I recently read an article which featured interviews with 12 authors who answered a series of questions concerning the process of writing a first draft. I wanted to add my own answers to this interesting topic.
- What does your first draft writing process look like?
The first draft of my novels are what I prefer to call a ‘zero’ draft. This is a private version of the novel written only for myself; except for the occasional glimpses viewed by my cat when she jumps up to remind me that I have, yet again, written well past her dinner time. This draft is full of errors, missing sections, crossed out words and notes such as: ‘add fight scene here,’ ‘research medieval clothing,’ or ‘check character’s eye colour.’ I tend to write the majority of my zero drafts by hand with a black or blue ink pen in a hard-back notebook. The reason for this is that it allows me to write without seeing the mistakes which most computer programmes would highlight and allows me to write more fluidly.
My long-time mentor once told me that the most important element of a ‘zero’ draft is simply to reach a point in the story where a writer can identify a beginning, middle, and end. If this is achieved, then something great has been accomplished. It is only after this is completed that I even begin to consider writing a ‘first’ draft. This transition involves filling in all the missing scenes, researching any topic where questions arose, and checking for consistency in both locations and the physical description of characters. It does not consist of technical editing, but instead only focuses upon filling in the gaps and research of the story. I only focus on more technical changes (such as grammar, spelling, and punctuation) once these initial changes are complete.
2.How long does it take to write a first draft?
This really depends upon the amount of research involved with the novel. My most recently published story, Rise of the Temple Gods: Heir to Kale, took approximately two years to write. The first year was devoted almost entirely to research. My fantasy world involves a society which revolves around swordplay and martial arts – subjects of which I knew little. Because of this, it was necessary to conduct a great deal of research before I could make the world come to life. The sequels, on the other hand, should prove a much quicker process because of the research already being completed for the first novel.
I also believe that one of the most important elements to writing a first draft is to ensure that time is set aside every day to write. The exact amount of time may vary from person to person, but the repetition of daily writing is very important to reaching the overall goal of completing a first draft.
3.What are your first draft stumbling blocks and how do you overcome them?
The most difficult part for me in writing an initial draft is to resist the temptation to pause and correct the previous paragraph. I have a great urge to edit as a I write, and it took a long time to learn how to resist. Changing my habit of writing a zero draft on the computer and transitioning to writing in a notebook helped me tremendously in overcoming this problem, as I no longer have my technical mistakes highlighted as I write. This makes it easier to keep writing without backtracking every few sentences.
To read the article and see other author’s answers, feel free to click on this link: http://tammyfarrell.com/2014/02/03/how-12-different-authors-write-a-first-draft/
K. L. Bone 