How many drafts?

Jordygirl · May 14, 2007

Okay, so I recently (meaning yesterday) finished the first draft of my novel. I'm putting it away for a while before I do the second draft.
Question is... how many drafts are you supposed to do? How many do you do? Is two enough or do I need three or four? And for all you published writers, how many did you need to do for the book you got published?

scarletpeaches · May 14, 2007

First of all, if there's one thing I've learned on AW, there's no 'supposed to' when it comes to so many aspects of one's writing life.

It's one of those "How long is a piece of string?" questions. You could say, "Do four drafts!" but what if the manuscript is complete after three? Or, there would be no point submitting it if it was still in a terrible state and needed a fifth. You do as many as your book needs.

Me, I'm unpublished, so take what I say with a pinch of salt, but I do a rough first draft, which is all about speed, getting the story down on paper. A second, which is about ironing out all the plot holes and tidying everything up. Then a third in manuscript format, which usually does the trick.

Then I do a quick check for typos and continuity errors.

But that's just me. Your writing routine could turn out completely different.

Shady Lane · May 14, 2007

You could say, "Do four drafts!"

*points to the above*

Just kidding. Scarlet is, of course, right. It's all very subjective.

And I always write four drafts.

JoNightshade · May 14, 2007

See my signature.

Jersey Chick · May 14, 2007

I generally do an average of 6 drafts per WIP. The one I just finished weighed in at a whopping 10 drafts, but that's because I tore up the sixth original draft (finally realized just how bad it sucked!) and rewrote it completely - which of course sent me to step one.

It's different for everyone, but I would say a minimum is 2/3. But that's just my opinion

Jordygirl · May 14, 2007

Wow! Everyone seems to do a different amount of drafts. Thanks for all the replies... I still don't know how many I should do... hopefully after the second it will become apparant.

JoNightshade · May 14, 2007

Jordygirl said:
Wow! Everyone seems to do a different amount of drafts. Thanks for all the replies... I still don't know how many I should do... hopefully after the second it will become apparant.

How's this:
- Do two drafts yourself
- Give it to someone you trust to critique and then do a third draft
- If you feel good about it, query some agents. If they like it, you're good.
- If not, draft until you get results!

herdon · May 14, 2007

Here is the only right answer you will read: As many as it takes.

Andre_Laurent · May 15, 2007

As said above, as many as it takes. I did seven.

Siddow · May 15, 2007

In one of his books, Dean Koontz claimed to have done 40 drafts. I asked Steve Berry once how many he did, and he said about seven. There's a writer on this board who had his first draft published. So what's my point? Like the others have said, it depends.

Do you have a plan for the second draft? I really think the best advice for attacking the second draft is to address plot issues and continuity (like those places where someone's eyes have turned from green to blue, or in the case of one of my manuscripts, the bedroom moves from upstairs to the first floor), and after you've got all the scenes in place, then go back and address language issues (like killing 'that', for one!) and either ramping up or paring down description and/or action, and un-stilting dialogue.

So for me, it's a minimum of three drafts. YMMV. Good luck, and congrats on completion of the first draft!

kristie911 · May 15, 2007

I've done probably 8 on mine. And it could probably still use another but I'm completely sick of it!

joyce · May 15, 2007

I did five drafts on my manuscript before I was satsfied with everything. I kept giving it to someone I knew to read and give suggestions. I also put the thing away for several weeks (I was sick of it) and then picked it back up with fresh eyes and ideas. There is no right answer, it is just when you feel satisfied that the manuscript is as good as it's going to get. Good luck and just keep writing.

Dave.C.Robinson · May 15, 2007

I would say that for me, three is the minimum. First draft is the most important, as you can't do any of the others until you actually have a story. Second draft is where you fix the holes you made in the first. I use the third to go over and polish the prose.

That's my technique

Bufty · May 15, 2007

What do you folks mean by a 'second draft' - I simply load the original and get to work on it. I may have many such run-throughs or revisions but none of them are fresh drafts. To me they're simply polishing up the original.

Dave.C.Robinson · May 15, 2007

The best way for me to define a second draft is to start with a first draft. A first draft is what you have after writing "the End," or otherwise completing your manuscript. Anything up until the time you have a complete story from beginning to end is still first draft.

Once you've got that done-- then it's time for a second draft. This is the first editing/revising pass on the complete work. You can do it on the original document if you want, though I prefer to archive that and work from a new one. It's the first editing pass you make where you have the work as a whole to deal with. In the old days you'd literally retype the manuscript, including your corrections, but most people these days work from an existing document. You not only use this pass to fix your writing, but also to correct the various plot holes that crept in when you were doing the original draft.

Hope this helps.

swvaughn · May 15, 2007

Seven.

[Seven?]

Just... flip it! Flip the switch, lady...

(Sorry... I couldn't resist. I have to agree with Havlen: as many as it takes.

)

(Hey, Devil - I used a colon!)

Jamesaritchie · May 15, 2007

Siddow said:
In one of his books, Dean Koontz claimed to have done 40 drafts.

Koontz doesn't actually do drafts at all, in the usual sense of the word He rewrites each page up to thirty times, and when he thinks that page is perfect, he writes the next page. When he reaches the end of the novel, he's done.

JoNightshade · May 15, 2007

Jamesaritchie said:
Koontz doesn't actually do drafts at all, in the usual sense of the word He rewrites each page up to thirty times, and when he thinks that page is perfect, he writes the next page. When he reaches the end of the novel, he's done.

Can we say, "OCD?"

Jamesaritchie · May 15, 2007

Drafts

You aren't supposed to do any certain number of drafts. You do as many as it takes, though you should be aware there will come a point when all you're doing is stirring mud. Too many drafts can be worse than too few.

I write the novel, trying very hard to get as much as possible right the first time through, then I do a second draft that's mostly cleanup and polish, and then I read through to see what, if anything, I missed. That's it.

Siddow · May 15, 2007

Jamesaritchie said:
Koontz doesn't actually do drafts at all, in the usual sense of the word He rewrites each page up to thirty times, and when he thinks that page is perfect, he writes the next page. When he reaches the end of the novel, he's done.

I can't remember which book it was, but in the acknowledgments, he thanked his editor for putting up with him through "at least forty drafts". Maybe One Door Away From Heaven? I've read so many, and that admission stuck out to me.

But yeah, I know about the perfect-it-and-then-move-on part of his process. Must be nice to work that way. I wish I could know that page 1 works before I write page 350.

Mr. E · May 15, 2007

Jamesaritchie said:
Koontz doesn't actually do drafts at all, in the usual sense of the word He rewrites each page up to thirty times, and when he thinks that page is perfect, he writes the next page. When he reaches the end of the novel, he's done.

I tried to do this, but when I was done, 50% of the crap had to go anyway...what a colossal waste of my time.

If I've learned one thing while writing my first book, it's to not try & get everything down perfectly the first time. It may work for others, but not for me.

Jamesaritchie · May 15, 2007

Siddow said:
I can't remember which book it was, but in the acknowledgments, he thanked his editor for putting up with him through "at least forty drafts". Maybe One Door Away From Heaven? I've read so many, and that admission stuck out to me.

But yeah, I know about the perfect-it-and-then-move-on part of his process. Must be nice to work that way. I wish I could know that page 1 works before I write page 350.

Yes, I remember reading the same thing, but if you go to his website, there's a podcast where Koontz explains what he means by "drafts." He "drafts" each page until it's perfect, 20,30,40 times, and then writes the next page.

I believe it's podcast eight called "Common Reader Questions." http://www.deankoontz.com/entertainment/podcasts.php

I find this incredible. There's no way I could rewrite a page over and over and over without knowing what was coming on the next page, but he seems to manage it nicely.

Siddow · May 15, 2007

Arghhh! Anybody who loves Koontz and thinks of him as a manly-man, DO NOT LISTEN TO THAT PODCAST unless you want your fantasy of him to be shattered!

This has been a public service announcement.

Jamesaritchie · May 15, 2007

Siddow said:
Arghhh! Anybody who loves Koontz and thinks of him as a manly-man, DO NOT LISTEN TO THAT PODCAST unless you want your fantasy of him to be shattered!

This has been a public service announcement.

????? What's unmanly about the podcast?

Siddow · May 15, 2007

Jamesaritchie said:
????? What's unmanly about the podcast?

Uh, when I read his books, I hear his author voice as something closer to Sam Elliot. But Mr. Koontz actually sounds more like, um, Capote.

How many drafts?

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