My best pieces come when I write the first draft slowly. I write my first draft on my phone to make myself slow down. Later I write it out long hand to get the flow for the second draft. I go too fast and get distracted by the computer when I'm at the keyboard.
I also write second drafts by hand. Hand writing definitely helps me slow down and write with more intention. Totally agree that there are less distractions when writing long hand. It’s also nice to give the eyes a break from a screen. I haven’t thought about writing on my phone as a means to slow down. I gotta try it out. Thanks for sharing your process!
I go back and forth on the write like everyone you know is dead bit. On the one hand, I want to be honest with my own stories and experiences. But I'm also a recovering people pleaser and genuinely don't want to hurt anyone I know. I think of the Anne Lamott quote of 'If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better.' I have also read a few memoirs where it's, sadly, evident that the author isn't being entirely forthcoming either about what happened or the realities of a certain person's behavior, and the work suffers. I guess I come down somewhere in the middle - if you can't be fully honest about something, for whatever reason, then don't publish it or fictionalize it (like you said.) But I also don't want to cater too much to what other people think, since you can't please everyone anyways.
I totally hear everything you're saying. That Anne Lamott quote resonates with me. There have been a few times when my writing brushed up against reality, and that quote is helpful for navigating what we owe our writing vs. what we owe the people in our lives. A few years ago, I sold an essay about my sister who has a severe mental illness on proposal. Before I said down to write the first full draft, I checked in with my mother about the piece, and she said, "Just tell the truth." And that was helpful to hear going into the writing process. In the long run though, I don't think I'll write that much creative nonfiction because it's just more morally and emotionally taxing than fiction for me. And I feel like that emotional tax might be what leads to the kind of memoirs you mentioned, the ones that feel less than forthcoming.
Great perspective! In defense of write the first draft quickly, the reason for the tip is: Many writers like myself will never get the first draft written at all without it. You can revise later, but you have nothing to revise if the draft is never written. I agree though that the tip is incomplete. Too many writers believe writing the 1st draft quickly means you need to panst. But you don't need to panst the 1st draft. I often spend a whole year brainstorming, world building, character creating, dialogue scripts, and outlining before I draft the novel. The draft itself can take 1-5 months depending on length.
So well said! Totally agree that a lot of people equate drafting quickly with discovery writing, and that’s not always the case. As a writer, do you like drafting or revising more?
Great question! I could say either. Revising makes me feel happier because the bad writing goes away as I replace it with good writing. Drafting makes me feel more productive as I get words on the page and measure my word count. My favorite stage is actually the brainstorming phase when I enthusiastically put a new idea on paper with no structure or rules. But even then I can only brainstorm, plan, sketch, and outline so much before I get down to Drafting, where I feel like I'm "really" writing. But then revising lifts me as I feel like a pro, pulling off the genius craft techniques of my favorite writers.
I love how positively you view each stage of the process! I wish I enjoyed brainstorming as much as you do. I find that being able to enter any stage in the writing process with joy will always make a writer more productive, and it sounds like you find a lot of joy in each stage of your process.
Small world! I studied with Puchner as well :) I’m always struggling with whether to write quickly or slowly. I find different projects need different paces.
Definitely agree that different projects need different paces. For me, different stages of the writing progress also need different paces. What Sarah commented in the thread about fast drafting for structure and slow drafting for prose resonated with me.
This is so smart! I'm with you about fast and slow drafts. Overall I try to fast draft the structure and slow draft the prose. Doesn't always work ideally but we do our best!
Thanks for reading! Draft fast for structure and slow for prose is definitely a motto that works for my writing process. Like so many writers say, when the writing goes well, none of this stuff matters. But when it’s not going well, pithy advice like this is useful to fall back on.
This while this is a very nice essay, it does not give me the secret beyond anything that I know for weaponizing. My bad writing advice for fun and profit. I guess I'm just going to have to keep corrupting the youth by giving out free developmental editorial passes on short stories once a week. Dang.
My best pieces come when I write the first draft slowly. I write my first draft on my phone to make myself slow down. Later I write it out long hand to get the flow for the second draft. I go too fast and get distracted by the computer when I'm at the keyboard.
I also write second drafts by hand. Hand writing definitely helps me slow down and write with more intention. Totally agree that there are less distractions when writing long hand. It’s also nice to give the eyes a break from a screen. I haven’t thought about writing on my phone as a means to slow down. I gotta try it out. Thanks for sharing your process!
Draft Zero. I like that! Thanks for the great post, Kat! Helpful!
Thanks for reading!
I go back and forth on the write like everyone you know is dead bit. On the one hand, I want to be honest with my own stories and experiences. But I'm also a recovering people pleaser and genuinely don't want to hurt anyone I know. I think of the Anne Lamott quote of 'If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better.' I have also read a few memoirs where it's, sadly, evident that the author isn't being entirely forthcoming either about what happened or the realities of a certain person's behavior, and the work suffers. I guess I come down somewhere in the middle - if you can't be fully honest about something, for whatever reason, then don't publish it or fictionalize it (like you said.) But I also don't want to cater too much to what other people think, since you can't please everyone anyways.
I totally hear everything you're saying. That Anne Lamott quote resonates with me. There have been a few times when my writing brushed up against reality, and that quote is helpful for navigating what we owe our writing vs. what we owe the people in our lives. A few years ago, I sold an essay about my sister who has a severe mental illness on proposal. Before I said down to write the first full draft, I checked in with my mother about the piece, and she said, "Just tell the truth." And that was helpful to hear going into the writing process. In the long run though, I don't think I'll write that much creative nonfiction because it's just more morally and emotionally taxing than fiction for me. And I feel like that emotional tax might be what leads to the kind of memoirs you mentioned, the ones that feel less than forthcoming.
Great perspective! In defense of write the first draft quickly, the reason for the tip is: Many writers like myself will never get the first draft written at all without it. You can revise later, but you have nothing to revise if the draft is never written. I agree though that the tip is incomplete. Too many writers believe writing the 1st draft quickly means you need to panst. But you don't need to panst the 1st draft. I often spend a whole year brainstorming, world building, character creating, dialogue scripts, and outlining before I draft the novel. The draft itself can take 1-5 months depending on length.
So well said! Totally agree that a lot of people equate drafting quickly with discovery writing, and that’s not always the case. As a writer, do you like drafting or revising more?
Great question! I could say either. Revising makes me feel happier because the bad writing goes away as I replace it with good writing. Drafting makes me feel more productive as I get words on the page and measure my word count. My favorite stage is actually the brainstorming phase when I enthusiastically put a new idea on paper with no structure or rules. But even then I can only brainstorm, plan, sketch, and outline so much before I get down to Drafting, where I feel like I'm "really" writing. But then revising lifts me as I feel like a pro, pulling off the genius craft techniques of my favorite writers.
I love how positively you view each stage of the process! I wish I enjoyed brainstorming as much as you do. I find that being able to enter any stage in the writing process with joy will always make a writer more productive, and it sounds like you find a lot of joy in each stage of your process.
Small world! I studied with Puchner as well :) I’m always struggling with whether to write quickly or slowly. I find different projects need different paces.
Love connecting with Hopkins alumni!
Definitely agree that different projects need different paces. For me, different stages of the writing progress also need different paces. What Sarah commented in the thread about fast drafting for structure and slow drafting for prose resonated with me.
Love seeing writing sems people finding success :) I’ll definitely keep an eye out for you book next year !!
This is so smart! I'm with you about fast and slow drafts. Overall I try to fast draft the structure and slow draft the prose. Doesn't always work ideally but we do our best!
Thanks for reading! Draft fast for structure and slow for prose is definitely a motto that works for my writing process. Like so many writers say, when the writing goes well, none of this stuff matters. But when it’s not going well, pithy advice like this is useful to fall back on.
Exactly!
You should not write your first draft until you have made a detailed outline with blank spaces for ideas.
Outlining first definitely works best in my writing process. What outlining methods do you use for your stories?
This while this is a very nice essay, it does not give me the secret beyond anything that I know for weaponizing. My bad writing advice for fun and profit. I guess I'm just going to have to keep corrupting the youth by giving out free developmental editorial passes on short stories once a week. Dang.
I mean I'm going to read this and I hope that it tells me how I can weaponize my bad writing advice more so than I already have.