Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Tips for Fast Drafting from Kelly Hashway



I used to be the writer who thought everyone who participated in NaNoWriMo was insane for writing a book that quickly. I didn’t think I could ever do it. But then everything changed. I discovered fast drafting and I’ve never looked back. Fast drafting is where you write large word counts each day and get the manuscript drafted in a very short period of time. My record is eight days for an 80K manuscript. Crazy? Not really.

Here’s my tip for getting those words out and quickly. Set specific writing time each day and keep your fingers moving. You can train yourself to be creative on cue. Yes, you heard me right. You can train your brain to respond to writing at certain times of the day. I know I am going to write from 9:00am to 2:40pm when my daughter is in school. My brain expects to have to be in writing mode during that time, and it is. Does that mean I never get stuck and stare at a blank screen? No. I’m only human. But I have a tip for that, too. When you’re fast drafting you can’t tolerate writer’s block. When I get stuck, I skip whatever is holding me up and jump ahead. If I’m really feeling in a slump, I’ll write the ending or the climax because I know those parts and they get me excited about the story all over again. After that, I find I can go back and work through the part that was tripping me up earlier.

Also, when you’re fast drafting, don’t go back and edit what you’ve already written. It’s about constantly moving forward and typing new words until the manuscript is complete. Like I said, I thought I’d never be able to write like this. Now, I can’t imagine writing any other way. And fast drafting doesn’t just help me to get the manuscript written. I find that during revisions, I’m pleased by how well the story flows because of the pace in which it was written. Things stay fresh in your mind, and gaps or inconsistencies that can result from writing a manuscript over the course of months aren’t there anymore.

So, give fast drafting a try and see if you surprise yourself the way I did.


About Kelly:
Kelly Hashway grew up reading R.L. Stein’s Fear Street novels and writing stories of her own, so it was no surprise to her family when she majored in English and later obtained a masters degree in English Secondary Education from East Stroudsburg University. After teaching middle school language arts for seven years, Hashway went back to school and focused specifically on writing. She is now the author of three young adult series, one middle grade series, and several picture books. She also writes contemporary romance under the pen name Ashelyn Drake. When she isn’t writing, Hashway works as a freelance editor for small presses as well as for her own list of clients. In her spare time, she enjoys running, traveling, and volunteering with the PTO. Hashway currently resides in Pennsylvania with her husband, daughter, and two pets. Visit her website: http://www.kellyhashway.com.

6 comments:

  1. Wow - I'll have to try this, or at least try it in a smaller capacity. I do hem and haw sometimes, trying to figure out what the next step is, but I love the idea of jumping ahead and filling in the blanks later. Worry less, write more. I like it! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. It's a big time saver, and continuously making progress is a great motivator too.

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  2. I love reading about your process! I am also a fast drafter, although I'm not THAT fast. 80k in 8 days is amazing! (New personal goal? :) However, it was NaNoWriMo that got me to finish a novel for the first time, and I'm a fan of the process. I know it's not for everyone, but it works for me too. I think the energy and intensity of it really works for me because I tend to get tunnel vision when I work on a creative project of any sort. But if I put it down for any length of time, I lose momentum.

    I also do what you described - if at some point I'm drawing a blank on how a scene plays out, I just put in a line break with a "..." and move on. I am a serious outliner so I usually feel like I can go right on without issue. :)

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    1. Same here with the tunnel vision. I have to stay in my writing bubble until the draft is complete. And yes, outlining does help you move on if you get stuck on a particular spot.

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  3. Great post! Thanks for sharing tips for fast drafting! :)

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    1. You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed it, Margo.

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