The Psychology of First Drafts

I have always wanted to be one of those authors who can whip out a first draft in no time. Every time I start a new novel, I say I'm going to do just that. Write without stopping. Get the story down. Don't look back. But my inner critic never lets me speed through this process. I'm slow and careful and analytical. You would think all that slow and careful writing would result in amazing first drafts. But nope! It doesn't work that way. I still end up revising like crazy. I change just about everything. I write many drafts over a couple of years before I even get close to the story I envisioned when I started.

So when I told my sister and husband that I was going to make the most of these last eight days I have with no kids home by writing as fast as possible, maybe even ten pages a day, they were supportive but doubtful. They've heard it all before.

Yesterday, though, I was able to do it! Here's how it worked. Instead of telling myself I have to write something good, something worthwhile, something I'll love and something my critique group won't shred to pieces, I told myself I have to write the worst ten pages ever! Not mediocre... Terrible! No stopping. No showing it to anyone. No feeling good about it. Just 10 pages of story unfolding.

Let me tell you... It was seriously bad. Some pages were only dialogue. Some pages were only thoughts. And I'm sure some pages were plain gobbly gook. But aha! The story unfolded. And that's the whole point!

Do you play tricks with your mind to help you with the writing process? If so, I'd love to hear about them.

I Love Copy Editors

I've been carrying around my JEMMA HARTMAN manuscript for the last four days, pulling it out of its padded envelope and working on it in very odd places including a doctor's waiting room, the library, my daughter's basketball game, my son's volleyball game, and even while getting a pedicure. I could never do that if I was writing or revising. That takes way too much brain power and--for me anyway--silence. But I'm working on the copy editing, and that is fun, fun, fun!


You see, copy editing is really done by the copy editor. All I have to do is go through all the changes and ok them or alter them. That's easy work. But there are those pesky little questions the copy editor asks. For example: Why do the girls go to breakfast in their pajamas? (Answer: I don't know. They just do.) And...Is it really possible for Jemma to wake up to birds in late summer when birdsong is rarer? (Answer: Um, good question. Let me look that up on the web.) And... Wouldn't the girls come watch their friends in the sailing race? (Answer: Not if that means I have to rewrite an entire scene!)


But seriously, the copy editor is an amazing creature. She catches everything! Like calling a girl Tracey on one page and Tracy (no E) about a hundred pages later. Or in JULIA'S KITCHEN, the copy editor noticed I had Thunder the kitten eating from a can of tuna on one page and out of a bowl on another. Little mistakes like these are really hard for me to find because I am way too close to the story. If a copy editor hadn't called them to my attention, they'd be in my book forever. Ack!


Have you had a copy editor save you from making a dumb mistake? Or did something get by the editing process, and now you have to look at that glaring misstep every time you open your book? If so, leave me a comment. I'd love to hear your stories.

Cheating on my Novel

One of the things Richard Peck said at the best ever writing retreat was that you shouldn't jump to another project if you are having trouble with your current project. That makes a ton of sense, because that other project will always look easier from a distance. You think you can write a quick picture book or short story and you'll come back to the novel. You swear you'll come back! But it is NEVER quick or easy to write a picture book or short story. And now you've lost momentum on your novel. Bad idea!

Another thing he said (after hearing me read from my current work-in-progress and after I confessed to him why I was worried about actually writing it) was this:
"You will finish this book and it will be a whole new chapter in your life."

Wow! When Richard Peck says something like that, it makes an impact. And so I made a commitment to this new baby of mine. I came up with a title that fits, and I figured out how it will end (in a broad sort of sense), and I even wrote a sketchy synopsis to help guide me on my way.

But then I got a call from an editor who happens to also be an author whom I really admire. She asked me if I might want to write a short story for her magazine. With Richard's voice in my head, I told her I'd love to write the story, but I'd have to first finish the draft of my new novel. So far, so good. Tempted, but I didn't stray.

Then she sent me a bunch of her magazines so I could get a feel for the stories they publish. I waited a whole day until I broke down and read them. Then I happened to take a shower, and everyone knows the best ideas come to you in the shower. So there I was, washing my hair, when an idea for a short story popped into my head. I told myself it would wait. I would write the story after the novel. After the novel! But first I would jot down a few sentences... just so I wouldn't forget.

Two pages later, I realized I was totally cheating on my novel with this new short story. I'm a children's lit adulterer! Ack!

What to do? What to do? Richard Peck said something else at the workshop. He told us how his book A Long Way from Chicago started with a request from an editor for a short story. Hmmm... Maybe it's okay to write this short story now. I swear I'll come back to my novel! I swear!