Process Week Continues, + Birthday Greetings...

[j_cheney]

Happy belated birthday to dotar_sojat and more timely salutations to sarah_prineas and babarnett!

Ah now, on to the boring stuff.

Drafts.
ROUGH DRAFT
Some people produce a first draft. I produce a "rough" draft the first time out.

After I've got a basic idea of the outline of events in a story (and I do mean basic), the setting, and the characters, I do a rough draft. I start at the beginning and try to write straight to the end. Sometimes that doesn't happen. I'll get to a scene I'm sketchy on, and skip past it with just a few notes to hold it's place:

Imogen laid one hand to her breast, nerves suddenly making her stomach flutter. ANNOUNCER?
Mother Hawkes clutched her other hand. The trainers bolted away RACE RACE RACE

ANNOUNCER? RACE RACE RACE?

This is why I don't consider it a first draft. It's not really readable. Sometimes the ending is also sketchy, usually because I know I'll change things later.


FIRST DRAFT
After completing the RD, I usually let it percolate for at least a week. Then I go back and start inserting the things I need to clear up. I will probably have done some research between RD and FD, and usually end up slipping in a couple of extra scenes.

One of the things that's true about my FDs is that the setting and descriptions will still be lightly drawn. I don't worry about those so much here. They'll be fleshed out in the later drafts.

This is where I'll try to get the first readings done, though. To check out the story arcs, and make certain action and dialog make sense.


SECOND THROUGH TENTH DRAFTS
All right, a bit of exaggeration there, but I do like to keep tweaking. The bulk of description gets inserted here, what little description I do use. I'd say that most things go through at least four drafts before I consider them ready to go out.


So, how many drafts do you do? How many before you let anyone see it?

Comments

[kara-gnome.livejournal.com]

I tend to write pretty good first drafts (LH notwithstanding :D) and then do a rewrite right from that draft. Sometimes things change drastically and sometimes hardly at all, but I think the key is, is to just get out of my own way.

That said, I'm not really a very good rewriter or tweaker, probably because I'm a much better getter-in-the-way person. It seems like I lose sight of my story the further I get from that first draft.

I feel I'm better with other people's stories and seeing what that other writer should do (LOL), but I've learned to keep all such notions to myself. Or I really do try, I should say ;D

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

I think the important part is that you write your drafts in the way that works best for you. If you're a first draft person, go with it. I'm definitely not.

You can probably put out work much faster than I do.

[kara-gnome.livejournal.com]

I put out work extremely fast but have to hope for high quality first pop out of the box. It's a crap-shot for sure, erratic to say the least.

Pluses and minuses no matter what, I guess.

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

Always the case, isn't it. ;o)