Happy Tuesday, my friends. It’s our last one in April. Somehow. Life continues at break-neck speed and May is looking like it will be another busy month. That being said, I’m stopping in today, not with news as I don’t have any I haven’t already shared. Nah, today I’m going to talk a little about my writing process.
Why this topic in particular? Well, I recently had a non-writer friend make a comment to me that made me really think about how writers/authors are viewed from the outside. It wasn’t a bad comment, just a removed sort of perspective that made me pause.
I have mentioned somewhere in my recent posts that I’ve been working on revisions for Sevina Gate #2. The comment in question was in regards to that specific novella, but it really applies to any revisions. For Sevina Gate #2, the first draft is now a few years old, so the second draft has pretty much been completely rewritten up until the point where it stalled on me. I’m not changing the main plot points, but I am working to bring out the character’s voice and tighten the tension in the right places. My friend’s comment regarding this was basically, “But you wrote it how you wanted it the first time.”
It caught me off guard, although it probably shouldn’t have. I can relate, after all. A much younger me would have absolutely agreed with that sentiment. Why rewrite it when I meant what I wrote the first time? Are my words not good enough?
Well. Yes and no. I think every writer realizes at some point along their journey that the first draft should suck. It should. We hear it all the time, but that doesn’t mean we really internalize that truth. I think it’s one of the major milestones of the development of our craft. Sure, you might nail some really good lines in said first draft but, overall, the point of the first draft is not to be the final draft. First drafts are for plot points to present themselves, for characters to start feeling themselves and testing out their own styles, and for basic timeline. It’s the framework.
Eventually, we as writers accept that we learn to get the words out in the first draft, and then we learn to let them go. I have “let go” of some of my absolute favorite lines from drafts even when it silently killed me inside to do so. It’s not that the lines suddenly became worse, but no matter how awesome they are, sometimes they no longer work with second draft revisions. It stings, but it also makes the overall piece better. It’s worth it.
There’s always another side of the coin, too. Not every second draft has to be completely rewritten. There are times when you do get to keep the old words, and all they need is a little shine job. Something written more recently, for example, that is more in line with all the mistakes you’ve learned not to make the first time, will need less work than than the draft from three years ago. That’s not to say to get complacent with a piece of work just because it’s recent. Even if the words are good the first time, that doesn’t mean they can’t be better.
I will say here that it is my utmost opinion that you should always let the words sit for two weeks (or more) before jumping into edits and/or starting on a second draft. Trust me, here. Your brain needs the down time and your eyes will be fresh and sharper to catch what need to be fixed. It’s hard to do. I won’t lie. But it’s necessary.
I can’t speak for all writers. Everyone’s process is different. I’m just speaking from my own experience. I have been writing for a long time. I have learned a lot of my lessons the long and hard way. Even now, I’m not perfect. I still have to rewrite those first drafts. I just wanted to shed a little light for the folks who stop and say, “But you wrote it how you wanted it the first time.”
So, here’s to a positive and productive beginning of May. Hopefully, the universe will grant a bit of a reprieve and those revisions I mentioned will unstick themselves. In the meantime, I’ll be proofing one of the books I edited last year, which is a whole new and awesome venture in my editing world. Cheers!
Aj Elmore, Author 