It's Drafty in Here: First Drafts, Outlines, and Free Writing (Plus a Quiz!)
One of the hardest parts of writing is the part where you have to sit down and type words with your fingers. The rest of it is easy: talking about writing, thinking about writing, daydreaming about winning the first ever Nobel Peace Prize in Really Excellent Fiction. Drawing doodles of your characters, easy. Selecting appropriately eccentric clothing to show how artistic and enigmatic you are, easy.
The bit where you actually write can be trickier.
By now you all probably know about my devotion to Anne Lamott and her idea of crappy first drafts (warning to the more sensitive among you: she doesn't say "crappy"). But she is just one voice in a loud sea of voices all clamoring for your attention. Looking for advice on how to start a novel is like walking through a crowded street fair full of merchants hawking their wares. "Outlines! Outlines, two for a dollar! Outline for the pretty lady?"
"Get your concept maps! Hot, fresh concept maps!"
"Today only, chapter-by-chapter plot maps, buy one get one half off!"
"Character-driven plot progression over here, handmade and guaranteed sturdy!"
The problem with advice about how to start a novel is the same problem I have with all advice: it doesn't work for everybody, but everybody seems to think their way is the only way.
As far as I see it, there are two main armies of thought in the battle of the first draft: the "Plan it Out" army and the battalion of "Let it Flow."
So how do you know where you fit? Are you an outliner, a plot diagrammer, (or diagramper?), a planner, a plotter? Or are you a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants free spirit with an innate sense of timing and a problem with authority, even when that authority is your past self?
In general, I think people just know. But just in case, here is a handy quiz for figuring out what you should do!
1. When you go on a road trip, do you
a. Print out directions, memorize them, highlight the tricky bits, and make sure you have a trusty navigator riding shotgun?
b. Just hit the road and head for the horizon?
c. It depends.
2. When you know you're going to have to cook a fancy meal for company, would you be more likely to
a. Search recipes, read reviews, shop for ingredients, and design and print out custom menus and name cards weeks in advance?
b. Just cook whatever sounds good that day?
c. It depends.
3. If someone were to ask those closest to you what your worst quality is, they would be most likely to answer
a. Too rigid, cautious, or un-spontaneous.
b. Too flaky, impulsive, or unpredictable.
c. Too many alligators in your bathtub.
4. When you decided to take this quiz, did you
a. Get a pen or pencil and a piece of paper to keep track of your answers.
b. Just sort of… take it, figuring you'd probably remember.
c. Read it all without really taking it because you just don't want to miss one single awesome word.
Tally time!
If you answered mostly As: It depends.
If you answered mostly Bs: It depends.
If you answered mostly Cs: It depends.
Do you see where I'm going with this?
Just because you're a naturally more organized person in life doesn't mean you have to use the snowflake method to write your book, and just because you routinely quit your day job to join the circus or move to Uruguay with your lover doesn't mean you'll want to start free-writing. That's because who you are in your everyday life is not necessarily who you are as an artist. Me, for example. I am naturally distractible and impulsive, so in order for me to cope with the demands of school and a full schedule, I need to be organized. You might not be able to tell that I'm organized by looking at my desk, but trust me. I am. I am always the one with the map, and the bandaids, and the sewing kit. That's who I need to be in my everyday life. When I sit down and try to make a perfect outline for my book, though, I end up feeling stifled, uninspired, and generally poopish. That's not to say that outlining is bad! But what I've come to believe is that the worst word in existence is the word "should." There is no one way you "should" be writing, or preparing to write. There is only what works, and what doesn't.
My challenge for you today is to take a few minutes to sit down and figure out what works for you. Take an idea you've been mulling over and sit and write a quick outline for how you see the idea panning out. Then take five minutes and just free write on the idea, whether that comes out as notes or narrative. Does one method or the other speak to you, or might you enjoy a combination of the two?
Remember: whether it's planned or spontaneous, the most important thing is that you're writing.
The bit where you actually write can be trickier.
By now you all probably know about my devotion to Anne Lamott and her idea of crappy first drafts (warning to the more sensitive among you: she doesn't say "crappy"). But she is just one voice in a loud sea of voices all clamoring for your attention. Looking for advice on how to start a novel is like walking through a crowded street fair full of merchants hawking their wares. "Outlines! Outlines, two for a dollar! Outline for the pretty lady?"
"Get your concept maps! Hot, fresh concept maps!"
"Today only, chapter-by-chapter plot maps, buy one get one half off!"
"Character-driven plot progression over here, handmade and guaranteed sturdy!"
The problem with advice about how to start a novel is the same problem I have with all advice: it doesn't work for everybody, but everybody seems to think their way is the only way.
As far as I see it, there are two main armies of thought in the battle of the first draft: the "Plan it Out" army and the battalion of "Let it Flow."
So how do you know where you fit? Are you an outliner, a plot diagrammer, (or diagramper?), a planner, a plotter? Or are you a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants free spirit with an innate sense of timing and a problem with authority, even when that authority is your past self?
In general, I think people just know. But just in case, here is a handy quiz for figuring out what you should do!
Handy-Dandy and Definitely Scientific Drafting Quiz
a. Print out directions, memorize them, highlight the tricky bits, and make sure you have a trusty navigator riding shotgun?
b. Just hit the road and head for the horizon?
c. It depends.
2. When you know you're going to have to cook a fancy meal for company, would you be more likely to
a. Search recipes, read reviews, shop for ingredients, and design and print out custom menus and name cards weeks in advance?
b. Just cook whatever sounds good that day?
c. It depends.
3. If someone were to ask those closest to you what your worst quality is, they would be most likely to answer
a. Too rigid, cautious, or un-spontaneous.
b. Too flaky, impulsive, or unpredictable.
c. Too many alligators in your bathtub.
4. When you decided to take this quiz, did you
a. Get a pen or pencil and a piece of paper to keep track of your answers.
b. Just sort of… take it, figuring you'd probably remember.
c. Read it all without really taking it because you just don't want to miss one single awesome word.
Tally time!
If you answered mostly As: It depends.
If you answered mostly Bs: It depends.
If you answered mostly Cs: It depends.
Do you see where I'm going with this?
Just because you're a naturally more organized person in life doesn't mean you have to use the snowflake method to write your book, and just because you routinely quit your day job to join the circus or move to Uruguay with your lover doesn't mean you'll want to start free-writing. That's because who you are in your everyday life is not necessarily who you are as an artist. Me, for example. I am naturally distractible and impulsive, so in order for me to cope with the demands of school and a full schedule, I need to be organized. You might not be able to tell that I'm organized by looking at my desk, but trust me. I am. I am always the one with the map, and the bandaids, and the sewing kit. That's who I need to be in my everyday life. When I sit down and try to make a perfect outline for my book, though, I end up feeling stifled, uninspired, and generally poopish. That's not to say that outlining is bad! But what I've come to believe is that the worst word in existence is the word "should." There is no one way you "should" be writing, or preparing to write. There is only what works, and what doesn't.
My challenge for you today is to take a few minutes to sit down and figure out what works for you. Take an idea you've been mulling over and sit and write a quick outline for how you see the idea panning out. Then take five minutes and just free write on the idea, whether that comes out as notes or narrative. Does one method or the other speak to you, or might you enjoy a combination of the two?
Remember: whether it's planned or spontaneous, the most important thing is that you're writing.
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