Part I: Brainstorms & Bibles (+ story bible template)
Part II: An Outline of How I Outline
Part IV: CPs, Beta Readers, & Alpha Readers
Hello, and welcome back to whatever the hell this is. (It’s a writing process series, Lynn, you know that.) Today’s topic is drafting, aka the Good Bit, aka the Bane of My Existence because WHY is it so hard to sit down and write??
Here’s the thing: I’m always busy. I work, I volunteer, and I’m a full time student. Plus, the basics of being an adult human, like cooking, cleaning, and occasionally having fun so you don’t go insane—all of that consumes precious minutes.
It could definitely be worse, but as it stands, it’s a challenge for me to carve out writing time. Still, I make do. Largely by writing when I shouldn’t be. 🤪
If a class is stupid easy and doesn’t require you to pay close attention? Bring your laptop and write for an hour every day. If work is slow and you’re closing up alone? Laptop is hot and waiting in my backpack for the second my boss leaves. On the bus for your one hour commute? Okay, I get carsick, but I furiously brainstorm the entire time.
In short, when I can’t make time for writing, I steal time. I write like it’s a crime. And honestly, maybe I’m not as fast or as productive as the people who actually get to spend entire weekends working on books, but I get shit done! And for now, that’s all that really matters.
Anyway, on to my drafting process. Be forewarned: it’s chaotic.
draft 0: speed racer
Draft 0 is ugly. It’s NaNoWriMo project ugly. I hammer out a draft 0 based on my outline, which makes it coherent enough to harvest for parts, but it’s still mostly just your average trashfire.
But that’s okay.
See, with draft 0, I’m still trying to find the heart of the book. For me, that means the voice, the nuances of the characters, maybe even the theme. It’s experimental, it’s confusing, and it’s a far cry from perfect, or even presentable. However, I can usually hammer out draft 0 in a month or less, especially with an outline handy.
I write this draft as chaotically as possible—out of order, with random chunks missing, in the dead of the night with caffeine coursing through my veins. Sometimes I don’t even finish it. It’s okay.
Draft 0 is great for me because it also helps me figure out what I don’t want to do. For example, the draft 0 for AS THE TIGER CALLS THE DAWN, my YA Korean-inspired fantasy that, coincidentally, was my 2018 NaNoWriMo, made me realize that I was repeating too many of the same tropes and plot points I had used in ARI’S GUIDE TO RAISING THE DEAD. So I retooled it, re-outlined (three times, to be exact), and now the story is distinct not just in setting and character, but theme, tone, and plot. It’s still a fantasy adventure featuring a voyage, yes, but it’s much more layered and quite a bit slower-paced, with primary themes of faith and legacy.
For my artist friends out there, consider this your gesture sketch. It’s done on toilet paper in crayon, sure, but it gives you an idea of what you’re going for.
draft 1: oh god, what have i wrought
After some time, I take a look back at my draft 0, read a chapter or two, and lament my hubris. Then I promptly get over myself, because I’m sure as hell never going to show anyone this!!
Once I’ve recovered, I read the whole thing over, taking notes as I go. Nothing copious—I’m mostly focusing on story. I’m looking for dropped plot points, inconsistencies and logical fallacies, missed opportunities, all that big picture jazz. With my new knowledge in hand, I then head back to my [outline] and rework as much as I need to in order to make the story functional. Draft 1’s purpose is to be functional.
For AS THE TIGER CALLS THE DAWN, I went through this process three times over the course of almost a year. I’m not sure why I’ve been having so much difficulty with this project, but I think it may have to do with the fact that it’s a more sprawling story than I typically write, with multiple points of view and some complex narrative machinations at work. Additionally, most of my backburner ideas have been knocking around in my skull for five years or more. I came up with the concept, plot, and characters for AS THE TIGER in October of 2018, and had a draft 0 by mid-November of 2018, so it’s had significantly less time to marinate. The lesson here is to take as much time as you need, and as many drafts as you need. Unless you’re on deadline, of course.
draft 2: okay, people can look at me now
I don’t always do three drafts. Sometimes I stick with two, sometimes I write as many as… 13. (I’m pretty sure that’s how many drafts it took for ARI’S GUIDE TO RAISING THE DEAD to actually happen.) But a decent draft is like porn: you know it when you see it.
There’s no real advice for deciding your draft is ready for the eyes of your beta readers and CPs: it’s up to you. My only recommendation is not to wait too long. You’re not going to be able to make your book perfect on your own, no matter how many times you write and rewrite it. Don’t endlessly dick around because you’re too afraid to share your work—I know it can be daunting, but it’s always worth it in the end.
Annnd that’s it, really. You know the drill: this time next week, we’re going to talk about how I work with my critique partners, alpha readers, and beta readers. Thanks for checking this post out, and let me know how your drafting process works
xx
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lynn d. jung 
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