The Four Methods of Drafting
Introduction
I understand the title is somewhat strange, considering this is a blog dedicated to writing advice, not editing advice. However, I remember an author saying this quote, and it has stuck with me. All famous writing advice you’ve heard–kill your darlings, show vs. tell, static vs. dynamic description, etc.–is editing. That’s because once you have a written piece, you can go back and kill those darlings. You could add more show and delete the tells, or add more dynamism to replace the static. You know when you can’t use those pieces of advice? If you don’t have a draft.
So, the best piece of writing advice I have to start off this entire blog is: write the draft.
That’s it. Simple, and yet, the most challenging task of all writers. Finishing the draft. I bet that you are reading this right now with an unfinished draft open, or, if you’re like me, multiple of them stored away never to be touched again. It’s a prevalent issue with writers, so chock-full of imagination and creativity that the spark of motivation to begin stories is in no short supply. Finishing them, however, becomes challenging when your idea fizzles out or you become overwhelmed with the need to make the first draft good.
It does not have to be good. It can be utter garbage that you trash (like I did with the first draft of my novel), and yet writing it is still far more helpful than sitting around reading advice on how to write. You learn your style, how to expand on your ideas, and what works and what doesn’t when you write. Forget all about perfecting the draft. Just get the draft on the page.
Of course, the big issue is finishing the draft. There are four common styles of writing preparation that authors use during the writing process, and you can blend them (like I do). Some stories require different styles than others, and some problems that cause that annoying writer’s block can be fixed by using one or more of these strategies. Here they are.
Table of Contents
Seat-Of-The-Pants
Ah, Seat-Of-The-Pants. One of the most common strategies for newer writers, one of the most hated by more experienced writers, and, in my opinion, just misunderstood. If you’ve never heard this term before, it simply means jumping into writing without a second thought. No outline, no research, nothing. Just a Word/Google document or a pen and paper, and your story idea, of course. The reason why this is common for newer writers is because they’ve either never learned how to outline, are overwhelmed by the thought of outlining, or simply are so excited to write that they don’t want to wait.
Now, why is this bad if it means you’re writing? Isn’t this blog telling me just to write and ignore all other advice? I hear you, and my answer is that it depends on the person. For me, I wrote my first novel using the Snowflake method (which I’ll get to shortly), but I wrote my current book using the Seat-Of-The-Pants method. In the four years between my first and current novel, I could not finish a draft. When I tried to outline, I’d either get stuck in the outline and not know how to resolve the issue, or I wouldn’t like how the story was going as I wrote it because it was so formulaic. With this novel, I woke up one February morning with one scene in my head and nothing else of the plot developed, and I just wrote. I wrote and wrote until five months later, I had written 110k words. A success, you could say, of this method.
However, to get to that accomplishment, I had to overcome the first major concern with this strategy: the dreaded writer’s block. You see, with an outline, blank pages should theoretically not happen because you know exactly how the plot should continue. With the Seat-Of-The-Pants method, you don’t know if what you’re writing is going anywhere, and you run the risk of realizing halfway through that the plot isn’t working. As such, most writers use outlines to ensure that their story will turn out correctly.
Additionally, if you hate editing, this method is not for you. Actually, let me explain, because I dislike editing as well, yet still went with this method. When I pantsed my novel, I had one main character and an entirely different plot in mind. After I finished writing it, I realized there were some elements I liked, but most did not work at all. So, I took the elements I liked and wrote another draft, which took me another 5 months to write 100k words. This is what I call my extreme editing. Yours may not be a complete rewrite, but it would likely involve altering scenes, chapters, subplots, or even the entire plot.
So, why would anyone pick this method? I picked it because outlining required me to know my entire story in advance, leaving me feeling stumped and demotivated. As I said earlier, my story began with a single scene, and through writing the story out, I discovered what I wanted to happen as I wrote it. That’s the wonder of using this method: you are able to unfold the story like you are a reader, and not the writer. Without using an outline, much of the story tends to flow more naturally, and it’s easier to feel excited by hopping from one scene to the next without following a formula.
If you choose to try out this method, know that it is not what you have to stick to. You may have writer’s block halfway through, but rather than give up, start an outline. You already have a basis for your story to help you work through an outline. Also, remember that this method requires extensive editing afterward. Be prepared for your first draft to likely not be your only first draft (meaning that your next, or maybe your next few, drafts will likely be very different from each other). If you are a new writer, I wouldn’t put you off this method, but I will say that knowing how to start a story from scratch comes with practice. I used an outline for my first novel, which was incredibly helpful since I did not have a proper understanding of story structure. However, after writing for seven years, I have a solid understanding of the fundamentals of writing to pants an entire novel without worry. Ultimately, the main thing to consider is whether you want an outline or not.
Edit-As-You-Go
This is the second method that does not use an outline and aims to eliminate the problem of extensive editing from the Seat-of-the-Pants method. I’ll be honest; I do not like this method. I believe there are ways it can be done right, but I have not seen it done correctly in practice with newer writers. This is because of the problem I mentioned earlier, in that it is much harder to write without an outline if you do not have writing experience. And when I say writing experience, I don’t mean writing short stories or essays. I mean writing novels, because they are vastly different in structure and effort.
Now, why do I say most people don’t do it correctly? Do you remember that I had to rewrite my first draft after I pantsed it, and how it is common for people who work without an outline to go through multiple drafts before solidifying their story? Considering the amount of rewrites your story will go through (and I say will because even if your story is perfectly developed, there are always edits that can be made), does it seem like a good idea to spend time editing writing that is likely to be changed later? I don’t think it is.
Additionally, I find the constant editing to be a killer of writing motivation. This is because writing and editing are two very different skills, and they require different ways of thinking. Switching between the two modes constantly creates a spiral where you may risk editing and editing one chapter when the rest of the draft isn’t finished. I provide editing services to my friends, and for two separate writers working on their drafts, I provided edits at their behest. The edits were merely grammar and consistency issues, but they were enough to slow down their writing. Even when I told them I wouldn’t edit any of their writing until they finished, that initial focus on editing dampened their inspiration to continue writing. Editing-As-You-Go can easily become a trap, keeping you focused on perfecting the one written chapter rather than writing the rest of the story.
However, there are ways it can be done correctly. First, as I said earlier, you need experience writing. Learn how to write (through practice), what parts of your writing you like and what you don’t, and do not edit deeply. Limit yourself to perhaps 10% of a writing session to editing the previous day’s work, before moving on to the current writing. Edits may include making comments on what you want to change, fixing up grammar/spelling, or adding/deleting content. Whatever it is, make sure it is shallow and doesn’t take too much of your time. Remember, when you tell yourself to write your first draft, it means write. Not edit.
Snowflake
Welcome to my favorite method (which I technically didn’t use for my first draft, but I did for my second). This is, in my opinion, the most beginner-friendly and the safest writing method. This method blends elements of the Seats-of-the-Pants method with the Outline method (the last method) and allows for flexibility. Like a snowflake, every writer who uses this method will interpret it uniquely. That’s because this method is the definition of neutral.
Don’t want a strict outline? That’s okay; just write a basic outline listing out major events and details, so you have a path to follow as you write. Don’t want to do too much editing after your first draft? Well, you’re just in luck. By having an outline and a general idea of the story, your first draft should be similar to your final draft, content-wise at least.
There is little I can say about this method, considering it is so versatile. My recommendation, however, is to have a vague outline with major plot points established. I’d also create a character chart of your cast, to ensure that no one is forgotten (except, if they’re forgotten, were they really important to begin with?). In general, this method allows you the comfort of knowing your story isn’t running away from you (like the Seat-of-the-Pants method) without being forced into a rigid structure (like the Outline method).
If you decide to follow in my footsteps and use the Seat-of-the-Pants method for your first draft, I highly recommend using this for your second. You’d do a reverse outline rather than a typical outline, which means you’d go chapter by chapter and summarize them as you plot them out. This will allow you to see which sections aren’t working and what may need to be rearranged. Additionally, since your first draft has given you an ample supply of ideas, it is easier to work alongside an outline, knowing it happened naturally.
Outline
Last but not least, the Outline method. AKA perfect for the person who loves to do personality tests for their characters and has their entire lives planned out from the moment they were born until they’re elderly. Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but the Outline method is all about the details. This method is heavy on outlines (duh), with every plot point described. There should be nothing in the story left to chance. You know exactly what to write and how to write it.
This outlining process can be strenuous and will likely take up the bulk of your writing time. However, the moment you start writing, it should be a breeze. Who has writer’s block when you know exactly what you’re going to write (technically, you can still get writer’s block, but I’ll go over how to get over it in another blog)? This method is perfect for people who want as little editing as possible and enjoy meticulously analyzing every variable of the setting, plot, characters, and more before their pen touches the paper.
However, there are a few concerns with this method. The first being, you are restricted in what you write. With such a strict outline, there is little room to budge if you realize while writing that a scene is better if it’s different than your outline. This can cause much of your outline to struggle and may require multiple reworks to hold firm as you write. Additionally, you have to write. I know that’s a given, but for many outliners, that concept is thrown out of the window. How many times have you heard of that one fantasy author still struggling to create a new language for the Mountain Elves who make only one appearance in the story? Specific, yes, but you get my point. You can’t spend your entire career worldbuilding, because then you’re not a writer. You’re a worldbuilder. Remember, you may understand 100% of your world, but your reader will only need to know 2%.
Conclusion
And those are the four main groups of writing methods! Remember that these methods aren’t set in stone, and they require experimentation to understand what works for you or the story you’re working on. Different stories may need different levels of preparation. Just remember, no matter what method you choose, the most important thing you can do to improve your writing skills and publish a book is to write it. So, what are you still reading for? Get started on your writing journey now!
*These methods were adapted from Randy Ingermanson’s “Writing Fiction for Dummies.” I used his four methods and expanded on them using my personal anecdotes. If you are a beginner writer, I highly recommend his book because it breaks writing down very simply. It was incredibly helpful when I started writing seven years ago, and I still reference it today.