I’m an “Edit As I Go” writer, revising each scene before moving on to the next.  I hate writing the first draft of anything,  whether it’s a blog post or a 100,000 word novel.  Getting the words on the page for the first time makes my teeth itch and my stomach retch and my fingers hurt and oh my heavens, I hate writing.  No, I AM NOT EXAGGERATING. The very minute I’ve finished a scene, I start editing, revising, perfecting, and playing around until I think it’s good enough to move on to the next scene.  I don’t measure my success by word count; I measure by how my gut feels when I hit save.  Did I or did I not nail that scene…even if the hammering took all afternoon and into the cocktail hour?

When I get to that place in the book where I realize scenes that have already been polished to a shine are all wrong because I’ve changed a character’s backstory or noodled with a plot point or picked a different villain…then I go back and rewrite all those perfect scenes so they fit the “new” book.  This may happen two, three, or even FIVE TIMES (Face of Danger, I’m looking at you) while writing a book.

This ugly mess is my process, and as much as I’ve given lip service to wanting to change it, I never do.

In fact, I’ve been a bit unkind in the past about people who blow through a manuscript and (warning: disgusting metaphor mix dead ahead) vomit out a shitty first draft and then spend the same amount of time revising that I do.  I’ve been publicly disparaging, right here on this blog, saying things like “oh, you’re making word count but do the words count?”  Those crazy “1K1H” people! How many of those thousand words written in that one hour are going to be cut anyway? Neener neener NaNoWriMo!!!

Well, I hope Patrick Alan is they’re all reading this and cooking up a nice medium rare crow for me, the traditional dish for those who are proven famously wrong after taking public stances and stomping their feet with self-righteousness.  Maybe they’ll hand that crow over with a side of smug and a shot of ice cold I Told You So.  Because I have seen the light, ladies and gentlemen, and that blinding beam was pointed right in my face by The Queen of the Fast Draft, Candace Havens, just three weeks ago.

That is, three weeks….and fifty-three thousand words ago.

While getting dressed for Candace Havens’s presentation to my local RWA chapter, I was chatting with my husband about my writing process.  That he continues to have this conversation with me for ten straight years and doesn’t (usually) roll his eyes and give up on me is a testimony to his love. (And the fact that I was in a towel and he was still in bed…perhaps he was just trying to say the right thing.)  In any case, he made one of the most brilliant analogies I’d ever heard.  (Being the arrogant alpha that he is, he reminded me that great analogies are a sign of genius.)

The genius I married said this:  “You build skyscrapers, Rock.  One hundred thousand word, thirty-something chapters, sixty or seventy-scene skyscrapers that are completely beautiful and functional and glorious.”

I liked that.  I considered dropping the towel, but he had more wisdom to impart.

“You don’t build them very wisely,” he told me.  “You create the first floor, lay carpet, add paint, decorate, buy furniture, and arrange your plants for the optimum amount of diffused light….then you start the second floor and do the same thing all over again.  And when you get to the fifteenth floor and realize the stairwell doesn’t meet fire code, you tear down the whole thing and start the first floor again, with the stairs in a different place, and while you’re in there, you redecorate and buy new plants.”

I stared at him, the truth sinking in while the towel slipped lower.  Genius  kind of turns me on.

“What you need to do,” he told me,  “Is frame the building with rebar.  Lay down the floors.  Leave holes for stairwells and elevators and windows.  Build the exoskeleton in 60,000 words, then go back and start filling in each floor.  And after the floors are done, then you can paint, hang curtains, and put your precious plants around.”

And that left me wondering…did I marry Bob the Builder?

Armed with that brilliant analogy, I headed out to hear Candace Havens teach me how to “fast draft.”  This workshop couldn’t have come at a better time.  I was two days from starting a new book and aching for a better way to build my skyscraper. Candy’s presentation resonated with me on every level.

She gave us tips that made perfect sense, suggestions for how to keep track of ideas that will change the story without actually making the edits, rules for staying focused, ideas for maintaining motivation, and — best of all — permission to write crap in the initial draft.  This post is not going to recap that workshop, but I recommend you writers either listen to her tape or, better yet, invite her to your RWA chapter because she is absolutely delightful and smart.  Wear butt protectors, though, because that woman will kick your ass into gear.

I know because…for the first time in THIRTY MANUSCRIPTS, wheeee!  I’m fast drafting!  Look at me write!  See my word count rise!  Watch me discover who my characters are and NOT go back and change their backstory when I realize I had it wrong in chapter one!

Yes, there are a lot of holes in my building.  No, I wouldn’t jump too hard on the fifth floor, you might crash through.  The stairwell not only doesn’t meet code, it isn’t even there.  Of course, I’m fighting the desire to rewrite the prologue.  Sixteen times.  But I’m conquering that rewrite lust and in about two more weeks, I’m going to have a book.  Okay, I’m going to have the framework of a book, but that means I’ll have discovered the key turning points, the emotional arc, the outcome of the subplots, and the “beats” of the story.

This must be why they call it a Discovery Draft. Duh says the blonde.

The best news of all:  the book isn’t due for two months, leaving me plenty of time to build the missing stairwells (transition scenes!) and carpet every room (five senses!) and hang a few pictures (emotional introspection!) and, of course, arrange my precious plants (power verbs!).

When I take a break from all that, I will munch some crow and share my humble pie.  And then, I will cheer on the NaNoWriMo folks and play in the 1K1H sandbox and I might even have some time to read…starting with Candace Haven’s latest, Model Marine, which I will be happy to share with one lucky commenter, along with a copy of Face of Danger, a skyscraper I built more times than I care to count.

So, leave a comment and tell me:  When was  the last time you had to change your mind, nibble on some crow, and say those three hard to swallow words: I was wrong!!  Or feel free to comment about fast drafting (tips are always welcome), skyscraper building, or your favorite Bob the Builder episode.  Just say hey and be eligible to win!   I’ll comment back..as soon as I make word count.