Working on a first draft can be really challenging. There’s the plot to wrangle into shape, the conflict to ramp up, the characters to breathe life into. And there are a whole lot of pages to write before the final scene.
There’s so much to include that I frequently don’t include it all in the first draft.
In fact, there are some things that I never put in my first draft because I spend way too much time thinking about them and it messes up my pace.
Using a layered approach to writing a book makes me feel a little more focused on working through my first draft. I know that I don’t have to worry about a million different things while I’m writing the draft– I only worry about half a million things. :)
Parts of the book that I add in layers for 2nd and 3rd drafts:
- Setting descriptions
- Character descriptions
- Character last names and place names (I’ll mark as *** on the draft so I can find my spots later.)
- Any scenes I was stuck on. I just make a couple of notes about what I wanted to accomplish with the scene and move on to the next scene.
- Sometimes I’ll add entire subplots as a layer
I do the same thing with revising. If you think to yourself that you’re editing a whole book, the thought of it can be just as overwhelming as writing the book was.
These are issues that I address in layers for the revision:
- Typos/grammar
- Favorite words of mine that I use too frequently
- Conflict—I make a pass through to make sure each scene either forwards the plot or adds to the conflict
- Continuity (is the character wearing the same outfit on page 20 that she’s wearing on page 21?)
- Subplots—did they resolve? Did they tie into the main plot?
- Loose ends—is everything resolved at the end of the book?
And, because everyone’s writing process always really fascinates me, I’ll ask y’all about it: how do you work through your first draft? Do you try to include it all in one pass, or are you working in layers, too?
We have similar writing styles. I try to capture the main ideas first. Sometimes I’ll sit down and write an awesome draft for a few chapters. Or I may bullet point highlights from another chapter. The latter usually requires intensive research at a later date.
I use a lot of asterisks too LOL! Mainly I want to capture ideas and concepts. Typos, grammar, and syntax follow down the line. My MSs requir multiple layers. But that’s just me. That’s my style.
Stephen Tremp
This is a great post! Thanks for sharing. I am currently on my first draft, and have found myself having to push forward and remind myself that this is just the first draft and going back through it I can adjust, tweak, and add in anything else I need to. It is so easy to get stuck on trying to perfect one scene that I think maybe that is why a lot of first time novelists may not always be successful in completing their stories because of this. Thanks for sharing a helpful and organized way to tackle such a huge task.
Elizabeth – I like your layered approach. It makes the writing go more quickly and it allows for a “quality check” of everything along the way.
I do some layering, myself. Like you, I wait for typos, overused words and so on until the final draft. I start with basic plot and characters in the first version. Then I go back in and add clues, “red herrings” (I write mysteries) and so on. I also add scenes for sub-plots and to amp up the tension.
In education it’s called “the spiral curriculum” – going back to the same content at more sophisticated levels. So I guess you could say I write “spirally.”
I like this and will use layering. I must do it in some degree. I put MC for the main character if I can’t come up with a name. I put ?? in places where I’m not sure of something.
Since I fight editing along the way this will help me to let go and write.
Thanks
Teresa
I go after plot and structure first before the punctuation and typos.
I tend to work in layers, as I go, as I think of something that’s needed. I’m deathly afraid if I wait, I’ll miss something critical. Right now, I’m checking and tweaking to make sure my heroine is growing at the right pace (her arc, not her!)
But I’ll also go back and stick in other stuff, like one character now carries dog treats because I needed to establish a reason for the hero’s dog to like her–can’t have that happening the third time they meet, so I go back and feed it in where needed.
And I definitely expand description. I hate writing it, so I go back rather than let it slow me down the first time through.
Terry
Terry’s Place
Romance with a Twist–of Mystery
How some writers expect their first drafts to be publishable is beyond me. :-)
Suzanne Adair
I’ll often do separate passes on a scene for each character. This can be especially important for characters who don’t say much, but who are involved in the scene nevertheless.
I had to learn to write in layers. Like you, when I tried to include everything, it overwhelmed me. Now, I need to figure out how to do this new piece. It’s so different from anything else I’ve ever done. And right now, I’m not giving it the time and space it needs to emerge.
Karen
I definitely work in layers. Descriptions and such don’t go in until the second pass. The only thing I try to nail on the first pass is dialogue.
What a wonderful explanation of how you attack a manuscript! I seem to follow a very similar path. My first drafts are very dialogue-driven. It takes a few more passes to add the needed descriptions of settings, etc. That’s also when I usually discover some of my sub-plots either need beefing up or serious reworking. Then there’s the whole motive issue – some are strong and some are just plain silly. More work.
I try to get to much accomplished in my first draft which ends up making it a much more frustrating process than it needs to be. That’s the perfectionist in me. I think I’ll give your layering style a try – push through the first draft and fix the problems later.
I believe it was in Living in Oblivion – an independent film from the mid to late 90’s about the chaotic production of an independent film – where the mantra was “Don’t worry, we’ll fix it in post.” I gues I need to adopt this attitude.
Thanks for the great post!
Wow, What a great post!
I can see myself doing some of the things you warn of. In fact, I’ve made most of these errors in my last project.
I would like to learn to write the draft in such a way that I can layer on later edits. I tend to spend way too much time on the first draft.
I like the idea of editing in layers though. I tend to go through my manuscript many times checking for specific items on each pass.
In my latest project, I had a crime committed on the nineteenth floor of a hotel room. Many people visited the floor but I caught, on the first edit, that I had named it the seventeenth floor in one instance. Doesn’t seem like such a big deal but, If I’m reading a book and an author lets something like that through, I immediately lose faith in that author’s ability.
Again, great post.
I didn´t worry about ANYTHING but getting it written down (or wherever it goes on your computer) in The Cosy Knave so I had to add a few scenes (e.g. more police work to justify the term crime fiction) when I had written the ending.
On the whole my story feels more finished than I had expected. My first beta reader hardly found anything to criticize, and though I want to add much more local flavour, it is very satisfactory to see that everything made sense to her.
I could never *not* give my characters last names. To me the name is an integral part of the character. I sometimes change names later, though, but whenever I have made up a new character, I have had to name them like Adam did, before they would work for me :D
I have written in layers since I discovered NaNoWriMo – it is great for getting the first draft done as quickly and ‘painlessly’ (my wrists probably wouldn’t agree) as possible, so then it is easier to accept it as only a draft that still needs a lot of work done to it.
My final ‘layers’ are usually to do with getting rid of problem words (‘probably’ is one of my favourites) and then with making sure the chapters numbers are in the right order. Recently when editing I discovered that the action wasn’t even in the right order at one point!
I tend to get bogged down in the details on the first draft. But I love the way you work the first draft and am going to learn from you. My goal will be “move forward.” Even if it means using *** or making notes. Thank you!
Helen
I work in layers too. I like dialogue more than description, so much of my first draft will be dialogue between floating heads :) Then I’ll add description (which usually fixes the pacing on it’s own), then get down to the nitty-gritty parts to make sure it’s all coming together well.
Great, Elizabeth. You’re a genius. Why didn’t I think about this myslf. I spend to much time on my characters foggy thoughts to early. It just slows things down. I should probably just get the damn plot floating and put in the philosophy later >:)
Cold As Heaven
I start layering even before the first rough draft is complete.
Stephen–Sounds like we do approach a first draft the same way! Sometimes it looks like it snowed on my manuscript because I’ll have so many asterix on there.
Rayvenne–I think a lot of us are perfectionists and we want to try to do it all the first time through. I tried to do that for my first book and it did really stress me out. Now I give myself the freedom to skip ahead, leave things out, etc, until a later time. Makes me more relaxed. :)
Eeleen–Which makes a lot of sense. I think I jump on the typos first because they’re easiest. :)
Suzanne–Mine are a mess!
Diane–I think I’m probably strongest at dialogue. But I have to make sure my characters don’t ramble…that would be my biggest dialogue problem.
Margot–That’s interesting that you add the clues and red herrings later. I’m about half and half on that and can’t decide which way I like better.
Ooh…spiral curriculum. Nice term!
Teresa–I do that with things I need to go back and research. I can’t research while I’m writing–I get too totally distracted on the internet!
Ike–I’m very Type A myself, and it used to bother me to let stuff go. But now, if I’m typing and feel the typos happening, I don’t even correct them as I go.
I like that: “fixing it in post.” :)
J.L.–Thanks!
Yes, I think it does go a lot quicker to put the creative hat on for the first draft and then the editing hat for the next. Or even to put the things that take the most time for me to write in a subsequent draft. I’m too slow writing description to put it in on a first draft.
Oh, gosh, I’ve done the same kind of thing in a draft…the continuity error. You’re right–it would jerk our readers right out of the story to catch a mistake like that.
Terry–Good point! I have to make notes to myself along the way to justify different things–like your dog treat example.
Description. Ugh. I really need to get over it, but it’s soooo NOT my favorite thing about writing. I remember being a teenager even and a friend would ask me to describe a new dress I had for a party. I couldn’t do it! “It’s…blue.”
Sheila–I think that NaNoWriMo must be the one thing that’s pushed more writers past their perfectionism than anything else!
The Daring Novelist–Good idea. Then we can really assess if the character belongs in the scene or not–what their job there is.
Karen–It’s honestly easy for me to get overwhelmed. This helps!
Helen–Good luck with it! Hope it helps.
Rebecca–That sounds like a fantastic way to approach it!
Elspeth–The motives! Yes. And there really are only SO many reasons why someone wants to murder someone else. Maybe that’s why it’s so easy to get silly with it…I face the same thing.
Cold As Heaven–Yes! Just throw it on the paper and fix it later. :) And there’ll be plenty to fix, but the revisions seem to go pretty quickly too, with this method.
Dorte–Love the name of your book!
Making sense on a draft is huge! Half the time my first draft doesn’t make sense to anyone but me. I have to really do some cleaning before a beta reader can see the manuscript.
Character rebellion! I’m sure my characters aren’t happy about going through a draft without a name. :) If they could, they’d probably write their own book where their author is murdered, instead!
Alex–It’s a great way to work through a draft, isn’t it?
Wonderful post! I’m saving this.
CD
I do my editing in various layers, but I never thought about writing in layers. It makes sense. Now I know why it takes me so long to complete a first draft.
I tend to do things in layers as well. However I’ll include anything in the first draft that flows easily. Depending on the story, sometimes my first drafts are very dialogue heavy.
I really like your lists.
This is a really interesting way to write. A friend of mine does this and she loves the method. I’m the type of person that writes the full story, to a point. There are touches I add in and places I fill out but for the most part after a rough draft I don’t add any more than 1,000-3,000 words.
I’m about to start writing my first crime novel (set here in the UK), so this is such a fantastic post. So glad I stumbled upon your blog. I find the idea of including everything in the 1st draft overwhelming, so this makes loads of sense- thankyou!