Do the rough drafts of your stories usually start off looking as though a first grader wrote it!?
When writing a story/short story, what technique do you use when working on the rough draft!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
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Position:Home>Books & Authors> Question for other writers?Question: Question for other writers!? Do the rough drafts of your stories usually start off looking as though a first grader wrote it!?
When writing a story/short story, what technique do you use when working on the rough draft!?Www@QuestionHome@Com Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Oh, absolutely! I may write six to ten pages, sit down, look at it, and be saying, "Oh my gosh, the plot line's great but I WROTE that!?!" I like to start out before any rough draft and do character profiles!. What is the character's name, how did they grow up, what are his/her strengths and weaknesses, what skeletons are in their closet!. That sort of thing!. Then I go further!. What do they do!? Career!? Student!? After school job!? I round all of the characters out so that I can see before hand how they will react with each other!. I then come up with a plot line!. How do they meet, what event starts the plot line, what is the conflict, why are the antagonists the way they are and how do they relate to the protagonists of the story!? I then usually write the first rough draft by hand and I go through with a red ink pen or a highlighter and I make note of things I like, things I don't like, spelling errors, add notes for detail in the margins, etc!. Then I get to work typing it!. Hope this helps! I've been writing for many years and this technique has never, never disappointed me!.Www@QuestionHome@Com I believe the major mistake most writers make when they start a new project is to not think it through!. Any form of communication has a few important elements: What are you trying to say!? How do you wanna say it!? Why should you say it!? Before you pick up the pencil to start writing the rough draft you should sit back and think about these questions; when you have good answers to them, it will be much easier to write down your ideas!. Then instead of having rough drafts that look like a first grader's and have to do 3-5 rough drafts in order to get a good result, you will need only 1-2!. Werewolf's strategy is a very good way to answer the "how" question!. also note that a lot of people undermine the "why" question because it doesn't directly affect the story, but when you find a good reason to say something, it helps you psychologically because when you find a good reason to say something, it becomes important to you and therefore you have more focus!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Mine still looks like a first grader wrote it and I've had the idea for a couple years!. Stories don't usually have a storyline that fits inside the boundaries we draw for it!. My story goes all over the place!. That's just how it is and how the story has shaped itself!. Don't worry about it!. Just go witht he story!. I really don't have a way to outline the story in ways like graphs or anything!. I pick the parts of the story that are important and write about them or I pick a part of the story that pertains to most of the key areas and write about that so I can remember the storyline!. If I try to write a graph, it just doesn't fit and makes me even more confused!. Www@QuestionHome@Com I start off with very little before writing a story/novel!. Usually I have a few characters and thier goals or motivations!. Something to get them moving!. And a climax!. Or a point I'm sort of trying to get to!. (I don't always get there!.!.!. but it gives me something to start with!.) Next I sit and start writing!. I just write!. LOTS!. I never go back and rewrite and I only allow myself to reread a small bit (to get back into the mood after a break in writing!.) After I'm to "The End" then I still don't read it and I start working on something else!. Later - sometimes a good deal later - I pull it out!. Dust it off!. And it's horrible writing, but good ideas!. I pull it apart, reassemble, cut entire chunks off, reword other things!.!.!. and then rewrite with very little reference to the original ms!. Then I do it again!. Until I feel like it's readable!. Then I give it to someone else and see how they feel!. Good luck!Www@QuestionHome@Com yes, just longer and with usually better spelling and grammar, and i usually try to write a rough outline of the story first then kind of just fill in all the details later, but usually scribbling them down on a page in my notebook so i remember them all, when im really into a story i will cary around a little notebook with me everywhere and write down all my ideas and try to put them in!. Www@QuestionHome@Com No!. I finish my stories at the pace of a handicapped tortoise with molasses stuck to it's feet because I edit as I write, and then go back and re-check or re-do the already edited sentence and/or paragraph about 3-4 times before I'm satisfied!. I spend tons of time jotting down notes and chapter outlines before I even get started on my actual story- I don't fly blind, I plan each move with precision!. Www@QuestionHome@Com yes when i start out i like to do a web!. with the plot, characters, settings, etc!. i also like to do profiles of the characters!.Www@QuestionHome@Com yes, and i just spew out anything and everything that sounds good!. it'll be way to long for the requirement, but since ninety percent of it is crap, I've got almost enough!. Www@QuestionHome@Com |