That Finished First Draft Feeling

 Yesterday, I finished a first draft of the cozy fantasy Walking on Moonlight that I've been working on since January. It came out to 94k which is a long first draft for me (65-80 k is more typical), but no where near the monster 140k that Little Mansion in the Jurassic topped out at.

As always, even though there is at least two more drafts and much work to be done, I like to spend a little time basking in the glow of accomplishment. I created another novel out of nothing but my mind which is pretty cool when you think about it. Walking on Moonlight is my 49th novel written (not published, written) which is not nearly as prolific as some, but still a respectable body of work.

As I near the end of a draft, my pace always picks up, my word counts rising from an average of 700 during the middle of the novel to 1200 a day. Yesterday in my frenzy to finish, I wrote 3388 words.

Am I going to take today off? Um, no. While Walking on Moonlight will rest on my hard drive for a few months so that I can revise with fresh eyes, I will be moving my Project B into my Project A slot and continuing with that. A change is as good as a break for me. However tonight we will order out so I don't have to cook and I will read the ebook I bought myself as a treat yesterday.

Accomplishments should always be celebrated.

 

 

From the Archives: Drafting vs. Rewriting

Veronica sez: I'm not even organized enough in my approach to be called a "gardener"! This is an 'ever-green' topic though...so here it is, reposted for your consideration. And Nicole's new book cover from March 2016:

I've heard a lot of talk and attended some interesting panels about whether a writer is a 'plotter' or a 'pantser' (also sometimes referred to as an architect vs. gardener.) Writers usually fall solidly into one camp or another. But when talking with my writer friends I've also noticed a different divide. Some writers love drafting a novel, but find rewriting to be a long slog. Other writers loathe first drafts and heave a huge sigh of relief when they finish and get to the 'fun' part--rewriting.

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?