For me the hardest part of the writing process is drafting. Just getting something on the page, anything on the page can feel daunting. That blinking cursor has mocked us all at some point. But the best way to start drafting is to figure out which method of drafting works best for you. At different points in your life you may need to change your method or you may use some combination of methods. Here are four different kinds of draftmen:
The Wordsmith
Every journey begins with a single step.
Wordsmiths count their progress in word counts. They set a daily, weekly or monthly goal and do their best to achieve that goal. Drafting as a Wordsmith is most useful to people that are good at scheduling and hitting their goals. The type of people that can make a declaration like "I'm going to exercise 20 minutes every day" and follow through are the ones that would get the most word done by being a Wordsmith. One of the downsides is that if you miss even a day writing, you may feel as if you've fallen behind and end up discouraged. If that happens, increase the number of words per day or if the number gets too high, push back any self-imposed deadlines and give yourself more time.
Every journey begins with a single step.
Wordsmiths count their progress in word counts. They set a daily, weekly or monthly goal and do their best to achieve that goal. Drafting as a Wordsmith is most useful to people that are good at scheduling and hitting their goals. The type of people that can make a declaration like "I'm going to exercise 20 minutes every day" and follow through are the ones that would get the most word done by being a Wordsmith. One of the downsides is that if you miss even a day writing, you may feel as if you've fallen behind and end up discouraged. If that happens, increase the number of words per day or if the number gets too high, push back any self-imposed deadlines and give yourself more time.
The Madman
Sleep is for the weak.
Madmen write in obscene bursts and then collapse from exhaustion. Madmen are usually more free spirited and less organized. They often feel they are compelled to draft by some force outside of themselves. When they are productive they can write entire books in really short periods of time. A lot of famous and bipolar writers have this drafting style, manic episodes may push a writer to draft for hours or days with little rest. The problem with writing like a madman is that sometimes the downswing can last for months or years when nothing gets done because the writer doesn't feel moved to produce. Everyone needs rest, especially after pushing themselves so hard. But after an extended down period, if the muse hasn't come for a visit, try another method of drafting for awhile. It probably won't feel an natural or inspired, but at least progress will be made.
Sleep is for the weak.
Madmen write in obscene bursts and then collapse from exhaustion. Madmen are usually more free spirited and less organized. They often feel they are compelled to draft by some force outside of themselves. When they are productive they can write entire books in really short periods of time. A lot of famous and bipolar writers have this drafting style, manic episodes may push a writer to draft for hours or days with little rest. The problem with writing like a madman is that sometimes the downswing can last for months or years when nothing gets done because the writer doesn't feel moved to produce. Everyone needs rest, especially after pushing themselves so hard. But after an extended down period, if the muse hasn't come for a visit, try another method of drafting for awhile. It probably won't feel an natural or inspired, but at least progress will be made.
The Scene Queen
The building block of all stories.
Scene Queens write stories one scene at a time. They tend to be highly organized writers with most of what they want to write planned weeks, if not months in advance. They recognize the scene as the smallest unit of a story and think in terms of it. The Scene Queen sometimes finds themselves rushing through their story, since they already know what will happen, they might get bored and start summarizing each plot point to finish as quickly as possible. If this starts happening, slow down the writing process. If you're writing two scenes a day, slow it down to one. If no matter what you will only be writing one scene that day, you can give it twice the attention.
The building block of all stories.
Scene Queens write stories one scene at a time. They tend to be highly organized writers with most of what they want to write planned weeks, if not months in advance. They recognize the scene as the smallest unit of a story and think in terms of it. The Scene Queen sometimes finds themselves rushing through their story, since they already know what will happen, they might get bored and start summarizing each plot point to finish as quickly as possible. If this starts happening, slow down the writing process. If you're writing two scenes a day, slow it down to one. If no matter what you will only be writing one scene that day, you can give it twice the attention.
The Watchman
Tick Tock.
Watchmen regard writing much like a job. They clock in. They produce. They clock out. Mid-sentence. Mid-paragraph. It doesn't matter. Their time is up and they have to put their writing aside. People with really busy lives often use the Watchman method of drafting. If you get off work at four and your five kids get home at six, then you have less than two hours a day to write. Sometimes Watchmen get discouraged when they don't produce much in the time they have allotted. Muses don't work on schedules, they come when they feel like it. But don't let that discourage you. With a busy schedule, finding time to write at all is a victory in and of itself.
So, which method of drafting do you use?
Tick Tock.
Watchmen regard writing much like a job. They clock in. They produce. They clock out. Mid-sentence. Mid-paragraph. It doesn't matter. Their time is up and they have to put their writing aside. People with really busy lives often use the Watchman method of drafting. If you get off work at four and your five kids get home at six, then you have less than two hours a day to write. Sometimes Watchmen get discouraged when they don't produce much in the time they have allotted. Muses don't work on schedules, they come when they feel like it. But don't let that discourage you. With a busy schedule, finding time to write at all is a victory in and of itself.
So, which method of drafting do you use?
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