to jump into draft 2. 😅 so….umm…it’s rough.
and honestly, while others say they’re first drafts our rough, I still look at my writing like “yea but is it THIS rough?” 😂 so don’t stress whatever ur first draft is, I’m sure it’ll be better then mine. Trust me.
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
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@writerlexi1216 THAT WAS PERFECT! Thank you sooooooooo much, girl!!!!!
@jenwriter17 Ah, don’t have Scrivener, but that does remind me that I can write with my text set to white, so… And I keep meaning to set my timer and sprint, but I keep forgetting. 😉
@devastate-lasting Ooh…maybe I should start writing by hand too!
@issawriter7 Thank you so much, girl!!!!!! I’m definitely going to start doing sprints!!@joy-caroline Ah, I know how that is! I always do my best writing before bed (mainly because there’s no distractions). I haven’t thought about the pressure before, so thanks for pointing that out!
@mkfairygirl Oh, I feel you, girl! But that does help – thank you!!
@godlyfantasy12 Thank you so much!!! That helps a ton!Guys, y’all are all so fantastic!!!! Thank you SOOOOO MUCH for all of your advice!!!! I feel like I can do this now!! (I will totally keep y’all posted on whether or not I can actually manage this long term…) 😀
@gracie-j
Aww, you’re so welcome! I’m glad I could be of service!:) *raises coffee mug to toast* I wish you the VERY best of luck with it!
@gracie-j Glad I could help! Be warned, writing by hand has its disadvantages (namely, typing it all out again) but I do recommend it but as a distraction-free method!
Lately, it's been on my brain
Would you mind letting me know
If hours don't turn into days@gracie-j
I’ve struggled with the same issue, so I’d just like to throw in a few random tips that have helped me.
How do you keep your focus on writing instead of over-thinking?
This is a tip that I learned recently, and it has been invaluable to me in writing. Instead of grinding away and struggling to get out words without going over them two or three times, I literally let my train of thought go directly onto the page. I brainstorm what is going to happen next and write it down as it comes. (Note: This isn’t the actual first draft, they’re just notes for me). My ideas may change over the course of the brainstorm, but having the whole thing there is so helpful to look back on. Having that sort of “rant outline” there helps me know exactly where I’m going with the actual writing and keeps me focused on the next step.
How rough do your drafts look?
It depends on what sort of scene I’m writing. Conversations are the roughest part for me, and I’ll often just mostly just record the dialogue and write minimal actions and dialogue tags. That usually requires the most editing for me later. Other things that I enjoy more, like description, remain mostly the same throughout all the drafts. How rough a rough draft looks will vary from scene to scene 🙂
How long does it take you to write a first draft?
I’m not sure I have an answer to this question because it honestly depends on the project. I’m an extremely slow writer, so I’ll just say a very long time.
Besides which.
I’ve never… technically… finished a novel… *cough*
How do you keep from editing while you write?
When a sentence doesn’t feel right, or there’s something that I know is going to need fixing later, I put a comment on it and move on. Stopping to work on it when you’re on a roll can cause you to lose some of your steam. I’m pretty sure comments are an option on most writing software (like Google Docs or Microsoft Word).
I hope that helped!
Happy writing! 🙂
~In Christ Alone My Hope Is Found~
@gracie-j
1. How do you keep your focus on writing instead of over-thinking?
This one’s already been well-covered. Sprints, and reminders that this is meant to be a mess that you can fix later.
2. How rough do your drafts look?
It depends on the book. Calligraphy Guild, came out extremely neat in comparison to most of my books, but it’s an oddity. I’ve had others that I didn’t even want to look at after I finished writing them because I felt like they were so bad.
3. How long does it take you to write a first draft?
This also depends. It can take under a month, or it can take years. It depends on how well I know the story and how firm a grasp I have of the arcs and themes I need to accomplish.
4. How do you keep from editing while you write?
I keep a running list of things to edit in the next draft. If I see an issue with something, I write it down and move on (or sometimes make a comment on the project itself, depending on the scale of the issue). If you have a plot-altering tweak you want to make (removing a character or changing how a certain event went down or something like that), I’ve heard that sometimes it can be effective to keep writing as if you already made the change, so that when you edit later you only have to edit what you’d written up to that point. I haven’t done much of that, so I can’t say from experience how well it does or doesn’t work.
Speculative fiction author. Mythology nerd. Singer. Worldbuilding enthusiast.
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@writerlexi1216 Thank you!!!! 🙂
@devastate-lasting No doubt about that, but I may have to get back into it!
@madelyn Thank you so much! Ah, adding comments sounds like a great way to help with editing!
@r-m-archer Thank you for your answers and advice, girl! I appreciate it!
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