For me, brainstorming a novel and writing a first draft is the most enjoyable stage. I am a plotter. Perhaps this makes me less likely to write myself into a corner while drafting. (Of course, less likely is not the same thing as never. I do mire down on occasion, but usually backtracking a couple of pages helps put me back on the road if not the superhighway.) I am most likely to enter a 'flow state' while drafting a scene.
Rewriting, especially 3rd draft polishing of individual sentences and fixing all my writerly flaws, is where I truly bog down. I sigh a lot. I break chapters down into scenes and promise myself rewards for doing an editing pass. Rewriting is a very necessary part of the process, but for me it is very much a long march through a desert with limited supplies of water. I am desperately happy to come out the other end.
I've heard of collaborations between writers such as Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer where one loves writing the first draft and the other loves revising. This seems to me the perfect pairing.
What about you? Are you a drafter or a reviser? Does being a plotter also make one more likely to be a drafter, and a pantser a reviser? Or do they need not go together? Who is your dream collaborator?
Excellent post, Nicole. I'm a first draft lover, but I waffle between pantser and plotter. This COULD explain why I sometimes hate working on the second draft! However, even at the best of times, I think of 2nd draft stuff as housework -- and I don't like housework very much at all! Surprisingly, I don't mind the third draft, fine editing, because the big problems are usually gone, and this is where my work really starts to shine.
ReplyDeleteBut that first draft? Pure fun!
I'm ambivalent towards 2nd drafts. Some of it is 'housework' but I often have to add in whole scenes or even chapters, which gives me that drafting high.
ReplyDeleteFor me they're different pleasures, but I feel more confident while revising. Higher highs and lower lows while drafting.
ReplyDeleteI'm also very much an architect first, although I don't hesitate to do a little gardening along the way.
I'm the kind of architect who builds the house, then before furnishing it, decides to add on a sunroom, a secret tunnel, and knock down a few walls.
DeleteI love the first draft. It's my favorite part of the writing process.
ReplyDeleteAre you a plotter or a pantser? Still not sure if there's a correlation.
DeleteI started out as a complete panster but I plot more and more as time goes on. Nowadays, I usually start with a basic outline and a bunch of scene and character sketches.
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