DRAFTING FUN
When I was thinking up topics to do for blog posts, I didn't realise that I've written about this before (piece found here) and around the same time of year as well. I guess the reason it's come up again is that for me, drafting is the best part of the writing process. I stand now at having completed forty first drafts. I've started more than that, and have obviously done more second and onwards drafts as well, but for me that first draft is where the magic lies. It's always been a fun part for me and while I sometimes worry about running out of ideas, it hasn't happened yet and considering the many brewing in my head, I doubt it ever will.
I've always been someone who loves to put fingers to keyboard, and before that, pen to paper, and tell a story. It's always been a part of me, even when I didn't realise it completely. For those not in the know, I didn't start writing properly until I was 19 and retired on medical grounds, I picked up a pen and I started to tell the stories that had been going around and around in my head for years. Since then I've done breaks for uni, for other health problems, and just because I was burned out. However the past five/ten years or so I have been seriously writing. Making sure that every story I tell gets to live its life on the page.
I know that there are some writers who adore editing, for them, the drafting is more getting the words out, and then the fun begins. I've never been one of them, and I don't see that changing any time soon. While I appreciate the editing and revision cycle, it's just so draining for me, that it's hard for me to find anything close to enjoyment in it. The end result is worth it, but beyond that I would happily just draft and draft and draft. It's only because I want to share my stories with people that I go to publish and edit and the like, but if that wasn't a need or want of mine, I really do think writing would just be something I did for myself.
As it is, it's not, and I have found so many amazing readers over the years, have met so many nice people because of being a writer and author, that I can't help but just fall more in love with the drafting phase of writing. I've talked about it before here, that I will soon get to the point where I have drafted more novels than I will ever have time to publish, but for me that's just a side effect of getting to do what I love for a living. I have, more than once, thought about taking some time away from writing new stories, and focusing on the revisions of ones already written, but I'm not sure if that's something I'll do this year or not. It's still hanging there in the back of my mine as a maybe.
So you might be wondering, why do I like drafting so much? I don't know if it's down to the way I plan (or don't as the case may be) or the fact that I've always been an avid reader, and because I don't plan extensively, the discovery of the story is like reading a book that no one else has read yet. I get to know the characters, I get to see the plot unfold, and I get to have all this fun while doing it. There truly is, for me, no better job to have. I get paid to make people think, to create escapes for people, to take away their sleep time because they just want to read one more page. I get paid to create new worlds, maybe like our own, but maybe not, and I get paid to do all of that, and have a lot of fun doing it.
It's just an amazing job for me, and while being an author holds many different jobs within it, that part has to be the better one. So yes, I just love drafting and love watching the characters, the world, the plot, come alive as I write ad there's nothing better, for me, than that!
Any questions? Lemme know in the comments!
Follow Joey here on her blog, or on Facebook or Tumblr to be kept up to date with the latest news regarding Joey and her books.
No comments:
Post a Comment