WRITING TIPS: THE FOCUS OF THE FIRST 3 DRAFTS

This is my personal approach to drafts. No author is the same, and not every story is approached the same for each author. I have stories I plan for months, and novels I’ve written out of the blue based on a one sentence of an idea.

That said, no matter how the story came about, its existence and the finessing required prior to publishing stays the same for me.

DRAFT ONE – the purpose is COMPLETION.

I write the first draft with one goal, get to the finish line. In past WRITING TIPS, I’ve mentioned how I’ll use placeholders for things I need to research more or am just having trouble finding the right word. These are just things I do to make sure I complete the first draft. Because, as anyone that’s written a first draft can tell you, there will be plenty to fix, so don’t stress over it on your first pass.

DRAFT TWO – the purpose is COHERENCE.

I usually do not dive into a second draft for a week or two. I like to celebrate the first draft and get some distance on what I thought I wrote and what I actually wrote. On Draft Two, I am focused on cleaning it up so someone else can read it. This includes grammar and spelling checks (it won’t be the last). Not only does the story have to be shareable at this point, but it also has to be consistent. I take notes on this pass as I approve the chapters hoping that in my race to the finish line I didn’t leave a question unanswered or set up the wrong path only to go down another one.

DRAFT THREE – the purpose is CORRECTED

I usually share my completed second drafts with a test reader. Some provide detailed corrections or comments. Other’s give an overall evaluation of what works and what doesn’t. When I sit down for the 3rd, I want it to be my last draft–it won’t be–but I still approach it with an effort to perfect it. this will go out to a second reader, and the goal is to make sure whatever problems discovered by the first won’t be hindering the second reader from seeing the story vs. the errors.

From here on, there will be more drafts as I continue to repeat the 3rd draft until it is ready for publication.