This is a question worth asking I think. When do you finally say "Ok, this is finished. Now time to edit."
Do you edit while you're writing the first draft?
Do you wait until you're finished with the first draft and then start editing?
Do you not finish first drafts because you're constantly editing them?
I'm curious to know what others think about this.
I would say, for the only short novel I completed (about 25,000 words per the guidelines), that it took me about 2 months of steadily writing to get the first draft done. Then I did about three or four more edits before I sent it out to publishers. It was rejected twice and then I shelved it.
Even though I edited it many times, it still always felt like a first draft. I know the general rule is "edit until it's good" but a lot of writers (like myself) don't ever let anything be "good enough."
So when is a first draft good enough for you?
Do you edit while you're writing the first draft?
Do you wait until you're finished with the first draft and then start editing?
Do you not finish first drafts because you're constantly editing them?
I'm curious to know what others think about this.
I would say, for the only short novel I completed (about 25,000 words per the guidelines), that it took me about 2 months of steadily writing to get the first draft done. Then I did about three or four more edits before I sent it out to publishers. It was rejected twice and then I shelved it.
Even though I edited it many times, it still always felt like a first draft. I know the general rule is "edit until it's good" but a lot of writers (like myself) don't ever let anything be "good enough."
So when is a first draft good enough for you?