How do you write your first drafts?

[yoda47]

Kinda a mixture of thinking over who the characters are, some background on the world, and some vague, general idea of what happens... but mainly I just start writing and see what happens. I'll fix it later.

[lexkx]

Stormiel, I went through a good half-dozen stories without finishing them. Some had interesting plots and characters, some I only thought they did. I know that feeling. I woke up one day with a fraction of a story in my head, and no idea how to get the characters to that point, or how the story would resolve itself. That was the first book I finished, because I had to know what happened next. I learned a lot about how to birth a story from scratch through the experience. Then, I went back to an interesting character I'd never finished, and proceeded to write the most amazing story. (No pride there, I promise.)

So now my general order of business is as follows: generate a compelling question, then write the first draft. I outline as little as possible for a first draft (unless it's something short and requires a specific structure), giving myself room to get run over by a reckless character. Usually by the last few chapters, I need to make a list of scenes so I can tighten up loose ends. Then rest from the story--a mix of euphoria and a little post-partum depression. Then, I machete edit for adjectives and prepositional phrases, and to mesh anything I missed--with the general intention of cutting at least 10% of the ms. Then comes the specific and slanted rewrite, and then a polishing edit. Obviously, I'm a seat of the pants writer, but I'm becoming slightly more open to the idea of outlines as I learn how to get around them. (But, in school, I wrote a lot of tightly structured and outlined papers, so some of my idiosyncrasies may just be rebellion.)

If you like, I have a couple lesson plans on plot structure and wilderness outlining that I've taught at my writers' group....

[stormiel]

Hey Lex,

That's cool!

Yeah I outlined and then went with it and ended up re-writing again. I know where I want the story to go but its so hard to get the beginning the way I want it. I'm only about 8k words into my latest re-write but I'm not quitting or going back too much until I finish this time

What is "wilderness outlining?"

[lexkx]

"Wildeness outlining" is the term I started using for the loose, non-outline format I started employing when writing fiction. In my not-so-wild youth, I attended two memorable camps: one was Ranger Fire Training in Yellowstone Park and the other was whitewater rafting on the Nantahala River. From the Ranger camp, I learned how to read a map, how to read the geography around me, and how to plot a track through unknown wilderness. From the rafting, I learned what elements go into a good journey, where to start and stop, what to pack, and who to put in your raft.

So, when outlining something as fluid and living as a story, these lessons come into play and make it easier to think about how to weigh the different elements of a story.

I'll pm you the notes.

[Bethany J.]

Aha, so *that's* what the snowflake method is! I had heard of it but never seen a basic description. I do something like those first 3 steps, but not in that exact order. I've never thought to write outlines for each scene...part of me thinks that would be fantastic for planning but the other part of me thinks it would be disastrous for me because I over-think everything way too much! I'm not sure I'd ever actually write the book because I'd be planning for so long to make it perfect. I dislike revising.

[newburydave]

The Snoflake method is one of the freebies that Randy gives away over at his website, Advanced Fiction Writing ( www.advancedfictionwriting.com ).

It's probably the most exhaustive Act, Section and Scene planning method that I've ever seen if you like to plan everything out down to the knats eybrow before you start.

My best novelization planning was for a NaNoWriMo effort several years ago. I hand wrote a two page outline, employing a very sketchy three act overview then launched into writing it without edits to get to the 50k goal within the month.

I'm still working up the result and expect it will be my first novelization to actually get published. I suppose this is my preferred method.

I guess that puts me somewhere between planner and a seat of the pants writer. I put in a minimalist plan then let my characters lead me into the details of the story.

God's providential covering on your own writing efforts

Write on beloved siblings

SGD
dave

[This Baron of Mora]

The "Tolkien Method":

1. Start with your vast ligustic knowledge by creating a language
2. From this language "find" peoples that reflect the things contained in it
3. Build a world to reflect these people all the while using your amassed knowledge of "fairy tales" and legends, naturally this worls has everything ours does
4. Constant revision during inconsistent amounts of time throughout the years (with lots of pretty pictures and charts!)
5. When any problem occurs start writing said "document" all over again from the beginning
6. Just like our world there must be everything that is a part of being a tellurian, culture (language), history, lore, poetry, epic poems (in alliterative and rhythemic verse), bards, evil, good, treachery, war, politics, geography (not just simple places either, the real deal, that means everything down to the grass), et cetera
7. Naturally, you must remember that this is not "for-profit" work it is for the joy of sub-creating in all it forms.
8. Also, take note that you will never finish this as long as you walk the Earth, in fact you will be fortunate to publish (also known as finish) anything. In order for this to happen you need a C.S. Lewis to push you.
9. See the splendour of God's creation, for your meager hands hold but a small golden sceptre over a incomplete and imperfect subcreation, wheras you live in His miraculous creation.

-Oh, and by the way do forget to do it all by hand (no Computers of course, remember you hate progressive technology), though eventually you compromise and let yourself use an oversized typewriter in a very slow fashion. Naturally this is all balanced out by your very busy work as a Professor of Anglo-Saxon at the world's greatest university.

[Bethany J.]

Hehe, love it, Baron of Mora!

[stormiel]

LOL, thats a scary plan....

[newburydave]

Yeah well if you happen to be one of the most intelligent men born on earth in the last two centuries, who is also a professor of Oxford with a lot of time to research and write, that sounds good.

But I'm just a bus driver, so I aim lower and believe God to elevate my efforts into something acceptable.



SGD
dave