Hey Folks,
Some good stuff in today’s “Of Interest,” as in the purloined topic, “Crappy First Drafts,” which I blatantly stole from my friend, Dan Baldwin and his Writing Tip of the Week.
One note on James Scott Bell’s examples at the Kill Zone blog:
Nobody, and I mean nobody, says “ta” for “to” or “ya” for “you.” Folks in Minnesota say “ya” occasionally for “yeah,” but even they never say “ya” for “you.”
When writing intelligently (meaning with the reader in mind), dialect and accents are not rendered “over ta the saloon” or “What ya doin’?” (Read them aloud. You’ll see what I mean.”
Instead those two example would be written the way they actually sound:
“There’s somethin’ goin’ on over t’the saloon” (or simply “over at the saloon”) or “What y’doin’?” (or the ever-popular “What’cha doin’?”)
If you want to write dialect and accents well, I recommend listening closely t’yer characters and then sayin’ some’a them things out loud ‘fore (or “afore”) y’commit ’em to the page.
Just sayin’. (grin)
***
And from my friend Dan Baldwin, by permission:
Topic: Crappy First Drafts
In just a single day earlier this month I came across two references to authors writing crappy first drafts. (Each writer used a much stronger term.) One, an agent, expects them. The other, a novelist and author on writing, wrote that the only way she gets anything written is to write “really, really, s****y first drafts.
I have problems with this line of thinking.
One, it’s an automatic easy out for sloppy writing. “It’s only a first draft. I’ll fix it later.” Like old dad rewiring the kitchen toaster; the “fix” is never as good as the original product.
Back in my corporate video days, when a mistake occurred on location, we’d say “No matter. We’ll fix it in post (production).” I’ve seen projects ruined by sloppy directors directing sloppy productions that turned out to be unfixable in post.
Two, that attitude actually encourages writing crappy first drafts. A bad first draft becomes a goal and not a means. “My first draft is supposed to be crappy, so I’d better write it that way.”
I read an interview with an author who bragged that he never sent in anything until he completed 20 drafts of his work. Really? Every project requires exactly 20 rewrites? That’s not writing; that’s ritual.
You have had more than a decade of English study. You’ve read books on writing, attended seminars, and have cross-pollenated with fellow writers. You know how to write a publishable first draft.
Why, then, settle for less? The idea that your first draft automatically must be crappy is, in fact, just a load of crap.
Please note that I send my first drafts to my first readers and my editor. And I do revise that first draft, but only according to editorial direction and then only if I agree. If they don’t comment on something, I don’t “fix” it. The first draft version stands as is.
Finall, my personal belief: the first draft is the closest to the writer’s heart and with very few (editorial) exceptions, every change takes the work further from the heart, diminishes its power, and robs the reader of a more satisfactory experience.
***
Thanks, Dan. Folks, to get Dan’s weekly writing tip free, email him at baldco@msn.com and put Writing Tips in the subject line of your email. He’ll sign you up tout de suite. (grin)
Well, at last, something broke loose in the novel. Fairly good day.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
See “Magic Bakery Workshop Moved to Classic” at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/magic-bakery-workshop-moved-to-classic/. A smattering of good stuff.
See “Rendering Dialects and Accents in Dialogue” at https://killzoneblog.com/2019/01/rendering-dialects-and-accents-in-dialogue.html.
If you’re into fonts, see the comments on “Comic Relief” at https://killzoneblog.com/2019/01/comic-relief.html (scroll down).
Fiction Words: 3151
Nonfiction Words: 590 (Journal)
So total words for the day: 3741
Writing of The Case of the Mourning Widow (novel)
Day 1…… 2784 words. Total words to date…… 2784
Day 2…… 3250 words. Total words to date…… 6034
Day 3…… 2507 words. Total words to date…… 8521
Day 4…… 1049 words. Total words to date…… 9570
Day 5…… 2459 words. Total words to date…… 12029
Day 6…… 2723 words. Total words to date…… 14752
Day 7…… 1355 words. Total words to date…… 16107
Day 8…… 3151 words. Total words to date…… 19258
Total fiction words for the month……… 20906
Total fiction words for the year………… 20906
Total nonfiction words for the month… 11330
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 11440
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 32236
Calendar Year 2019 Novels to Date………………………… X
Calenday Year 2019 Novellas to Date…………………… X
Calendar Year 2019 Short Stories to Date……… X
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)………………………………………… 37
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)……………………………………… 7
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……………………… 193
Short story collections…………………………………………………… 31