Monday, December 7, 2009

Fast Drafting


I'm reading a book called First Draft in 30 Days, by Karen S. Wiesner. It is a method designed to to reduce time-intensive rewrites and avoid writing detours. It also shows you how to create an outline that is detailed and complete enough to double as your first draft.

I've never mastered writing quickly. I write the beginning and the ending, and then I stew and brew over the middle and the details. I have a terrible need to fix and revise as I go. I consider it a bad habit I need to break.

SO... I'm going to give this a try. I like how Wiesner plans out a schedule. Each day has a specific assignment. The required detail is daunting, but if done right, the subsequent drafts should be fairly painless. Should be.

I don't know if I can complete this in 30 days, but I will consider it a successful venture if I can complete a draft in 90 days. That's still fast for me.

Anyone else out there fast draft? Pointers will be appreciated!

7 comments:

Rena Jones said...

Sounds like a great book. I'll have to look for it. Thanks, Nora.

Christina Farley said...

Interesting book. I haven't seen this one. I personally really find fast drafting the best way for me to write because I force myself to get the job done even if I'm busy. And it also helps me get in the character's mind.

Bish Denham said...

I'll have to look into this one too.

Anna Staniszewski said...

Sounds interesting. I've done NaNoWriMo two years in a row, which I guess counts as fast drafting, but it's not nearly as organized as this book's method sounds. You'll have to let us know how it goes. Happy writing!

Brenda said...

Sounds interesting...Good luck with your fast draft...You can do it! Hugs...

Nora MacFarlane said...

Thanks all. I'm going to give it a try. It's a left-brain file approach, and I'm a right-brain pile kind of gal. Who knows, a structured approach might work for me - or put me in my grave... I'm starting Thursday.

Anonymous said...

Good luck. I don't get stuck until 2/3 through--if you have any suggestions on THAT problem, I'm open to them!