#i always just ignore the ''don't edit until you're done'' advice

[jonnywaistcoat]

Hey, Horrormaster Sims. I have a wildly different question that barely relates to TMA (Sorry about that) but its about your own process. Please, if you could, can you tell me how your first drafts made you feel? I'm on the fence about writing my own thing (not a podcast, and again, not Magnus related, though I have a million little aus for that delightful tragedy you wrote, thank you for that!) But I'm discouraged by the collective notion that first drafts are always terrible, because there's no ... examples I can solidly use to help the dumb anxiety beast in my brain that tells me everyone who is in any way popular popped out a golden turd and not, well, you know. One of my friends said 'Oh I bet Jonathan Sims's first draft was nothing like what he wanted' and I got the bright idea to just. Send you an ask, since you're trapped on this hellsite like I am. Anyway, thanks for reading this (if you do) and if you'd rather ask it privately, I am cool with that. Alternatively, you're a hella busy man with Protocol (you and Alex are making me rabid, i hope you know) and you can just ignore this! Cheers, man, and good words.

To my mind all writing advice, especially stuff that's dispensed as truisms (like "first drafts are always garbage") are only useful inasmuch as such advice prompts you to pay attention to how you write best: what helps your workflow, what inspires you, what keeps you going through the rough bits. There are as many different ways to write (and write well) as there are people who write and so always consider this sort of thing a jumping off point to try out or keep in mind as you gradually figure out your own ways of writing.

On first drafts specifically, I think the wisdom "all first drafts are bad" is a bit of unhelpful oversimplification of the fact that, deadlines notwithstanding, no piece of writing goes out until you decide its ready, so don't get too hung up on your first draft of a thing, because a lot of writers find it much easier to edit a complete work than to try and redraft as they go. It's also important to not let perfectionism or the fact your initial draft isn't coming out exactly how you want stop you from actually finishing the thing, as it's always better to have something decent and done than to have something perfect and abandoned.

But the idea of a "first draft" is also kind of a fluid one. The "first draft" you submit to someone who's commissioned you will probably be one you've already done a bunch of tweaks and edits to, as opposed to the "first draft" you pump out in a frenzy in an over-caffeinated weekend. For my part, my first drafts tend to end up a bit more polished than most, because I'm in the habit of reading my sentences out loud as I write them (a habit picked up from years of audio writing) so I'll often write and re-write a particular sentence or paragraph a few times to get the rhythm right before moving to the next one. This means my first drafts tend to take longer, but are a bit less messy. I'm also a big-time planner and pretty good at sticking to the structures I lay out so, again, tend to front load a lot of stuff so I get a better but slower first draft.

At the end of the day, though, the important thing is to get in your head about it in a good way (How do I write best? what helps me make writing I enjoy and value? What keeps me motivated?) and not in a bad way (What if it's not good enough? What if everyone hates it? What if it doesn't make sense?) so that you actually get it done.

As for how my first drafts made me feel? Terrible, every one of 'em No idea if that's reflective of their quality, though, tbh - I hate reading my own writing until I've had a chance to forget it's mine (I can only ever see the flaws). I suppose there's theoretically a none-zero chance they were pure fragments of True Art and creative perfection, but Alex's editing notes make that seem unlikely.

[rainbowsky]

Hi Rainbow!!!

Is it bad if we don’t love GGDD’s new dramas post-2021? I’ve watched all of their new works on paid platforms but haven’t really loved any of them… and it makes me feel like a bad fan lol. Wfs are always going off about how we only support cql and nothing else so I feel like I’m just proving what they are saying. But on the other hand, I watch “straight” cdramas all the time and some just have better plots than others. I was really excited for ygy but so far it’s not my cup of tea and I find myself hyped for other dramas currently airing instead.

Hi Anon!

If you've watched all their dramas on paid platforms, it's hard to say you're a bad fan. That is by far the best way to support their work - through views, subscriptions, etc. Whether you liked a project or not, at least you've supported it.

You are under no obligation to enjoy their other work, but I think it's unusual for someone to dislike every other show they've done. You really watched them all - every one of them - and didn't like any of them? You didn't like The Youth Memories? You didn't like Being a Hero?

It's understandable that you'd dislike a shallow, cringey offering like OOL, but The Youth Memories? Really? That show is so good, I can't understand how you could dislike it. Have you really, honestly watched them ALL? 🤔

I can see why some people are a bit disappointed with The Longest Promise. I think that drama has been SO overhyped for years, as people have been dying to see it, and maybe they got their expectations ratcheted up too high. But it's also only just begun airing. I think people need to be patient and give it a real chance. The story has only just begun.

If you find yourself repeatedly disappointed it might be worth taking a closer look at your expectations. When you set an expectation in your mind, it's going to always be a guess, and it's going to almost always be an incorrect guess, and you'll go into the experience from a comparison mindset rather than from an open-minded one.

I personally try to avoid making assumptions - positive or negative - about something I haven't yet seen, and I try to go into everything with an open mind.

I've observed a lot of turtles who have stratospheric expectations for The Longest Promise and are feeling disappointed, and a lot of turtles who've had negative expectations of The Youth Memories and have completely skipped it. Both are doing themselves a disservice.

My advice for people approaching GG and DD's projects (or really, ANYTHING we encounter in life) is to try to go in with an open mind. Don't ignore or skip something just because you assume it won't be up your alley. You can't possibly know that until you try it.

Don't assume you're going to absolutely love something, either, or create preconceptions in your mind about what it will be like. Take it for what it is, and maybe through that open-minded perspective you'll find something about it that appeals to you.

And if you do watch it and find you don't like it, well at least you supported their projects. There are a lot of other dramas and films out there for you to enjoy, and there will be much more to enjoy from GG and DD in the coming years.

Edit: Follow-up post here.

[maximumcatpress]

Editing

I've been seeing a lot of people giving the advice of "don't edit while you write," or, "never reread until you're done."

On the surface, I definitely agree with this. It's hard to move forward with your writing if you're always going back and "just fixing this one thing." I'd say that this is an oversimplification, though, and my approach is slightly different. I'm definitely a boldly ever forward kind of writer, and a good flow begets more writing. As long as I have some notes or at least a vague notion of where I want to go, I can get myself there.

Like all writers, I occasionally get stuck, and that's where I think this very well-meaning advice breaks down. I find it immensely useful to go back and reread some of the things I've written when I'm stuck. It helps me get back into my characters' states of mind and reminds me of their motivations. I get back into story flow. Yeah, I might see a comma to fix or maybe some phrasing I could have done better. DON'T IGNORE THESE! Amending a sentence or two won't slow you down that much if you're already stuck, and it's one less thing you have to redo later. But make sure you check in with yourself periodically and don't get sucked down the rabbit hole.

At the end of it all, your writing style is uniquely your own. It's not about a word count or some arbitrary metric of progress, but whether or not you got to tell the piece of your story you wanted to today. In the immortal hashtag of the wonderful LeVar Burton, #bydhttmwfi.