RTW -- Rough Drafts

As some -- or most -- of you probably know, YA Highway has a new thing they call "Road Trip Wednesday" where each contributor writes a post on their own blog about a certain subject. Then you get to go on a road trip and read their awesome responses.

Well this event is also open to random bloggers. Visit YA Highway for more information and to read the awesome posts.

This week's question was: How rough is your rough draft?

The first thing I want to say is: all rough drafts need work. It's a fact of writing. I don't believe anyone in this world can produce a flawless draft on the first try, or even the second.

As for my rough drafts...well...they suck. A lot. Destiny's been through one full rewrite, one partial rewrite, and is still looking forward to another partial rewrite and revisions. Let's not even talk about the 100k rough draft still saved on my computer that it started out as.

Black Diamond and Shipwrecked are the same way. I refuse to even think about the rough draft of BD anymore.

But the more you write, the better your first drafts will become. I know Jump's going to require revisions and I look forward to them, but in my opinion, Jump's first draft is going to be a LOT better than Destiny's first draft. And I'm definitely not editing as I go -- unless I find a spelling mistake, which I can't leave without correcting.

So try not to worry about revisions, know that all first drafts need work, and just write. Because just like all published books on the shelves today, all books started out with a rough draft.

Comments

Amanda Hannah said…
This is so true. The more writing I do, the better and better my drafts are becoming. It's all about patience and practice.
October 14, 2009 at 4:29 PM
Kirsten Hubbard said…
I definitely have rough drafts I refuse to think about, too :)
October 14, 2009 at 4:52 PM
Kristin Halbrook said…
Ha! Me, too. But I totally agree that the more you write, the better your writing becomes, even in those first drafts. So glad you joined the carnival!!
October 14, 2009 at 5:18 PM
michelle said…
What's really impressive is that you've got not one, not two, but three finished first drafts! You've got me beat. :)
October 14, 2009 at 9:36 PM
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