Comments on: Garbage or Raw Material?

By: When NOT to Read a Polished Manuscript | The Words of a Writer

When NOT to Read a Polished Manuscript | The Words of a Writer — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 04:01:49 +0000

[...] at MiG Writers made a very good point in yesterdays blog. However proud you are of a finished, polished novel [...]

By: Debbie

Debbie — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:26:55 +0000

I feel like this, too! My first drafts are always soooo rough. I find revising so much easier and enjoyable.

By: Lindsay Price

Lindsay Price — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:50:54 +0000

I like to think of first drafts as the ‘do’ draft – do whatever it takes to get to the end, with as little self-comment and criticism as possible. Nothing stops a first draft faster than ourselves! Then let the second draft be the ‘think’ draft – that’s where I think about what’s on the page, why it’s on the page, and what brings it all together…

By: Christina

Christina — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:53:21 +0000

I’m with you on this Andrea! Those first drafts really are dreadful. And for me the second ones aren’t always so lovely either.

Kate- I’m dealing with the insert chapter business too. And I also did some cutting and pasting, moving and shaking kind of stuff. I’m reading another draft right now and having to fix all those little typos and nit picky things that are all messed up from those!

By: Andrea

Andrea — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 22:09:57 +0000

Brittany, I sometimes do find myself working on a more polished piece of writing to revise (perhaps after my critique group has given me their comments) while I’m drafting another story. It can put a damper on the creativity for the draft, I find.

Good point, Kate. Adding new parts to an existing novel IS terribly difficult. Also hard is deciding where to add and where not to, since, when you’ve reached a certain level of writing skill, the polished writing can be well-written without doing anything for the story.

By: Kate Fall

Kate Fall — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 19:51:56 +0000

The worst part for me is when I need an insert chapter or section when I’m revising. Grafting new material onto material I’ve revised is so painful. That’s when I feel like my first effort has to be polished. I have to keep reminding myself how impossible that is.

By: Brittany Landgrebe

Brittany Landgrebe — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 14:44:42 +0000

You make such a good point, Andrea, one that many novice writers don’t even think about. I have yet to finish one polished WIP, but reading it over while working on a new first draft seems silly. But I don’t know if I would have thought of it with out it being pointed out, something I’m so very relieved you did.

I’ll be blogging my own thoughts of this, with a link to this one. Thanks again for mentioning the obvious!