Good vs. Bad First Draft and Throwing the Pen Across the Room

[goatpiper]

It's really great that my appreciation and belief in my ideas always bring me back to the pen and paper...
I often end a writing session by literally throwing my pen across the room (and my cats scatter, and my dog looks up at me, her ears perked up in that questioning gesture dogs get). I am obsessed with the quality of the first draft of my work. I have pondered the concept and philosophy of first drafts endlessly, and usually come out thinking that the first draft needs to be at least decent to good for me to have the raw material I need to rewrite it into a really good novel (still on the first one, btw...far from finishing it).
So what's everyone's take on this conundrum? It tends to drive me nuts, and though everyone needs to bushwhack their own path, I'd love some different perspectives that I can sharpen my machete on.

AW

[ileana]

You know it is funny, but I always had the bizarre notion that my first drafts should be better than a published book. Why should I have to rewrite, when I should be able to do it in one take? Yet the craft of writing is for most of us no easy task and thankfully, I now know better and can take advantage of the rewriting phase. I do understand how you feel, and while a first draft should give one a good indication of where one is going with a particular project, the only requirement in my opinion is to recognize an ample potentional to grow and change--to become the best it can become.

I still fight the occassional demon who whispers in my ear that my story is less than worthy or that my writing style is not fully developed. (I think most people have these doubts, as we are our own worse critics.) Yet if I were to listen to these self-imposed worrywarts, I would be forced to hit the delete key and quit writing altogether. However, I have a story to tell. If in the end it is not up to my expectations, than so be it. As long as I followed through and gave it my best, I will have reason to pat myself on the back.

best regards,

ileana

[L M Ashton]

My internal editor agrees with you, goatpiper. My muse, however, argues vehemently and insists that a first draft's only job is to exist. Period. My muse wins. :)

I look at it this way - as long as I get the dialogue and plot down decently, I can fill in the rest later and fix the mistakes later. That's what editing is for. But if I spend so much time on a first draft that it takes me forever to finish writing it, then how long will it take me to get it out the door and to a publisher? But if I blitzdraft that same novel and edit later, how much sooner can I have it done?

A writing group that I'm a part of has a book in a week challenge each month where you sit down and blitz draft. You don't edit, you don't even look for spelling errors, you just write. Edit later. Using their methods, I've managed to hit a personal high of 210 pages of new writing in a week. (Yeah, my elephant writing hat helped. :D )

Sure, the book needs editing, but not because it's gibberish and incohesive. I have a couple of scenes I need to add and description to sprinkle in liberally, then correct grammar and spelling and all that jazz.

But you know what? At least it got done. If I didn't have that first draft finished, I wouldn't have anything to edit.

I vote for learning how to blitzdraft. :)

[Garpy]

my first draft usually reads like barely intelligable pigeon-english, with clunky, awful sounding sentences, over-use of the word-of-the-day, a billion spelling errors and punctuation boo-boos and some really cheesy metaphors or similes.

But....I accept all that, and press on knowing from past experience that all of that will be effortlessly tidied up in the second pass. You see....I find, it is so-o-o-o-o much easier to tidy up the rough raw material than it is to come up with the raw material in the first place. I find first-draft writing the toughest....because that's the draft in which all the ideas need to be conjured up....that's when the ol' magic needs to be produced, even if it reads like the gibberings of a five year old. The 2nd pass, that's a piece of cake, and for me, really fun, taking a rough diamond and polishing it up.

In summary then, from my experience, it's a huge mistake to get too hung up on the qulaity of your writing in the first draft. What you SHOULD be focusing on is the quality of your IDEAS/STORY

[Jamesaritchie]

It's really great that my appreciation and belief in my ideas always bring me back to the pen and paper...
I often end a writing session by literally throwing my pen across the room (and my cats scatter, and my dog looks up at me, her ears perked up in that questioning gesture dogs get). I am obsessed with the quality of the first draft of my work. I have pondered the concept and philosophy of first drafts endlessly, and usually come out thinking that the first draft needs to be at least decent to good for me to have the raw material I need to rewrite it into a really good novel (still on the first one, btw...far from finishing it).
So what's everyone's take on this conundrum? It tends to drive me nuts, and though everyone needs to bushwhack their own path, I'd love some different perspectives that I can sharpen my machete on.

AW

I believe fully in rewriting and revision, but I also believe the better the first draft, the better the final draft. Trying to turn a sow's ear first draft into a silk purse final draft is simply more work than I want to do.

I find it both easier, and far faster, to write a good first draft than to spend time trying to fix a bad one. Whether it's the fable of the turtle and the hare, or the cliche "the race isn't always to the swift," it stands true. Sometimes lower really is faster.

I think the problem comes when you expect the first draft to be perfect. That isn't going to happen. At least not often, and not for most mortals. Shakespeare might have been able to do it, but he was special.

But there's a wide range between bad and perfect, and there's no reason I can see for a first draft to be bad. I'm just not a believer in raising things more than one level. Bad first drafts can be turned into mediocre novels, mediocre first drafts can be turned into good novels, and good first drafts can be turned into great novels, but nothing in my experience says that really bad first drafts result in good or great novels.

"Good," of course, is in the eye of the beholder.

As for throwing pens, I've had that urge. I always resisted it when using a fountain pen. Those things cost too much. Throwing a $400 fountain pen across the room can be rough on the bank account. These little Penmates only cost $7.50, however, and I have a dozen of them, so next time that urge strikes I just might indulge myself. It sounds like a great way to relieve frustration.

[stace001]

I use my first draft to get absolutely everything down on paper. The protagonist moves across the room, looks out the window, picks up a glass of wine, takes a sip etc. That way i know exactly where my story is heading and what points i'm trying to get across. My second and third drafts are for making it readable, even good.

If you spend too much time on the mechanics of it during the first draft, especially during your first novel, there's a chance the story can get lost. Get everything down first, then take your time with the second draft. (and the third, fourth etc. If that's what you feel your story needs.) Don't sweat the small stuff. Let your characters take you where they want to go, then once they've arrived, you can go back and tweak it to your hearts content.

[inexperiencedinker]

I am new to the writing scene, and therefore NaNoWriMO (http://www.nanowrimo.org/) is probably old hat to most the folk around here. I just came across the website, and I plan to participate this November. It is the National Novel Writing Month. In November thousand of folks will sit down to put at least 50,000 words on paper in one month. I think this is a great idea because I have edited my prologue and Chapter 1 sooooo many times, that I have yet to start Chapter 2. I think this contest will give me a deadline to meet, without perfection, to just write.
I plan on taking the last two weeks in October and dedicating them to a formal and detailed outline diagramming the scenes and important themes, and then November will be to just write. No editing, no revision, no purpose other than putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard. I think this is similar to what quidscribis mentioned with "blitzdrafting".
I think that once people move on to second and third novels, maybe it becomes easier (I hope so anyways, lol!)? I feel like right now, without any real experience to lean on, I have no 'process'. I don't know if candle light and saltwater taffy get my creative juices flowing, or if I find it easier to edit as I go (I really don't think so though, lol) or to just blast words to the paper. Maybe throwing pens might help me, at this point. I hope I will eventually establish that pattern that helps to put creative thought into talented word, but until then I think I am going to try a little of everything. Especially the saltwater taffy! :)
Keep chugging along!

[Cathy C]

I've fought for the past few years to make my first draft my ONLY draft. I'm doing better at it --- only having to rewrite small things or correct similar word use in adjoining paragraphs, etc. I agree with James. I'd rather write it well the first time than edit it. My goal is to have it shelf-ready the moment I type "The End." It's a lofty goal, but a worthwhile one!


Keep on throwing the pen (but try to avoid the pets). It'll only make you better. :D

[WriterInChains]

I'm writing the first draft of my third novel [#1 is finished, #2 in the editing stage -- a little stalled right now, but still there while I draft #3]. So far I've only had short stories published, so take this with as large a grain of salt as you'd like.

My First Drafts are the most fun I have, short of finishing! I love that I don't know exactly how things will turn out or how my characters will get from point A to point Z. It's not easy to turn off my internal editor during the process, but when I can get her to shut up it's wonderful. Incidentally, that's also when the First Draft needs the least editing later. One thing that's worked for me, is to write as much of my First Draft as I can in a public place. That way, my internal editor is more concerned with what the people at the next table are talking about in Starbucks, or who's walking up to sit near me at the counter at Powell's & will they spill their coffee in my direction (again!) -- & the rest of me furiously scribbles out the story while her back is turned. This may not work for anyone else, but it's worth a try -- I tried anything I could think of or that I heard until I found something that worked, & I'll still try anything if I think it'll work or be fun.

Good luck with your draft! :Sun:

[MarkPettus]

For those of you who want to write only one draft:

What happens if, at midbook, one of your characters takes off on a roadtrip to Saskatchewan?

In one scene of my first novel, I needed someone to yell out a major character's name at a banquet. The gregarious minor character I created took on a life of his own, and became an important part of the story. How can that kind of creative tangent happen if you don't allow for a second draft?

[Lyra Jean]

I'm writing my story a chapter at a time. Then I give it to a few friends to read. Yeah I know about oh they might influence you blah blah blah. But I find writing a whole novel a bit daunting and focusing on only a chapter at a time has really kept me motivated. I write the chapter. Edit it once. Give to friends.

When my inner critic starts to go off I just tell him, yeah it's a guy. I'll fix it later. Yes there are entire scenes I've cut and then are scenes I've added. I figure getting words on paper is the important part.

My muse, she's another "person" I don't care for. Sometimes my boyfriend thinks I'm schizophrenic. She'll tell me about some minor character and promise it's a walk on walk off job and then this character becomes a subplot. Oy, it's throwing my outline a little out of whack but I just remind myself that it's a rough draft.

Ideas on paper is what is important.

[victoriastrauss]

I am obsessed with the quality of the first draft of my work. I have pondered the concept and philosophy of first drafts endlessly, and usually come out thinking that the first draft needs to be at least decent to good for me to have the raw material I need to rewrite it into a really good novelObsessed isn't a great place to be. But I feel much as you do--for me, the first draft needs to be essentially a finished book. Though maybe it would be more accurate to call it the first completed draft, since I edit on an ongoing basis, and by the time I write "the end", just about every part of the book has been subjected to many tweaks, changes, and rewrites.

But as the responses here should make clear, everyone does it differently. If it feels right to you to get it right as you go, rather than to hurtle forward and do the fixing after you've completed the last page, that's what you should do. (You do need to watch yourself, though, if that's your bent, because it's easy to get stuck on tinkering when you should be moving forward.)

- Victoria

[David McAfee]

I'm writing my story a chapter at a time. Then I give it to a few friends to read. Yeah I know about oh they might influence you blah blah blah. But I find writing a whole novel a bit daunting and focusing on only a chapter at a time has really kept me motivated. I write the chapter. Edit it once. Give to friends.

When my inner critic starts to go off I just tell him, yeah it's a guy. I'll fix it later. Yes there are entire scenes I've cut and then are scenes I've added. I figure getting words on paper is the important part.

My muse, she's another "person" I don't care for. Sometimes my boyfriend thinks I'm schizophrenic. She'll tell me about some minor character and promise it's a walk on walk off job and then this character becomes a subplot. Oy, it's throwing my outline a little out of whack but I just remind myself that it's a rough draft.

Ideas on paper is what is important.


I know what you mean. I've only written one novel-length story so far, but it surprised me how some of the characters managed to hang around after I thought they'd be done. One in particular got way more "face time" than I thought he would when I put him in. I think it's because I like him, and knowing the story, I feel a little sorry for him....

[Marcusthefish]

If you've been writing fiction for a while and/or are confident in your craft, then wanting your first draft to be good is reasonable. However, if you're young and learning-by-doing, as most first novelists are, be prepared to settle for words on the page, and plan for a lot of rewriting. Otherwise, you run the risk of intense frustration, which leads to abandoned stories.

MTF

[scarletpeaches]

If I perfected the first draft as I wrote, it would never get written. So recently I have been trying to master the art of binding, gagging and locking in a cupboard, my internal editor. The first draft, for me, is about getting the damn thing on paper. Stephen King said, "You can't edit what you haven't written," and that's something I remember while I write. Just get it written. Then worry about perfecting it. For me, it's easier to edit a full manuscript than perfect-as-I-go.

[goatpiper]

This is the sort of stuff I wanted to hear...experiences, perspectives, etc. I appreciate the time you all have taken to respond.
'Blitzdrafting' - interesting. Being someone who has a great love for the Beat Generation, I'd call that concept 'Kickwriting' (as pioneered by Mr. Kerouac). I've never heard 'Blitzdrafting' before. I like it.
It helps to hear other people on about their approach - that's why I love this forum. I've only found it recently. Writing is such a lonely and reclusive venture, it's great to have a community of writers on tap from my desktop.

[JackieG]

I may be late in joining the discussion, but since I read through the thread I may as well add something. :)

I spent a number of years dabbling across a few chapters of "a book" I meant to someday finish. If I went and rewrote here and there, I would pat myself on the back and call it writing.

Then I got involved in an online writing course (Writer's On-line Workshop, if anyone's interested) which required me to have about 10,000 words to submit for critique every two weeks. I think that's about right, I'm relying on memory.

I blitzed along while I had eight chapters or so already written. Then...I had to come up with 10,000 more words, and suddenly I had to work consistently. I didn't have time to polish and endlessly re-word. The first few assignments I was embarrassed about! But frankly, as time wore on, I got over my embarrassment when I realized I had over 60,000 words written toward a novel that I originally thought was a "someday" kind of thing.

Let me say that my original draft had a plenty of room for edits, but I tackled them after I typed "The End". I honestly believe that if I'd dinked around trying to get everything just right the first time, I'd still be dinking.

Not to mention, by the time I got to the end, I had to redo so much of the beginning that my "flawless" first chapters had to be chopped up anyway!

As you may guess, I'm a huge fan of the "Git 'er done" philosophy. Do it well, do it right...but don't wait for perfect. :)

[pepperlandgirl]

I think the problem comes when you expect the first draft to be perfect. That isn't going to happen. At least not often, and not for most mortals. Shakespeare might have been able to do it, but he was special.

Even Shakespeare had first drafts which he changed and perfected. You can see evidence of them in some of the plays (or at least evidence of earlier versions of the plays).