#Drafting

[writerpolls]

*In writing terms, an architect is someone who plots out, plans, and outlines things before drafting. A gardener is someone who takes an initial idea and then just writes, seeing how the idea grows without specific plans.

Some people use the terms “plotter” and “pantser” (as in, going by the seat of their pants) for these writing styles, but I prefer architect and gardener.

[waywardsou2]

I'm sure all the Bucky stans know this but there are a lot of us who don't so I need to say this and then shout it from the roof tops for the rest of you

During World War 2 in America the enlisted troops serial number started with 12 and the drafted troops started with 32

Bucky's serial number is 32557038 (yes I do know that off by heart)

His number starts with 32...

32.

Our boy was drafted, he didn't enlist and juding by the year he was probably drafted due to the Service and Enlistment Act

But did not choose to go to war, he was forced.

Just let that sink in

Because I cannot get over the fact that James Barnes never wanted to go to war, and Steve Rogers desperately wanted to be fit enough to enlist had swapped places

That parallel is insane

And I cannot believe that Marvel has never adressed the fact that Bucky went through all the shit he did because he was drafted. He didn't go in knowing the risks because he didn't choose to become a soldier, that choice was made for him, and thanks to the choice his life was a living hell since then

[todays-xkcd]

A 5% efficiency gain at the cost of a 99% efficiency loss

Drafting [Explained]

Transcript Under the Cut

[A rocket with two boosters is launching going towards the top right corner. It has a two-stage core and two boosters, and they produce three flames from their exhaust and beneath these flames is a large exhaust plume fanning out behind the rocket most of the way towards the bottom of the panel. A smaller rocket is following the first rocket. It is very close to the first rocket, so most of the smaller rocket is inside the exhaust plume from the larger rocket. The smaller rocket does not have boosters, but still produces three smaller flames from its exhaust. Beneath these flames the smaller rocket also leaves a large but slimmer exhaust plume that exits the panel at the bottom left corner.]

[Caption below the panel:] Aerospace tip: Although the technique reduces atmospheric drag for many types of vehicles, you should never try to improve rocket launch efficiency through drafting.

[fixyourwritinghabits]

What do I do when the characters have chosen to go somewhere that makes sense, but leads absolutely nowhere?

I know exactly what you mean, and fixing it is certainly not impossible. It's pretty natural, especially if you're a pantser, to have your characters end up in a situation that wipes out all the tension. (It's easy to fall into this as a plotter too, so beware.) What you need to do is turn up the pressure in the plot, both externally and internally.

Possible Problem 1: Your Characters Are Too Comfortable. If your characters don't have enough internal conflict going on, they might just not want to move forward with the plot. This is a really easy hole to fall into (for all the stereotypes of writers tormenting their characters, I find it's much harder not to pull punches, especially with the first draft). Drive up that internal conflict within the characters and with each other. Laying down a subplot about an unrequited crush or a secret identity that implodes right when your characters feel safe can help get them going again. An argument between characters that causes them to do something reckless might be the catalyst you need.

Possible Problem 2: Not Enough Plot Tension. If your characters have lost steam, they may be in the wrong place. You may need to ramp up the danger by backtracking in the plot to lay down more external pressure to keep the characters going. A ticking clock fueled by the need to cure a deadly disease, a looming threat that's on their heels. If your characters still end up in a spot that too easily solves their problems, cut them off from getting there! The pass collapses, forcing them through the shadowy woods instead.

Possible Problem 3: You Don't Have the Next Plot Point Lined Up. If you're pantsing and are stuck (or if your outline isn't working), sometimes you just gotta take a moment to figure out where your characters actually need to be next and jump to that point. Sometimes writing out the next big scene will help you figure out how to build the connective tissue between them. Sometimes you will write "fix this later" and curse your past self into oblivion. We've all been there.

Possible Problem 4: You Might Just Need a (Short) Break. Truly stuck? Inspiration often strikes when you take your mind off the issue. Go for a walk, play a video game, try not to think of your writing issue for a couple of days. You'll likely realize the solution in the middle of doing something else.

Now, all of these techniques are for writing a story or a novel. If you're plotting out a game, you may just need to drop a Big Bad in the middle of things to force your characters into action. (Hell, you may need to do that for your novel too.) The most important thing is that no matter how clunkily you fix it, you can always go back and smooth over those rough parts with the power of hindsight.

[angelacostumery]

let's make some sleeves!

don't worry i'll put it below the cut, no one should be confronted with the horrors of drafting them on their dashboard without giving prior consent.

those first few photos are of the final mockup and the final sleeves. the first mockup was more to gauge length and the final width I wanted the cuff to have, so it looked like this.

I wanted this to have a specific lantern shape with limited gathers because this fabric is thicc so I sewed a 1/2" dart at each of the marked points, taking the bottom edge in by 11" in the process.

I ended up shortening it a lot just above where the darts ended, which left me with this.

I knew it would be easier to have a single seam going horizontally than sewing a dozen darts into each one, so I was prepared for this development. I probably could have drafted something much closer to this from the start but I wouldn't want to seem too competant.

I took out a lot of volume on my next mockup and settled on something very similar to what you see above.

then they were cut out from faille, the seam was covered with 1/2" horsehair braid to give them a bit more body.

now, for the velvet layer, I didn't want a visible seam. It sort of ruins the flow of the fabric's pattern AND the fabric's pattern runs in vertical stripes which don't lend themselves well to the curves of the sleeves.

so instead I fussy cut out pieces and overlapped them until they formed the correct shape without any obvious breaks.

It was only after I got these pinned and partially sewn that I realized I forgot to add the gold overlay beneath them and had to re-do it all.

I kept trying to machine-baste together the edges and the sleeves were like "no."

the faille folded over the seam point after I finished since the overlay was like 1/4" too short in some spots, because I didn't baste all the layers together before cutting them out and sewing them together (like I usually do).

I ended up doing it by hand, all but two of the "short spots" will be hidden in seams and the others were patched with additional appliques.

I sewed the appliques to the fabric below the horizontal seam, but this created issues with the drape when I attempted to carry it further up, so the layers are independent above that seam point, save for the top edge where they are basted/eventually seamed onto the bodice..

these will be finished with matching cuffs and cotton lining.

the bottom edges were gathered from 22" down to 19" prior to the underarm seam being done up, so most of the shaping comes from the piecing, not the gathers.

(the top edge is gathered a similar amount at the armscye.)

When going to baste together the top edges I decided to shorten the lining by about an inch at the center and tapering down to nothing at the underarm. This forces the fashion layer to puff out a little bit more.

Then they were sewn on and probably some other stuff happened that I forgot. Anyway, voila!

[full-on-sam]

It has recently occurred to me that to make a second draft after the first one I have to... rewrite the entire thing?? Not just, take the document and, edit ON IT, OVER it.

And that a first draft is not really supposed to be... readable?

Guys I need help,.how do you do drafts??

[wordsnstuff]

Hey, so i'm working on my first WIP, and i wanted to ask about drafting. When can one consider their first draft done? Does it have to have the goal word count (ie; 100K), or would being about halfway there be considered a good enough first draft, that i can move on to the second and start editing?

Concluding each stage of the writing process

It's difficult to know when a phase of a writing project has concluded and you're ready to focus on a new objective as it's developing. I tend to approach my writing projects with a clear and uniform trajectory, regardless of how diverse my projects can be. This approach allows me to remain focused, thorough, and reassured that I am covering all my bases in an organized fashion. However, it also maintains space for me to be explorative and intuitive when necessary. In regards to word count, I don't think it's entirely relevant unless you're determined to adhere to strict genre conventions. Give your story the space it needs and not an extra inch.

(Optional) Zero Draft

In this phase, you're telling yourself the story. You're doing it quickly, messily, intuitively, and forgivingly. Explore every idea that glows in the dark for you, don't throw anything away or discount any possibility. Exhaust your imagination in this phase so that when you reach the first draft, you know you're making informed decisions.

First Draft

You're crafting the structure and core elements of the story. This is often the phase of discovery. You're becoming acquainted with your characters and how they interact, you're beginning to feel at home in the world and settings you've built, and you're seeing all sides of the conflict as it evolves. The goal here is settle on a beginning, middle, and end point, and by the end of this process you want to know your characters' motivations and relationships inside and out.

Second Draft

Go back quickly through the first draft and address any points where you got stuck, where you compromised for the sake of carrying on to the end, and fill in any apparent blanks. The first time you really iron something out, there will always be a few pesky creases. This is the time to find and flatten them.

Third Draft

This is where you question everything. Identify and scrutinize your decisions, dive into the "curtains are blue" discussions with yourself, and begin to tidy up things like grammar, clumsy dialogue, over-poured descriptions, and dubious vocabulary. Comb through each paragraph and be brutal, prioritizing clarity and intentionality of how you've told the story.

The Read Through

This is the point where I recommend doing three things:

Letting it rest away from you for 1-3 months so that you can return to it with a bit of unfamiliarity and new perspective.

Hand it off to a couple of trusted readers and give them ample time to read, digest, and craft some feedback

Reread the project once all the way through making no changes (although annotations are acceptable)

Fourth Draft

Finishing touches. Vigorously and meticulously scrub and scrape between the lines and imagine giving it to your worst enemy. If you can imagine any mean (but valid) things they could conceive of to say about it, this is the time to grapple with or fix those details.

Additional Resources

Guide to Drafting

Word Count/Productivity Tracker Spreadsheet

Balancing Detail & Development

Writing The First Chapter

Writing The Middle of Your Story

Powering Through The Zero-Draft Phase

Writing The Last Chapter

Chapter Length

Happy drafting,

x Kate

[cardboard-crack]

Join me at patreon.com/CardboardCrack for extra comics, looks behind the scenes, and more!

[archiveofaffinities]

Encyclopedia of American Architecture by Robert Packard and Balthazar Korab, Drafting Material Indications for Architectural Drawings

[loomingtranssexual]

hand-drafts for weaving, posca pen on graph paper, 2022-2023

[blissfullyunawares]

my chaotic personal method for writing fun fictional stories

D&D style development for the characters, writing them down and letting them make their own choices for believable character motive and a chaos element.

World building should be fun and rough around the edges. Only explain the necessary bits. Never info dump.

Plot and story ideas written down and expanded until they connect plot points like a mad mind map that connects to one another in a 100 different ways

A running theme to connect your novels and stories. This helps keep the readers interest so they feel drawn to the next book like it’s a puzzle piece or clue

Different tropes & themes for all stories with a good mix of tragedy, romance, suspense, fun, humor, and adventure. Don’t let it get boring and stale! Keep moving through time, space, and human emotion.

No idea what to do next? Roll a die and let the character decide how to respond. 🎲

Plot holes? My favorite sweater has them and your book should to! Answer all questions later in the series, but leave a few to the readers imagination. Some things should be explored and discussed independently. What would they do? Is that really how that character would behave? Let them draw their own conclusions.

Don’t let your audience have all the juicy details in the first book. Make them question your delicately crafted reality and give them something to remind them.

Like every time they hear “biscuits and gravy” they think of your character Elizabeth that runs the inn and always has spectacular biscuits and gravy. Some biscuits and gravy are worth killing over. Real world meets fictional universe and gives the reader something to grasp.

Over all, remember, you’re creating something fun, and it should be fun to create.

Give readers something (or someone) to believe in. Then, break their hearts if you must.

☕️

If you enjoyed this post, please follow along! I’ll be sharing fun dialogue prompts, updates, and snippets of story ideas with my tumblr friends exclusively!

⚡️ email club coming soon ⚡️

Xx Until Next Time!

[technician-the]

New blueprint design!

[quillver]

When Your Favourite Scene Doesn’t Fit

You love it. You crafted it. The prose hits. The dialogue sings. The vibes are immaculate.

But when you zoom out, the scene drags the pacing, diffuses the tension, or pulls focus at the wrong moment.

So now you’re rewriting around it. Bending character arcs to justify it. Padding earlier chapters just to make it “fit.”

That’s not editing. That’s attachment.

Sentimental attachment isn’t structure. Let it go if it doesn’t serve the story.

[sainteveleroux]

“ChatGPT went down while I was in the middle of brainstorming concepts for my story, I lost everything ☹️”

GOOD, be struck with omens and visions, and write that fucking book as the dark lord intended you PUSSY

[fixyourwritinghabits]

How do I know which WIP to choose to work on when I have plenty of them all in the stage of being half baked?

Here's the thing. You're halfway there. You're running the bakery, you've got a dozen of things to pop in the oven. You just need to choose one to work with until it's a finished pie.

Which project 'speaks' to you the most? Say you have five possible pies in front of you. You like all the flavors, you know they're going to end up good. But which one really excites you? Which one do you think about the most when you're not working on it? That's probably the WIP to go with. That's the energy you'll need to see it through to the end.

Which project feels the most fleshed out? Another thing to consider is how much plot and framework you already have down. Those vague ideas, first chapter starts, and intriguing concepts may seem solid, but the more work you've already got down, the more progress you'll be able to make.

Which project are you struggling the least with? There's a Nano project I really like the concept of. I've got two-thirds of the first draft written. But what I don't have is the underlying theme. I haven't figured out how to connect the concept to the characters yet. One of these days I will, but I have other stories to get done first. Focusing on the project you know you can figure out is probably the best choice to make.

Here's the last and most important point: You need to stick with that chosen project until completion. This is not a absolute rule. I will not burst through your bedroom window like Slenderman if you decide you can't finish it.

But you gotta try to stick through it. Getting the draft done is the hardest part of the process, and seeing it through to the end before you look at your next project is going to help you form the habit of finishing your work. All those books on the shelf, good and bad, have one thing in common - they got finished. The only way to do that is to stick through the process.

That's why you need to weigh your WIPs carefully. The ones that don't have much to them yet might need more time to proof in the dark recesses of your mind. Others might be far more ready for completion, but you're not giving them the attention they need in favor of all those shiny new ideas.

Pick your pie flavor, and make real sure you're ready to eat it again and again over the course of the next few months. You will hit some walls. You will get frustrated. But you can only finish your WIP one at a time.