Vomit Draft or Polished Pages?
“I’m writing a first draft and reminding myself that I’m simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles.” ~Shannon Hale (author of The Goose Girl)
“I start a lot of my writing trying to write one perfect sentence. You write one sentence, and then you try to write another. And then you try to see if there’s a connection between those two sentences, and then a bigger connection.” ~Joan Didion (Co-author of A Star is Born)
You’ve probably heard this argument before.
· Just get words on paper! Can’t edit something unless there are words on the page.
· My characters changed from beginning to end and fixing it will change everything. My story structure is flawed; I should’ve caught it earlier.
My first novel was a science fiction romance that started as a forced proximity/opposites attract and finished with a theme about alien women’s liberation. By the time I finished, I’d stuffed it in a drawer where it still sits today.
Then I read an article by Stephen King about writing the Crummy First Draft or the CFD. In his memoir On Writing, he says his first draft is for him, then he writes the second for the readers. It sounded like he pushed through his first draft, writing whatever came to mind, limiting self-censorship. But then he described his daily routine, saying he shoots for 2k words then spends the rest of his time doing daily revisions.
So, after a proper mourning time, I set out to use King’s method, working on one scene a day. The next day I’d read that scene and revise with fresh eyes, gliding into the next one.
I found something that finally worked for me. I may be a puzzler and follow a rough plan, but the words were finally coming naturally. I was adjusting as I went along, putting the manuscript together as if it were a clay statue—working on the face, then the hands, adjusting when necessary to account for proportions and style to make sure what I created perfectly expressed my vision.
So, thinking about this, I went on a mission, trying to find out what other authors do and the benefits of each method. To save you time and energy, here’s what I found:
Arguments in favor of the vomit draft, limited or no revisions:
· Provides a framework for creative freedom. By not editing during the initial writing process, it’s believed that ideas will flow without censorship.
· Newton’s first law of motion is that an object in motion stays in motion. The concept is that if we don’t stop to revise, it’s be easier to keep going. Momentum is essential for keeping us going—that’s why many people advocate writing every day.
· It’s considered highly productive and time effective. Nothing feels better than getting a lot of work done in one crunch.
· The best argument in favor of writing a full vomit draft is vanquishing perfectionism. New writers often suffer from the fear that our work will be rejected—that it needs to be perfect or else …. Moving past the fear by keeping going and getting the words on paper, not evaluating them until it’s done.
Arguments in favor of the CFD, with polished pages from ongoing revisions:
· Revising provides a certain level of quality control. It allows the writer to catch errors and inconsistencies before they become major sticking points. Reading and reworking chapters as we go facilitates flow and consistency of tone and voice.
· Reduces the overwhelm that comes with revision. Finishing a 300-page book and looking at it, knowing there are so many glaring mistakes that must be addressed, can be daunting. By the time it’s done, character’s names and descriptions may have changed, forcing major run throughs for consistency. Plots and themes may have developed, requiring major re-hauls.
· Reworking as we go along can build confidence. As we spend more time with the manuscript, getting to know our characters and what’s at stake in the plot, only good things can happen.
What’s the best method? The one that works for you! What taps into your creativity best? What shapes your story to your vision?
