First draft method

[Incanus]

I thought of a way I might improve my first draft output and efficiency and was wondering if anyone has tried something like this.

Basically, I would defer the ‘artsy-prosy’ writing until later, as far as narrative descriptions go. For example, if I was introducing an important character for the first time, I wouldn’t write out a nice, readable description, but instead just throw in something like a little list of features–including any ideas about having it filtered through POV. Same with settings and even some of the ‘action’.

Then later on, assuming the scene makes it into the next pass, I could write out these parts more properly.

The downside, the way I see it, would be that it would take two whole passes to produce what amounts to a first draft.

I feel like if I did this, I would be much more focused on ‘story’ the first time around. It’s all too easy for me to get hung up on narrative, which I think is killing my first draft production levels.

A good idea? Are there pitfalls that haven’t occurred to me? Thoughts?

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

That's more or less the way I'm training myself now & my production has doubled and in substantially less actual writing time. My speed also seems to be improving as I train. You can find the results of my first 10 days in the challenges forum under "Track your Sprints".

I still try to write well, meaning I try to show and not tell where appropriate, I try to describe, stick within the POV, and all the other craft concerns I adopted for my style. I'm getting better at writing the way I want while still writing quickly. I'm confident that will continue to improve along with speed. It'll just take time and effort.

The results aren't as good on the surface compared too my old method, but the story is coming together well. I'm no longer painstakingly poring over my words before moving on anymore, and that's makes a big difference. I'm allowing myself to suck in the initial draft, confident in my abilities to make it good during revision.

What've you got to lose by experimenting?

 

[BWFoster78]

I wouldn’t write out a nice, readable description, but instead just throw in something like a little list of features—including any ideas about having it filtered through POV. Same with settings and even some of the ‘action’.

Or you could put all this in your outline ...

 

[skip.knox]

I just saw an article were James Patterson says he writes "outlines" that are 80-90 pages. Sounds close to what you're suggesting.

 

[Cambra]

Just be sure to jot down any artsy prosy stuff that occurs to you while you're doing it (and I'm sure it will) because sometimes that beautiful turn of phrase can disappear forever!

 

[Incanus]

Well, I'm happy to hear that going about it this way seems to be working for a few folks. I'll have to figure out if this will work for me, but I think it very well could.

I can see why this method might appear to be a sort of super-detailed outline, but I envision it more like drafting rough, sloppy scenes that are themselves already based on a loose outline. And so there would still be all kinds of 'discovery' writing during this phase. I'd just be putting off the full blown narration, style, and voice until the next pass.

And yes, Cambra, I'd be a little too impatient to not do any artsy-prosy writing the first time around. It's just too damn fun. Just can't get bogged down in it as I have aforetime.

Boy-oh-boy, I'm really itching to get started on this.

 

[goldhawk]

Movies are created by this method. It's called storyboarding. They go over the plot again and again. Sometimes adding new characters, sometimes removing some, adding scenes, deleting some, and rearranging everything.