Zero Draft | Writing Process Changes/Updates
Hey guys,
I realize I missed Sunday’s post yet again, but I did really need a bit of a break. I was feeling very exhausted after a tough work weekend and was feeling very creatively drained and so I thought it best to take some time off for myself to recuperate and get back to 100 or as close to that as is possible. I am feeling much better. I was exhausted and I got some much needed rest. It’s good to be back and I’m grateful to be here with you today. Originally I thought I was going to need a much longer vacation from blog posting, but as it turns out I just needed a few days to get back to feeling myself.
So, I want to talk about writing processes today, specifically mine and how it’s changed yet again. OR it may have just changed for this new project I’m working on. I realized what I was doing (or needed to do) during my last writing stream on Thursday last week. I’ve been doing a zero draft before the first draft.
If you don’t know what a zero draft is or the basic meaning of a zero draft, it basically means an incomplete draft of the story/book you’re writing. It certainly has many slightly different meanings to the many people who choose to use them. But basically it’s when you write out or draft certain scenes that you already know are going to happen in the story (as you haven’t figured out the rest). Pretty much, you write everything that you know about the story so far as a way of getting words onto the page and learning more about the story in order to fill in the blanks later or in order to plan out the rest of the story.
The idea is that this is a braindump with some more fleshed out scenes and some blank ones that you go back to fill in later when you’ve found out more about the story and characters.
This is the first time I’ve ever used a zero draft. honestly I never thought I would. I thought it was something kinda cool that other people used, but I’d never need to use one because I usually write pretty linearly (from beginning to end). But I found it easiest to begin with the zero draft as I desperately want to write down some of the scenes I’m imagining in my head before they are forgotten and maybe in writing them down I will figure out some of the other scenes that I’m going to need to finish the story.
Again, it could just be that this story called for my writing process to change slightly and adapt to what the story needed and the way it needs to be written, as this often happens, different stories require being written in a slightly different way, but I do think it is very cool. As I’ve heard people talking about the zero draft, but to actually be using it as a way of planning out my next series.
I’m also making some steady progress on BK 1 of my thriller series, though not so much this week yet as I’ve been crazed from my work weekend and trying to get back to my old self again. I tried writing some yesterday, but that didn’t go so well. I wrote half a page and nothing else. I just couldn’t concentrate on it. But I’m gonna try getting back to it today and pump out maybe a few pages and finish this next chapter and hopefully reconnect my new scene to my old scenes. Wish me luck.
Don’t feel bad if you don’t use the zero draft, or any of the popular forms of drafting or writing. Go at your own pace, trust your writing process and trust that it will change when it needs to change. It’ll likely change several times during your writing career. Do what’s right for you and stick to it.
Anyway, I think that will be it for me guys, but thank you so much for hanging out. It’s good to be back at it. I’m also going to be working on the post for Friday as I have no idea what I’m doing for it yet. Remember, if you’re feeling low or down or less than yourself, you maybe just need a couple of days to get back to yourself, to get right before continuing to work. And try not to force yourself if its just not happening.
Thank you so much for stopping by. You brighten my days and coming onto here and talking with you guys about the things going on in my writing life and about writing and reading makes me happy and trust me when I say this, as disappointed as you are coming on and no seeing a post, I am disappointed that I couldn’t do one. Lots of love! Happy reading and writing! If you need time, give yourself time, it’s the best thing you can do, even if it means missing a couple days of writing you desperately didn’t want to miss. Sometimes rest is best. Until next time, bye.
Celine Rose Marie