Both, in my experience, depending on what I'm going for and what the end product lacks. My previous project was rather slow and ponderous in places, making sure that the points were obvious and the feelings of the characters were clear and well-explored. The result? A lot of repetition, a lot of unnecessary shoegazing, and a lot of unnecessary conversations were left on the cutting room floor. The one I'm working on now has a much faster pace and a lot more jumping around. It'll need some more description, some pauses for breath and atmosphere adding.
I had to cut 15k from my first novel before it was a publishable length (97k). My second came in around 85k and wasn't much different after editing. I think it might have gained about 2k, but that was more from rearranging than just adding. The third is bang on track for 80k and will hopefully stay there. Since my first novel I don't have multiple drafts per se. I write it, send it for beta reading, make edits and that's it.
How much time between the first and second draft? Many advise waiting long enough so the story is no longer fresh in your mind, which makes it easier to see what others will see. I am wondering if this varies on the planner and pantser type writers; I would think a pantser would not wait long between edits but who knows.
Interesting topic. Really - when you have a first draft - and I have 4 of them, you are willing to make it read perfectly...But we writers could use a little guide of how-to, meaning what really to do with our first draft - in order to turn it into compelling literature. At that point, I usually seek the help of a writing buddy, who is able to comment more than "this is so good!" and "this sucks!" After all, we are responsible for the reader...
I rest the second, then edits, then beta reads, final edits. Hopefully then its done. But my first finished Ms was tweaked a lot more than that.
Im not overly experienced with my writing, but I find I go both ways a little. There are bits I remove and bits I feel need more adding to them, so it kinda changes.
I write with a pretty specific word count in the back of my mind for chapters or short stories. I find this helps keep me on track and there is less work to do in the revision stage. I also want my chapters to be around the same lengths. Practice writing to certain word counts gets easier the more you do it. I'm a pantser. The most planning I do is setting a word count goal.
I don't generally add or subtract much length from my first draft. My editors often ask for additional scenes or conversations, so I guess I write pretty sparsely on my own.
My first draft was 60,000 - just got the story and pacing down. Second draft 76,000 as I build sub-plots and fill in back story. Will start third draft after a break, hoping for about 80,000.
Constantly reading through your story. 1. You can edit while seeing how it reads. 2. You can keep continuity intact if you are prone to fudging small, but significant details further down the road. 3. You can add, subtract, or change whole words/sentences/paragraphs/chapters to better how the overall story reads. 4. You will feel better about this if you simply try it out, and feel more confident you didn't wait until the whole thing is writ before trying to implicate such things. As well as when you are seeking out beta readers. Well at least that is what I do and it seems to work fairly well so far. Though I have only written one novel, it still saved me a lot of grief at the later stages.
Saying you've only written one novel is like saying you've only ran one marathon. But I've been enjoying learning everyone's processes on first and subsequent drafts. It seems that there is as many methods as there is books written.
I'm definitely in the camp of writing a sparse first draft, and using it as a jump off point for my next, meticulous draft.
I definitely do both. Once I'm done writing I go back over it to decide what needs expansion and what needs trimming - sometimes it's all expansion, sometimes it's all trimming. Sometimes I end up trimming what I thought the whole point was and expanding on something else that turned out to be the point. I had this incredibly bloated short story that I initially wrote for fun but that I ended up quite liking, and I literally cut the wc in half trying to get it in shape, chopping out passages and entire scenes trying to find the point. The end result still wasn't worth publishing, and it's going to need to be entirely re-written. Next time around I expect I'll have to do more expanding to try to find the point - maybe someday it'll actually make some sense!
For a long time I was too much of a perfectionist and would try to write everything perfect the first time (basically skipping a first draft). I've slowly realised that was not working for me as it was leading to a lot of self doubt and writers block. I would get something written eventually but it would take too long. So now I am just trying to embrace the idea that my first draft won't be as good as I want it to be. I just need to get it out there and then be a perfectionist about it in rewrites and edits. The little editor voice in my head still tries to interrupt sometimes though during the first draft
English is not my first language but I get it why it's called "first" and "draft". This said, I write my stories in what I call "scenes". When I have to stop in the middle of a scene (because I'm tired or because life gets in the way) I will have to read that entire scene in order to continue. I can't help but doing some editing work if it's glaring at me in the face. Some days I want to write and end up spending my writing hours doing editing instead. I try to keep down to "some editing", not trying to get it all right, or I would never finish anything. Eventually, I get bored with editing and I want to get the story going. I see it this way: work editing now is less work editing later, but don't let editing get in the way of what you're doing before it's done. You can spend your entire life editing a story, just make sure there is a story to edit.
When I first started writing, I used to add a ton in my revision phase. Now I am way more of a trimming and shears sort of guy. I usually go to town cutting down my word count. I also go back and do complete rewrites on some chapters or scenes to make them more interesting or engaging.
Not because the content itself is boring or something, but because as you write it, you're realizing thoughts dont' connect to one another, and most parts don't make sense yet??
Well, my friend, it depends on what type of writer you are and what situation you are in. If you are a writer who writes when ideas come around, sometimes the stuff you're going to write is not going to make a lot of sense, because you're not really focused on sentences, and paragraph. You are simply trying to get down on the paper because the imagery of the ideas are very strong and exciting to point it blinds you to what you are writing.
That is a fabulous way to put it. I'm definitely visually oriented and see ideas as blocks of text on paper in my mind. Do I have hope of writing a big coherent book? If I'm this sort of writer, what do you suggest for approaching revision?
I love first drafts. Mine are pretty much the core of a story. They aren't good or clever but they show me what the story is. I'm not a big planner. Once the first draft is done the real work begins. First drafts are just fun. That is how it is for me anyway.
Well, yes, regardless of what type of writer you are, all writers if they are determined enough, they will always reach there end goals, which is a final draft. Believe it or not I am not an expert on revision, but my method is very common between writers, which is delete and rewrite until it matches the image in my head.
Real simple way to put it, and it makes sense to me. I'm glad you said something about "deleting". Because, I'm about 3/4 through my first draft and I'm realizing I'll probably remove a whole quarter of it at least.
I wouldn't say I hate my first drafts. I am usually just happy to have completed something even if it is only a draft.
I use a 5 draft system, my first draft is always the free-write version, and I usually hate it with a passion after I re-read it a month later. But, I always am able to find the core ideas I want in my story and build from there.