7 Tasks to Bridge Your First and Second Drafts
By Suzannah Windsor Freeman | December 14, 2010 |
Much advice and wisdom revolves around writing the first draft of a novel. We all know first drafts are about getting the words down quickly, about telling yourself the story rather than telling someone else.
Likewise, there’s plenty of wisdom on how to take a first draft to the next level—that is, how to form your lump of clay into something beautiful.
But what about that gap between when you finish the first draft of a novel and begin the second?
How can we ensure a smooth and successful transition between the beast and the beauty?
Finishing the First Draft
In January 2010, I pledged to write a novel within the year. It seemed like a great idea at the time, even though I had a three-week-old baby and a second child in school, a house to run and a blog to maintain. But, because I was sure to be off work for a while, what better time would there be to write as much as I possibly could?
In spite of a few detours along the way, I can say that I have completed the first draft of my novel.
Right. Um. What now?
Bridging the Gap
Every writer has his or her own way of doing things, and no one way works for everyone, but here are seven tasks I plan to complete before launching into the second draft of my novel:
- Wait. I’ve learned from experience that diving into revisions before taking a significant break from my work equals disaster. Finishing the first draft is a milestone, so reward yourself for a job well done and take several weeks away from your novel. Come back to it later with fresh eyes.
- Brush up on your craft. While you’re waiting for your eyes to reset themselves, dig out your favourite writing resources. I have a number of books and articles on the craft of writing that I go over before beginning any new project. This helps me to pause from my actual writing while continuing to work toward my overall goals. Plus, it’s always good to have great writing advice fresh in your mind.
- Read the manuscript in a different format. Print out your manuscript or transfer it to your eReader. I’ve already done both and found so many issues that I wouldn’t have otherwise seen. Reading your novel in a different format is truly like reading someone else’s work. You might also record yourself reading your novel and take notes as you play it back.
- Map out the story. There are several ways to map out your story. You can make a timeline, use a photo album with index cards to represent each scene, use a digital organizer—the possibilities are endless. By mapping out your story in one of these ways, you’ll discover how much you’ve deviated from your outline (if you use one), and have a better understanding of your manuscript as a whole. Writing a synopsis of your first draft can also help you to visualize your plot as a whole.
- Assess the draft’s strengths and weaknesses. Take notes on what you do particularly well, and the areas in which you need to improve. Identifying strengths will help encourage you, while identifying general weaknesses will help you find what needs the greatest amount of attention. For example, if you notice your dialogue is weak, that’s something you’ll be looking for during revisions.
- Consider major changes that need to be made. There are some major changes I’ll need to make in the second draft of my novel. Changing settings, adding/subtracting/combining characters, and including/excluding subplots are some examples of major elements that might need attention. Somewhere during the first draft you might decide a character is unnecessary, and so that character doesn’t appear in the second half of your manuscript. Or you decide another subplot could really give depth to your story and you’d like to weave it in later. Best to plan the major changes at this point rather than after you’ve begun reworking your manuscript.
- Set new writing goals. You may have already completed the writing goals you set when you decided to write your first draft, but where do you go now? When do you plan to complete your second draft? Exactly how will you accomplish that task? Set yourself a new timeline for completing the next phase of your manuscript so you have goals to work toward.
In no way do I expect my second draft to be the version I’ll submit to literary agents.
To me, the second draft is about filling in gaps in the story, strengthening characterization, rearranging scenes, and smoothing prose. Even though I write to an outline, things change so much along the way that major revisions are still necessary.
The finer details of smoothing prose and polishing will come later.
How do you bridge the first and second drafts of your fiction? What strategies do you find particularly helpful to prepare you for rewriting?
Image courtesy of Pensiero
Suzannah Windsor Freeman is a Canadian freelance writer and editor whose work has appeared in The Writer, Sou’wester, Grist, Saw Palm, Anderbo, The Best of the Sand Hill Review, and others. She is the managing editor of Compose: A Journal of Simply Good Writing and Writeitsideways.com. She lives in Ontario with her husband and four children.
“1. Wait” is one of the most important of this list. We all need distance from the work. Read, write something else, buy champagne…but wait.
I also do this;
1. Character edit: For each character, I read their scenes from the beginning to the end of the novel to make sure I have a good feeling that this character has developed correctly and to make sure they are believable.
2. Backwards read: I read the manuscript backwards, starting on the last page and flipping through until I reach the first page. Sometimes, because we are the author, we can get lost in the story and miss the smaller edits. It becomes quite difficult for the story to sweep us away while reading it backwards.
3. Aloud: I always edit aloud. Dialogue is one of the key things I hear mistakes in while dictating it to myself. Areas where trouble seems to persist, I record myself reading it and play the scene back.
These are just some of the constructive manuscript edits I perform in addition to most of what you described in this post.
Thank you for a great post…
Daryl
I always do a line edit before attempting the next revision. I hate to read all the crappy crap of grammar and punctuation that I just didn’t bother with in the first draft.
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jeffrey Davis and Daryl Sedore, SFWA authors. SFWA authors said: Juliet Marillier: 7 Tasks to Bridge Your First and Second Drafts https://bit.ly/icE2BL […]
Excellent advice. The most important of those to me is the waiting. I only have one manuscript under my belt but I didn’t walk away from it long enough between revisions. And that made the completion take that much longer.
Next year my goal is to write a first draft copy in the first 6 months, then put it away till 2012 and write another. We’ll see how that goes, comparatively.
It’s exactly where I am right now in my writing process. Thank you for your insight. I have already fell into a few traps you’ve mentioned (notably not waiting), but you gave me good guidelines for the future.
Waiting is definitely crucial, but it’s hard to turn off inspiration during this fallow period, especially given the creative high that usually accompanies finishing a draft. So when I’m between drafts, if some revelation about a character or story line hits, I jot it down on a ‘to-do’ list on a separate page. Then I can refer to it when I get to the end of the waiting period and re-read the draft.
Great tips! :)
“Somewhere during the first draft you might decide a character is unnecessary, and so that character doesn’t appear in the second half of your manuscript.”
LOL oh good, I’m not the only one! (That happened in my first ever novel, back when I was still a complete pantser.)
Great tips. I don’t know if I have much to add… I like Daryl’s advice of reading backwards to catch the small stuff, though!
I really like the tip on reading the first draft in another format. I’ll definitely do that on my eReader (which I hadn’t thought of) as well as on paper.
Thanks!
Great tips. Also, related to #2 brushing up on your craft, I took a novel writing class and had the opportunity to workshop a few chapters (in early stages of my second draft in progress). The feedback from other writers was very useful and insightful!
Thanks!
…use a photo album with index cards to represent each scene
And here I thought I’d “invented” this idea. ;-)
I type hundreds of Word comments for myself while writing the draft. Once I’ve reached the end and hold the whole book in my head, it’s time to decide what will come of those notes. Sometimes they hold nothing more than a paragraph of deleted text I’d wavered over, and by that point I know it doesn’t serve the work so I can delete it for good. Most of the time, the comments are points to muse. Things like “this is a duplicated idea; find a fresh way to describe,” or “consider that this reveal should be moved to last chapter” or “this characteristic could be threaded through the entire book for humor” or just the vague and encouraging “this section really blows. Make it better.” :-) Sometimes I find a great idea buried in a note left for myself three months back, that I know will heighten the story in some way; those are the best of all.
Second-draft work is sort of…fun. It demands a mercilessness that I like. Mwahahaha.
Thanks for a wonderful post, Suzannah!
An excellent post, Suzannah. I like your tips a lot. My own approach to revision came about after years trial and error (and finally resulted in a WD book on the subject). I think most writers just dive into revision without planning or a system. That’s sort of like rushing into battle without strategy or tactics.
On the first read through, after a cooling period of at least two weeks (four is optimal, IMO) take minimal notes. I have a shorthand system, and try to finish in two sittings. I have a checklist of the most important issues to tackle, in what order. (Sol Stein likened this to “triage” which is a wise metaphor).
Again, great post.
It makes sense to me to look at the big picture first, rather than dive into minutiae. Although I hate them with a royal passion, I do think a synopsis helps my think this through.
Also love the idea of digging into craft, just to prepare to make the minutiae rock.
Wow- an excellent list! I love all the ideas, and this post made me VERY excited to get to this point in the writing process again with novel #3. (I have 2 terrible novels on my hard-drive that are beyond revision).
I failed miserably on my 2nd draft. I couldn’t read the manuscript straight through–too horrible! Main problem: every so-called “scene” had slipped into summary. It was all summary, summary, summary, and I should know better! I had to go chapter by chapter and rewrite what I would call “my second 1st draft”.
I find waiting to be very helpful. I need a little space from my manuscript before I begin revisions. I’m also a big fan of deleting or combining characters. That seems to tighten up my novel, while making life more difficult for my protagonist.
Nice post!
Great post! I use a defunt Rolodex and those little cards to write out each scene. Makes it really easy to move them around and read through them in sequence. In point 2 “Brush up on your craft” you mention that there are a number of books and articles that you refer to time and again before beginning the second draft. I was wondering what they were?
@Daryl: Thanks so much for adding to the list! Reading aloud is such a good way to hear yourself trip up over your own awkwardness :)
@Anne: That’s interesting that you do a line edit before the second draft. I write fairly clean in my first drafts, so I don’t bother much with line editing until later. But whatever works works!
@Brenda: That’s a great plan! The only thing I’d worry about is perhaps being gone so long from your first manuscript that you can’t really get back into the edits and you end up abandoning it. Hope it all goes well!
@Benoit: Waiting is so difficult, but not waiting is manuscript suicide. I think the best way to help you wait is to start another piece of writing. Just think, in the time it takes you to write a longish short story, revise it, and polish it, you’ll come back to your novel with fresh eyes.
@Jeanne: I do that too–jot down further ideas and leave them to be incorporated later. Makes life so much easier!
@Lydia: Thanks! Loved your query break-down post the other day on your blog. Very helpful.
@Kristan: Yeah, I have a character who appears in the first half and not in the second in my WIP, but she still needs to be written in to the latter. Funny how we can skip these things in the heat of getting down that first draft!
@Elliot: I loved reading my manuscript on my Kindle. It made me view it as if it were a published book, so whenever I came across something that didn’t look fit to be published, I noted it. Hope it works for your, too!
@Sally: I wish I had access to more workshops and writers’ conferences where I could do the same. I live in a very small town in rural Australia at the minute, so not much happening around here! But that’s a great idea to get some feedback before you do major revisions.
@Therese: There’s another great tip! I write in Scrivener, so I do keep an extra folder for notes on my manuscript. Sometimes they’re completely irrelevant later on, but like you say, sometimes they’re gold. I also keep a folder for deleted paragraphs or scenes that I could possibly want to use later. Thanks!
@James S.B.: Thanks for your comment! I suppose doing a read-through and taking notes in just two sittings helps you see the bigger picture. Perhaps doing it over many days makes it more likely you’ll miss things. I agree, four weeks seems about right for a break from your manuscript.
@Jan: Yes, this is all about the big picture stuff. I won’t do much with my prose at the moment until I’ve gotten through all the restructuring.
@Nina: I have a pretty bad manuscript on my harddrive, too :) I doubt it will ever see the light of day again, but if it does, I’ll rewrite the entire thing from scratch without ever looking at the original.
@Tamara: Like you, I cringe whenever I find summary in my own manuscript. I have found a few areas where I’ll need to go back and rewrite, like you. Don’t give up!
@Erika: I can’t revise my work without taking a break, because without it I think everything looks pretty good! Once I come back with fresh eyes I can better see how terrible everything is, and just how much revision is necessary!
@Layla: Larry Brooks’ “Story Structure Demystified” and “The Three Dimensions of Character” are at the top of my list right now. I recently re-read both of them and love having the advice fresh in my mind. “Nail Your Novel” by Roz Morris also has some great tips and exercises for writing and polishing your novel.
Suzannah, Nah, I’m not worried about not being able to get back into my manuscript after a six month absence 1) I worked on my first manuscript for 6 years and love it as much now as when I started and 2) Even should that not be the case this time (not likely) the second manuscript I will draft in the 2nd half of 2011 will be related to the first so it will stay fresh. 8-)
Waiting is absolutely essential! You need time to forget the story a little, and it makes it easier to spot all the things you’ve left out of your manuscript without realizing because they are just so obvious to you. The flaws will leap out and your attachment will be lessened if you have fresh eyes, making it easier to identify what needs to be changed and to do it.
[…] Find out in 7 Tasks to Bridge Your First and Second Drafts. […]
[…] speaking of writing, Writer Unboxed posted a list of seven things to do between the first and second draft of a novel. First on the list? Wait.Step away from the […]
Excellent tips, Suzannah! I’m a big advocate of waiting before revising, and of reading books and articles on craft. But you are the first writer I’ve seen who made the simple but brilliant suggestion of using that time studying the craft to fill that excruciating pre-revision waiting period. D’oh! Why didn’t I think of that? What a perfect time to dust of your copy of Strunk and White, or Zinsser’s “On Writing Well,” or whatever favorite resources you may use to sharpen your tools and/or rekindle your mojo. Brilliant!
Great suggestions. :) When I’m revising, I like to read my draft in the two-page version of Word, so that it looks more “book-ish”. It helps me to see the story in a different fashion than when I was drafting it. I think I’m going to borrow Therese’s method of utilizing Word comments–I haven’t done that nearly enough, but it seems easier than using Post-it notes that I end up losing!
@Brenda: Wow, six years! I think I would have lost focus by then. That’s fantastic!
@Kristin: You’re right–it makes it so much easier to spot the issues with your manuscript if you take some time away from it. Fresh eyes!
@Keith: I’m so glad you found the suggestion helpful. I find when good writing advice is fresh in my mind, I tend to think of more areas of my manuscript that need to be revised.
@Donna: Therese’s suggestion is great. I love learning from the professionals!
I’m to the “set new writing goals” point. I’ve done 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6. I haven’t mapped the story out; maybe I should.
But I definitely need to set goals and deadlines for completing the new draft. I had so much momentum to finish the first draft. I’m feeling the same momentum now with revisions, and I want to capitalize on it.
Great post – thanks.
I’ve heard the, ‘read in another format’ rule before, and I do read the MS out loud – but what a great idea to record it, and listen to it later – I think if I record it right after I’m done with the first draft, then come back and listen to it at least two weeks later, it would truly be like someone else’s novel! Then I just need to take notes while I listen.
Thanks for the great tips!
I love all these tips! They can all help and factor into a great revision process.
But if you’re writing on deadline, you often don’t have the luxury of “waiting a few weeks” to start draft two.
You often don’t have the luxury of NOT submitting draft 2.5 to your editor.
I’ve had ideas hit me how ways to strength a plot months after the book was published. Even though I do as much leg work and planning and character/plot work as I can before I write, during and after, some things just don’t come to me in time.
Just the other day, I had a thought about a book I’m expecting revisions on any day. My editor has had it for awhile since the book doesn’t release until 2012. I knew the heroine’s motivation for leaving her husband needed some motivation up front. I had some in place, but well, felt a bit weak. Finally, two days ago, three months after I turned in the MS, I KNEW what her motivation was going to be. Perfect.
Granted, I haven’t been thinking about the book as I’m writing another one, but out of the blue, the perfect solution splashed down in my bath water.
I’m grateful! But I also realize book deadlines don’t always wait for those surreal moments. :)
Anyway, I appreciate this post. I’m going to work on that timeline suggestion. Always a bug-a-boo with me.
These are such great tips! Thanks. For me, the biggest help is waiting before reading it again.
@Stacey: Congrats on getting through your first draft! I love the goal-setting phase. Hope your second draft goes as well as the first.
@Laura: Yeah, I think it could work really well if you record it one chapter at a time. I’m always shocked at how different my voice sounds on a recording to how it sounds when I’m speaking aloud.
@Rachel: I guess that’s one of the few perks of still being unpublished–no deadlines! Never thought of it from the perspective of someone who has an editor waiting in the wings, but I can imagine you wouldn’t have much time to let your manuscripts sit.
@Julie: You’re welcome!
[…] Not seen a post like this in ages. All about linking 1st and 2nd drafts. (60 clicks) blog comments powered by Disqus /* […]
Waiting is important. It definitely allows me to come back to my WIP with fresh eyes. I love suggestion #2 – brush up on your craft before beginning the second draft. I also liked suggestion #6 – consider major changes to be made. I have a couple of major changes I must weave into both my completed novels. Knowing that before beginning that second draft will save me lots of time and frustration.