Phases of revision

[Jac Buchanan]

Although I'm severely dyslexic I have quite a lot of writing experience, some professional in the form of research papers, military plans and orders and some what you might call semi-professional in the form of novels and short stories. For me, quality of writing depends on the target audience if you will. Who is reading it and why?...

Hi mate.
I'm mainly talking in the context of fantasy novels, given the context (i.e. the purpose of this platform), and encouraging someone who is criticising themselves for what-they-think-is excessive drafts.
Yes, different markets within the fantasy genre have different expectations, and therefore the definition of 'quality' differs, as it does across readers and writers. (Remember: each writer's style is different, and that in itself sets a different standard for what is optimal for that style).

 

[Puck]

I'm impressed he was organized enough to have kept count!

Actually he didn't keep count that well. At the time he said he'd re-written it 39 times 'to get the words right'

However, 47 different drafts were later found to have survived. Perhaps there were actually more than 47 & the others ended up in the bin.

 

[Mad Swede]

Hi mate.
I'm mainly talking in the context of fantasy novels, given the context (i.e. the purpose of this platform), and encouraging someone who is criticising themselves for what-they-think-is excessive drafts.
Yes, different markets within the fantasy genre have different expectations, and therefore the definition of 'quality' differs, as it does across readers and writers. (Remember: each writer's style is different, and that in itself sets a different standard for what is optimal for that style).

Yes, as writers we all have different styles. And for me, that all too often gets forgotten. When I started writing short stories it took me a while to find my voice, by which I mean the way (style, structure, language etc) in which I express things in the story.

I think a lot of new writers produce a large number of drafts simply because they don't feel their voice is right for them. It takes them time to find their voice. I found that as I got going the time it stook to get the next story formed in my mind lessened as I found my voice, and I suspect that many experienced writers have found that the number of drafts they produce reduces with the number of books they've written. In that sense I thiink you can say that they have optimised their way of writing, but it is a result of them finding their voice.

It helps if you know what your readers like in your writing, because that helps hone your voice and makes it easier to plot out the next story. But finding out what they like does take a bit of trial and error. But you do eventually learn what they like and what is good enough.

 

[Nighty_Knight]

The danger of counting "This is my x draft" is that it can be depressing, and the fact that every writer has different needs to produce their version of the optimal manuscript. That's the beauty of art - we're all different. In other words, judging by the number of drafts, or comparison to others, is fruitless. It simply comes down to what gets you to where you need to be.

There are techniques that people use to cut down on the number of drafts, but that's about efficiency. It's a sign of "this writer is better" because of it.

No doubt everyone is different, that's just how I do things myself, and only currently. I may change the way I do things with more experience. (Hopefully I do)