tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961575487165132975.post5102498315948843504..comments2023-10-21T00:44:14.815+11:00Comments on 100 First Drafts - Becoming a Prolific Writer: The Fear and Comfort Of A 90:10 RatioAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11625617346595249494noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961575487165132975.post-70298126930910041462014-06-12T14:19:30.859+10:002014-06-12T14:19:30.859+10:00Yeah, job stress makes a big difference. When I wa...Yeah, job stress makes a big difference. When I was working part time I could get a few 10,000 word days a week. When I worked full time behind a desk I struggled to get much at all. Now that I work full time caring for girls, I can generally get 3,500 before work and usually the extra 1,500 after they've gone to bed, if it hasn't been a stressful shift. <br />But a lot of it is just training to sit down and stay there. I would like to work back up to 7,500-10,000 a day. That is a good pace to keep moving through a story without forgetting all the little details. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11625617346595249494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961575487165132975.post-59955592366760408102014-06-12T14:14:45.947+10:002014-06-12T14:14:45.947+10:00I admit everything does get kept in a scrivener fo...I admit everything does get kept in a scrivener folder somewhere too, and occasionally I pull bits back out. <br />I don't think I could really throw away 90% but just knowing that could be an option for great writing is an interesting thought. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11625617346595249494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961575487165132975.post-31631302089301562542014-06-12T14:11:38.827+10:002014-06-12T14:11:38.827+10:00Thanks! I do keep dithering between plotting and d...Thanks! I do keep dithering between plotting and discovery writing. I've found when I straight plot, as I write it refuses to stick to my well planned plot! So this time I'm pantsing and after I'm done, I'm going to replot for the second draft, pulling out what works. Might take longer, but hopefully will create a better finished product. Will let you all know!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11625617346595249494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961575487165132975.post-59649711202093986212014-06-12T14:08:14.549+10:002014-06-12T14:08:14.549+10:00My family tend to only quote me on my bloopers, so...My family tend to only quote me on my bloopers, so I would consider myself lucky not to be quoted! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11625617346595249494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961575487165132975.post-42946456930136414352014-06-12T14:06:59.841+10:002014-06-12T14:06:59.841+10:00I do think I write better when I'm in flow, bu...I do think I write better when I'm in flow, but I also fall into the trap of thinking that because it all came out so well formed, it must be the best possible way to tell that story (or the only). I don't stop and wonder if I could retell it in a stronger way, maybe changing the setting, or how characters react. I doubt I'll chuck out 91:1 but it is an interesting exercise to look at each scene and wonder if it is the best way to show whatever it is. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11625617346595249494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961575487165132975.post-72099519751828122062014-06-12T14:02:03.408+10:002014-06-12T14:02:03.408+10:002:1 sounds like a pretty good ratio! Well done and...2:1 sounds like a pretty good ratio! Well done and keep it up.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11625617346595249494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961575487165132975.post-72962119049396652982014-06-11T08:48:24.084+10:002014-06-11T08:48:24.084+10:00I'm a huge fan of just writing, however short ...I'm a huge fan of just writing, however short or long, whether I feel good or not, etc. and worrying later. It's very freeing. It also results in many drafts -- at least for me. I hope to someday lessen the amount of drafts. ;) <br /><br />Good luck on the 5k days. I wish I could do that. Between bad wrists and a stressful day job, I just can't. I think the most I've ever written in one day was 4k.Erin Z.http://erinkendall.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961575487165132975.post-5908050621513129872014-06-10T16:46:54.971+10:002014-06-10T16:46:54.971+10:00I don't know if I could really throw away that...I don't know if I could really throw away that much. Even now, when I cut scenes, they go into a storge folder in Scrivener and I tend to want to use them later in some form. What I do have is the propensity to rewrite early scenes to increase tension that require rewriting the rest of the book. I wonder if that counts. <br />Your goals are pretty amazing. I don't get 5K days very often, but they feel wonderful. All the best working on that.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10804385775355174263noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961575487165132975.post-36356631888789626212014-06-10T11:03:09.725+10:002014-06-10T11:03:09.725+10:00I don't know if anything I write is what I'...I don't know if anything I write is what I'd call "genius," but likewise very little of it is so terrible it's unsalvageable. I find outlining helps keep me from writing scenes that are boring, repetitive, or don't otherwise add to the story. I've also heard that like Lisa says above, that if you're writing from your creative well and not with your critical mind, there will be a lot less that needs to be tossed--something I'm still striving for. Good luck with your drafts!Jennette Marie Powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00992037939637425401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961575487165132975.post-4835076813876832262014-06-10T05:10:23.880+10:002014-06-10T05:10:23.880+10:00I think my ratio of genius to trash is about 1 to ...I think my ratio of genius to trash is about 1 to 90. I write crap, but it's usually pretty decent crap. Every now and then, I write something brilliant. Well, I think it's brilliant, at least. Although, I've never been quoted in everyday conversation, unlike my brother and my sister. Their writings have given our family several brilliant quips useful for everyday conversation, while mine hasn't, so maybe my brilliance to crap ratio is actually much lower than 1 to 90. Hmmm.hellotammyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18028379267204270359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961575487165132975.post-89718721637686526662014-06-10T01:47:20.463+10:002014-06-10T01:47:20.463+10:00I'm wondering if something I read in "Wri...I'm wondering if something I read in "Writing in Overdrive" by Jim Denney could help to cut out the 91/1 issue. He said that writers who are in the zone tend to write better stories because they're coming from a place of truth. If that's the case, I imagine there'd be little to toss out. Revise and polish and perhaps fill out, but toss out? I don't think so.<br /><br />I loved "Story" by McKee when I read it, quite a few years ago now. I remember being completely overjoyed at the wealth of information in the book and took copious notes. <br /><br />Good luck with the 6 episodes still to go. 5K words a day is doable but really tough. (I did it when I fast drafted in November.) One good outcome, though, is that you pretty much end up writing yourself into 'the zone'. :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13789345714956252856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-961575487165132975.post-23152105581833104752014-06-09T22:20:06.950+10:002014-06-09T22:20:06.950+10:00At least for poetry, I tend to average about 50%; ...At least for poetry, I tend to average about 50%; I'll usually write around two poems for every one I end up publishing.<br /><br />Not having finished any yet, I'm not really sure about prose.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com