How Many Drafts Does it Take to Write a Novel?
Right now, I’m working on the third draft of Graphite and Turbulence, the next novel in The Elemental Artist series. As I wade through the awkward wording and clunky sentences I’ve written, it’s easy to get discouraged, forgetting the work (and drafts) ahead of me.
Me: “I’ve forgotten how to write!”
Also me: “Pipe down. Don’t compare this WIP (work in progress) to a finished book.”
For me, the process of writing a book is similar to the steps needed to complete an oil painting. Like paintings, books require time, thought, and iterations. Here is a peek behind the scenes; a glimpse into how I write a book.
Draft 1: Story Rough-In
Many writers refer to this as the “vomit draft” but in keeping with the art theme, I think of this as the rough sketch; where I follow my curiosity and play with ink.
For me, learning that a first draft *should* be an ugly mess was liberating. Before that, I had dozens of unfinished novels, each containing one to five highly polished chapters.
As a reformed pantser (someone who writes by the seat of their pants), I use a minimal, storyboard-style outline, but even though I’ve outlined the novel’s beats, the story that lands on the page typically surprises me. I’m okay with wherever the story lands, because I know the work is just starting.
“I’m writing a first draft and reminding myself that I’m simply shoveling sand into a box, so that later, I can build castles.” — Shannon Hale
“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” ―Terry Pratchett
Draft 2: Revisions
The second draft is the most painful part of the process for me. This is where I take my messy first draft and wrangle it into a story, using Fictionary’s Storyteller software as a framework.
During this draft, I work on point of view, character motivation and goals, pacing, tension, conflict, how each section relates to the overall plot, and setting at the scene level. As needed, I rewrite scenes to better fit them into the overall plot.
This step is like the underdrawing of a painting—used to set scale, perspective, and ratios. As tedious as I find the work, the revision draft is foundational to the ultimate story.
“I probably end up tossing out a quarter of what I write in the first draft of a book chapter. Even though I try to be pretty thoughtful about figuring out what I want to say before I write, you still have to see how concepts play on page to decide if they deserve to stay.” — Cal Newport
Draft 3: Prose Tightening
Even though I edit the prose during the second draft, I need a third draft to improve the flow of the story. This is where I cut anything that goes thud when I read it, and rearrange the order of description, action, and dialogue to help the prose flow.
I try not to spend a lot of time line editing the third draft because I may yet cut or rewrite chapters. My goal for this draft is to produce a satisfying story, ready for feedback.
This draft is like applying the initial coat of paint to a canvas and deciding on the color palette (tone). The paints (words) are meant to cover the most basic elements or subjects, but it’s okay if the finished product is still flat.
“Most times, I’ll just sit there, suffer, write shitty sentences, and hope I can make the next draft less putrid.” — Daniel Pink
Draft 4: Beta Reader and Editor Revisions
The purpose of the next draft is to fix beta reader and/or editor-identified story issues. This may include reworking anything your audience found dull or confusing, addressing elements that pulled them from the story, and filling plot holes.
This step is like focusing on the brush strokes, color saturation, and hue of your painting.
After beta reader and editor feedback on Oil and Dust, I cut the first five chapters of the book. I wrote three new chapters for the beginning of the book and added four scenes to later parts of the novel… which is why I try not to obsess over line edits during earlier drafts.
“We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down.” — Kurt Vonnegut
Draft 5: Copy/Line Edit
After you’ve set your story structure, it’s time to work on the line editing. This is where you refine character motivation, use theme-reinforcing language, and get picky about your verbs.
During this draft, I examine my story line by line, looking for adverbs, filler words, absolutes, and the crutch words I overuse. I call this the fifth draft, but you could take several passes at your story, in whole or part, to improve your story.
This step is analogous to working on fine detail, the shading, highlights, color intensity and shadow of a painting.
“[T]hey are trying to find the right word, to choose, finally, the one that is most exact, most incisive. It’s a process of sifting, which is exhausting and, at times, exasperating. Writers can’t avoid it. The heart of the craft lies there.”
― In Other Words
Draft 6: Polish
I call this draft the polish because while you’ve completed the story, you can still improve its sparkle by removing typos and extraneous words. During the polish draft, I finalize tiny details and search for miniscule mistakes. For me, this process gets me ready to share my book with the world.
This is a great time to listen to your story; read it out loud or proof your audio book files, but when you find yourself moving commas around, send it to a proofreader.
Note, no matter how much you polish, minor errors will still slip through. This happened to me with Oil and Dust. Even after running the manuscript through ProWritingAid, reading it out loud, sending it to a professional proofreader, and encouraging my eagle-eyed ARC readers to let me know if they found errors, I still spotted errors in the finished manuscript.
“The first draft reveals the art; revision reveals the artist.” — Michael Lee
The number of drafts I need to produce a book is a snapshot of where I am on my writing journey. With each book I complete, the time it takes me to finish each draft decreases, but I still require multiple drafts to produce a book I’m proud of. How many drafts do you need to finish a book?
Header Photo by Lavi Perchik on Unsplash