Knowing what I know now, I’ll be happy to blow out a disjointed, gangly mongrel of a first draft in the future if only to clear my mental sinuses. I mean, if that’s what it takes to get a tighter second draft that I might actually enjoy reading, then sign me up.
Lemme ‘splain:
The words are coming on the second draft of my first novel, Shadow of the Black City, and they’re not all bad. I’m almost to the quarter mile post on a mile-long track (I’ve got a new writing progress bar on this blog that motivates me even more to see it fill up). I’ve more or less discarded the first draft without even finishing reading it and am rewriting the second draft. This time around, I’ve done more planning and have a better idea of how I want the story to go.
If I had known it would be that way from the start I don’t think I would have forged ahead. The one piece of advice I read on blogs and in books was to write. Period. Get the first draft out and work from there. It turned out to be very true, but not in the way I thought. As I wrote my first draft, I thought I’d have this ugly duckling that would need lots of TLC and nurturing. Instead I got an unlikeable creature that I smothered and buried in a dark corner of the yard.
Once I stopped rationalizing why I should love my first draft, I began thinking about the story in earnest. I really wanted my story to be pretty good from the get go, but my vanity, pride, desire to not shame my family, whatever it is, dictated that I own up to the tripe I created and learn from it so that I didn’t recreate it the second time around. Now, I’m using first draft more of a means of determining what I didn’t want in the story, how I didn’t want the story structured and how I didn’t want to the characters to act.
Here’s a bit:
Men and women lay everywhere — as if an army of ancients had stood against the Djinn and, seeing their doom, laid down and died. The Bedu mages had drawn their energy from the lives of their own soldiers to send the spirits of air and fire back beneath the Jashem. They burned through lives yet unspent, aging soldiers where they stood. They bled the land as well, bleaching sand, stone and dust, leaving only dried, brittle skeletons of grass and plants and shrubs and trees — as if Hazriyah herself salted the earth, forever damning the valley to desolation.
I usually scavenge a few brilliantly written scenes and the odd line of dialogue from my first draft and then ditch most of the rest as I rewrite. At least then I’ve already gone through the process of just getting ideas down and I’ve usually sat and thought about what want from the story. I also know really well what just isn’t going to work because I’ve tried it and it stank. Thanks for sharing this post and I wish you luck with your second draft.
Yeah, I should probably read through the rest to see if there are any nuggets. Since the story has changed so much since the first draft, I’m not sure how much applies, but there are probably some things worth keeping. Thanks for the wishes!
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I hear ya about the rough first draft deal… I’ve had to rewrite parts of mine as well. BUT I have come across a couple of sections that I’ve been like “Whoa… did I really write this? It’s awesome!”
Not many, mind you, but still they’re really fun to stumble upon!
You and Cassandra have encouraged me to read through the rest of my first draft, just in case. Hopefully there will be some stuff I can salvage and use for the second draft. I hope I find parts I think are awesome. Thanks!
I’ve reached the exact same conclusion about my WIP. I got to the 35,000 mark and realised it was a dog’s breakfast. I know if I keep going I’ll only end up ditching most of it, so I’m probably going to spend the time working out an outline and writing something that makes more sense. I agree with Cassandra’s comment, though. There are occasional nuggets that can be used, but you get those with a streamlined and more efficient process anyway.
It’s a great big learning experience. Good luck with the rewrite!
Amen, brother. These are the kinds of realizations I have to experience for myself and learn, even though I’ve read about it. Kind of like thinking you know what raising children is all about and then actually having them! Thanks for dropping in and for the encouragement.
I’m on my 2nd draft now too. I can’t tell you how much of my first draft I had to scrap. Even my first paragraphs that I was very close to. But when reading them I realized they were largely introducing myself to my voice and characters. They really weren’t doing much for the reader. They aren’t completely out. Little tidbits that worked have been moved to here or there where they do work. The draft process to me is all about discovering the right path. Once you are on it it’s time to hone in and finish. There will be lots of revisions and rewrites on the way to finished.
Best of luck with your WIP!
I agree with you when you say that the draft process is about discovering the right path. I am amazed at how much I had to get out before I figured out what the story really needed to be. I posted a link to an Elmore James column of writing tips in the New York Times from 2001 – I thought #10 summed it up –
Even though I know I must do that, I still have to write those parts to get to know the story and my characters better. Thanks for stopping by and good luck with your WIP as well!
Well golly darn, I can’t seem to come up with a witty euphemism for my first draft . . . although I must admit I’m rather attached to Peter’s “dog’s breakfast.”
Actually, my first draft was structurally fine until I started to roll into the climax. The entire second half of the novel has had to be re-written primarily because instead of peaking, my story arc flat-lined. So now I’m slogging through my middle draft and wrapping up my last few chapters before I have to do my final edit.
This weekend I worked on what will be the peak or the beginning of the climax, so I’m hoping the rest of the chapter MOVE ALONG. Frankly I’m getting sick of my own damn book — isn’t that sad?
Great post, Jonathan, and thanks for making me feel less alone in my miserable rewrites! 😉
Glad to give you some company! As far as getting sick of your book, familiarity breeds contempt, no? Keep at it and show it who’s the boss (Call Tony Danza if need be). I’ll bet when you finally step back after your final edits, you will fall in love all over again. Good luck.
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