tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post2631490227712358311..comments2024-02-05T10:41:31.777-05:00Comments on I Saw Lightning Fall: Jacobsen on Bad First DraftsLoren Eatonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12488412683340389286noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-38863135095361127222010-01-20T16:49:39.659-05:002010-01-20T16:49:39.659-05:00Zelazny's a funny guy. I really need to read m...Zelazny's a funny guy. I really need to read more of his stuff.Loren Eatonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12488412683340389286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-19050200702133531562010-01-20T14:52:55.389-05:002010-01-20T14:52:55.389-05:00It was from a Roger Zelazny essay on writing calle...It was from a Roger Zelazny essay on writing called "Six Reflexes" with bits and bobs of advice on writing stories. I wish I could remember what collection it's from; I've mangled the wording, and I think he was quoting a third party anyway.<br /><br />Zelazny's advice has always seemed extremely sound to me, anyway.Scattercathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00302815654553659644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-62466523180224566252010-01-19T08:40:37.825-05:002010-01-19T08:40:37.825-05:00SC,
To get far more specific than anyone probably...SC,<br /><br />To get far more specific than anyone probably wants me to, I like to alternate between notepad and computer. I scratch out a couple paragraph, type them into Word and repeat. It establishes a rhythm, lets me edit and keeps me from deleting it all during a fit of despair.<br /><br /><i>One of the bits of writing 'wisdom' that has always stuck in my head was, "A true writer would revise a sentence in his suicide note, if it was a poor sentence."</i><br /><br />This is awesome. I'm going to steal it.Loren Eatonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12488412683340389286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-62790923639867258312010-01-19T08:37:36.648-05:002010-01-19T08:37:36.648-05:00Patti,
At the risk of sounding like a flatterer, ...Patti,<br /><br />At the risk of sounding like a flatterer, I'm guessing your eighth drafts are pretty darn good; I have read your stuff.Loren Eatonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12488412683340389286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-2321073655258040462010-01-19T08:35:28.646-05:002010-01-19T08:35:28.646-05:00Nevets,
One can always do a few reps on the Harbi...Nevets,<br /><br />One can always do a few reps on the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Harbinger-Adjustable-Hand-Grip-Strengthening/dp/B00074H8FY" rel="nofollow">Harbinger Strengthening Grip</a>.<br /><br />(See those little weight bars on the thing? I swear, you can buy anything on Amazon.)<br /><br />Feel the <i>burn</i>, baby!Loren Eatonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12488412683340389286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-6980860993188954932010-01-19T08:32:12.761-05:002010-01-19T08:32:12.761-05:00B.,
Slowing me down is actually one of the reason...B.,<br /><br />Slowing me down is actually one of the reasons I like writing by hand. I have a tendency to jump three sentences ahead -- while ignoring the sentence I'm currently working on. Makes for some frustration. Paper keeps me on track.Loren Eatonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12488412683340389286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-85792697364064658042010-01-18T19:54:37.228-05:002010-01-18T19:54:37.228-05:00I've had to write by hand a lot recently, sinc...I've had to write by hand a lot recently, since my job doesn't allow me to transfer files in any way between my computer and home. It DOES hurt, a lot. I have to stop regularly and rest my wrist, and I get twinges for hours after the day is over. Plus, I've noticed my "first drafts" now do indeed suck a whole lot, because like Monsieur Nevets I tend to revise actively as I go, sometimes deleting entire paragraphs to come at the problem from another angle if my initial approach isn't heading the way I want. It's unbelievably frustrating not to be able to reword as my eyes scan back over what I've written, let alone my almost illegible handwriting (which has always been atrocious and borderline dysgraphic.) <br /><br />One of the bits of writing 'wisdom' that has always stuck in my head was, "A true writer would revise a sentence in his suicide note, if it was a poor sentence." I'm always listening to what I write as I write it and altering as I go. One of the reasons I do Mirrorshards is to keep me in practice with actual rereading and revising, since I can't count the words as I write and thus can't follow my normal pattern of revising everything as I type it out.Scattercathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00302815654553659644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-40790328833847244002010-01-18T17:14:22.420-05:002010-01-18T17:14:22.420-05:00Since I consistently rewrite I am not sure what a ...Since I consistently rewrite I am not sure what a first draft is. That doesn't mean that my eighth draft is any good, of course.pattinase (abbott)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02916037185235335846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-73520532316351791232010-01-18T14:13:56.995-05:002010-01-18T14:13:56.995-05:00Writing by hand hurts like all heck after only a f...Writing by hand hurts like all heck after only a few sentences, so when I take the time to draft something out that way, even though my brain moves faster than my hand, my brain seems to know that it better make it worth my while.C. N. Nevetshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00375714948653196993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-71548376528690425982010-01-18T14:01:24.862-05:002010-01-18T14:01:24.862-05:00My first drafts take place on the computer or out ...My first drafts take place on the computer or out in the workroom on an electric typewriter. Never by hand. Illegibility being the main complaint, followed closely by speed. I think much faster than my hand can jot. That means I begin to explore ideas and then abandon them just as my writing starts. <br /><br />I wonder what storylines and character development I'm missing by using that backspace key.B. Nagelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07620736939701035617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-45156269200233810152010-01-18T13:51:57.289-05:002010-01-18T13:51:57.289-05:00Sometimes I draft something out by hand, but I'...<i>Sometimes I draft something out by hand, but I've gotta admit that stuff rarely needs much editing (beyond proofing).</i><br /><br />Proof of my writing inadequacy grows. I'm going to go wallow in despair now, KTHXBY!Loren Eatonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12488412683340389286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-1728620573914788402010-01-18T13:41:29.082-05:002010-01-18T13:41:29.082-05:00I haven't written a true first draft in, I don...I haven't written a true first draft in, I don't know how long. Sometimes I draft something out by hand, but I've gotta admit that stuff rarely needs much editing (beyond proofing). When I do my writing on the computer, I'm a huge revise-as-you-go person. I re-read constantly and edit and revise before going on at a rate that would probably drive most authors batty. It's how I write papers, too. I'm a terrible example to learn by in that regard.C. N. Nevetshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00375714948653196993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-27515116499007573352010-01-18T12:26:09.379-05:002010-01-18T12:26:09.379-05:00I'm in the middle (or, rather, the beginning) ...I'm in the middle (or, rather, the beginning) of one right now. It has filled me with fear and loathing of my own incompetency -- just like they all do.Loren Eatonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12488412683340389286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025264318423694875.post-13274478820384472582010-01-18T11:40:59.562-05:002010-01-18T11:40:59.562-05:00Oh, how I relate.
If it were possible to skip fi...Oh, how I relate. <br /><br />If it were possible to skip first drafts I would. But alas.S.D. Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11587104303593306093noreply@blogger.com