Draft your way to the finished line

After the first draft of your book, you've got thousands of words on hand. Before you send out your words out into the world, you want to make sure they’re the best they can be. That’s what Revision gives us. 

My personal writing process mirrors the transformation of turning a house into a home, moving from the initial "Dirty Draft" through to the final "Polish Draft." This method, born perhaps from my days as a stay-at-home mother, has become my roadmap for navigating the complex process of revision.

The Dirty Draft: Unleashing Creativity

I call my first draft the "Dirty Draft." Think of it as the first step in cleaning a long-neglected house. Everything's a bit chaotic, and nothing is quite in its right place, but there's potential underneath the mess. This draft is about getting the words out, following the plot points, and getting acquainted with the characters. It's raw, unrefined, and an absolute mess. The idea might not be fully formed, but that's okay—this is the draft for exploration and discovery, where we allow ourselves the freedom to make mistakes and chase tangents.

The Sweep: Finding Structure

Once the Dirty Draft is complete, it's time for "The Sweep." This revision phase is akin to going through each room and deciding what stays, what goes, and what needs to be rearranged. Here, the focus is on plot and character motivations, ensuring the story flows logically and that the actions of the characters are grounded in their desires and conflicts. It's about making sense of the chaos, identifying the heart of the story, and beginning to see the shape of the final manuscript.

The Clean Draft: Elevating the Prose

With the structure in place, we move to "The Clean Draft," where we make the prose sing. This phase is like deep cleaning—polishing the silver, dusting the shelves, and ensuring every corner shines. It's here that we upgrade our verbs, infuse scenes with vivid descriptions, and ensure actions are visceral and engaging. This draft is about refining the language and style, making the story not just readable, but memorable and impactful.

The Polish Draft: The Final Touches

Finally, after the manuscript has been through an editor for continuity and grammatical issues, we arrive at "The Polish Draft." This last pass is akin to adding those final touches that turn a house into a home—arranging the flowers, fluffing the pillows, and hanging the art. It's our last chance to go through the manuscript, ensuring it aligns perfectly with our vision, and making any final adjustments before we send it out into the world.

Each of these stages, from Dirty to Polish, is integral to the creation of a compelling, coherent, and captivating novel. Like cleaning a house, revising a manuscript is a process that requires time, effort, and a lot of elbow grease. But the satisfaction of standing back and seeing your polished, finished novel is akin to looking over a freshly cleaned and organized home—there's nothing quite like it. And now, you can have people over to read your book!

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I’m hosting my first writing retreat. If you’d like to come and have a magical weekend of writing and fellowship, check it out!

https://inkandmagicretreat.com/