Writing Novels #2: Drafting & Rewriting (Fiction Writing Advice)

Learn tips and strategies for attacking the drafting process.

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Credit to SkyDilen for my video intro.

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[rp-lopez]

Harry Potter took on many many drafts before it came to it's final form. The 1st chapter alone of sorcerer's stone was rewritten 15 times

[sherrihollister]

I enjoy your videos. I’m a multi published author but still enjoy learning. I’m also the chairperson for a writers group and share your videos with them. Keep up the good work.

[PhoenixCrown]

Yes I finished drafting my first novel. I've been editing it for years now. I'm enjoying improving it as I learn the craft, and my kids won't be this little forever =)

[desertgecko]

3:15 You're not alone starting your draft with something that excites you. I'm sure you know of James Scott Bell's books on writing, and maybe you've mentioned him in one or more of your videos. This video reminded me of one of Bell's books that a friend and fellow aspiring author recommends: _Write Your Novel From The Middle: A New Approach._ This book is for pantsers, and it's not a gimmick.

You're onto something here, Brandon. Bell promotes starting in the middle for various reasons, but I think it to be story- and style-dependent whether we begin in the beginning, middle, inciting incident, or somewhere else. Sometimes, the inciting incident _is_ the beginning.

I bet many writers will find it easier to get started once they realize they don't have to start at the beginning, nor must they follow a strict outline, and that there's no need to sit for hours, days, or months trying to think up their own "dark and stormy night."

5:27 With your post-first-draft activities, have you considered outlining the draft? I've heard it suggested. Seems reasonable, especially for us pantsers, to find plot holes, incongruencies, danglers, and more.

Another excellent video, Brandon. Thanks for it.

[jvjoyner]

Twice now. Going back through it is the first time writing feels like work lol.

[terryjones]

Valuable videos for a new writer like me. Thanks for posting them.

[PuppetMaster-Blade]

4:17, thats exactly how i write my scenes for the first time 🤣😂. I just list key events that happen throughout the scene, i don't write dialog or extra events just the key points, and when i write my draft then I'll go in full detail.
It's something i tried doing before, but my ocd didn't allow it, but a comment you wrote about just getting it done really helped me pull the trigger and do it that way again and I've made alot of progress. I just know as soon as it comes to the actual writing part imma be stuck again 🤣😂, but i guess thats half the joy in writing 😅

[aWolffromElsewhere]

I started my first draft with one of the main cast sneaking through the villain's territory while having several near misses with his henchmen. I'm not done with my first draft yet, just nearing the mid point now, but I know in my second draft a lot of what I wrote as backstory would actually make excellent first chapters to introduce the two main character's lives before shit hits the fan.

[roxc.]

I have gotten to 50, 000 words with NaNoWriMo twice and in that sense, I've finished a first draft but neither one feels complete. I stopped writing them when November ended.

Both times, I had planned ahead to make sure I had a lot of days off throughout the month so I could get that many words in and when the month ended, I was exhausted and had to shift focus back to other things that I had been neglecting.

I still struggle with consistency in my writing. So far, the only times I've written consistently has been during NaNoWriMo, but I'm working on it.

[WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Have you ever finished drafting a novel? If not, why did you stop? Let us know!

[ImusakHctividar]

Fairly good advice I'd say. Everyone's got their own process, so when you find something that works, that's great! I find that I do need a little bit of structure to work with like character bios, a rough outline - stuff like that. I'm okay with deviating if I find previous events not working or maybe things need to go in a different order. I just sorta figure it out in the first draft, then I give it some time to stew and then start tweaking stuff that may not have worked or needs more fleshing out. I can see why some people do complete rewrites (And I've done that occasionally) but I don't do it very often. I have restarted chapters I was midway through though, just 'cause I realized a part didn't work.

[blacksmoker]

Thanks for the good advice. Greetings from Norway.

[potatomanboooi]

i finally got over the struggle of not starting my story

[BertFurfull]

As a new writer, I appreciate the advice !

[TheBluenyt]

I'll be making a novel after my Short stories. It's gonna be one hell of a journey 😎👍

[gigachadgaming]

I pray that the second draft is easier and faster to write than the first draft 😭

[AnthonyLeighDunstan]

Never. I stopped because I never started. This is me starting. 😂

[Yokar_mova]

It's a niche topic but I think many of your audience (me including) can benefit greatly : how should we communicate the massage we want to the audience without being on the nose?
Because I did the thing you mentioned 2:56
And I sent my first draft to all of my friends to hear their opinions. (They are Mainly girls it becomes relevant)
Now they love a wife beating physically weak character that mentally breaks down over the mildest inconveniences.
My massage was more about one sided judgements and the bullshit people spit out in public without thinking, those make people absolutetly miserable and turns a kinda problematic person into a complete asshole
But everyone thinks my massage was about toxic relationships : |

[KKati-thbv]

Hi Brandon,
thanks a lot for your video. I think you asked for video themes. So ... Could you please make a video about writing time (writing s real vivid book) and managing to deliver exposés at the same time?
At the moment, I am struggling with many ideas, many exposés/proposals containing the plot and character development my agent didnt want and with nearly writing at all. As writing books is what I enjoy, it drives me crazy not to do it.

Maybe there is another topic for a video:
Writing an exposé is like being of my weak side of the brain (which should contain things like logic, procedures and the way things use to work ..🙂 etc).
Could you please make a video about writing short exposés for not-plotters? Maybe there is a way to enjoy it? So if you have a magic trick, let me now...

Good luck and lots of trust/faith for your writing 🐳🐳🐳
( as I think this is nearly the hardest part to do, because writing with joy appears so selfish ..)

[bignapolean]

I've written a first draft but I'm not sure what direction to take the revisions. I love the story as is but none of my beta readers finished it.