I'm so glad to see I'm not the only one who does this. Usually I write a "zero" draft to figure it what the story is really about and hardly use any of it when I start my proper rough draft. I call it my Lewis and Clark draft because I'm just exploring. Thanks for the great video!
What a lovely comment! I'm glad you can relate to this re-framing which, I feel, gives writers a lot more permission to be imperfect and loose on the page and to follow our curiosity :-)
Definitely!! Lots of space to have fun and see what works, as long as I don't put any pressure on myself, or the writing, to be anywhere near perfect. Love that part of it.
14:43 Musically you can lead into a dramatic change using foreshadowing. You can set up an expectation that change is coming and then go in a different direction. Using the same themes (& characters) they can then react to the new setting. Music is still story, so it's very appropriate to draw parallels. That was helpful, I'd not considered zero drafting before and I'm stuck halfway through a novel, mostly because I need to develop my antagonist, but much their backstory needn't exist beyond a zero-draft. Thank you.
I’m writing and plotting for a novel idea of mine and I’m currently just writing down whatever I can in a notebook and hopefully I can finish the story and the notebook
This is so helpful! I keep finding myself trying to figure things out too much, trying to know what's going to happen way ahead and it just keeps stalling me out. I feel like I logically knew I should try not to do that, but sometimes you have to hear someone say the thing for it to click.
I am so glad that I found your videos! This is truly helpful. I’ve been writing my zero draft like a “first draft” which literally has put my writing at a standstill in my novel. Thank you for this series! Treating it as a zero draft makes me feel like I can be loose on the reigns. I needed that.
I love how you approach your process, it reminds me a lot of how I do things. I think to say anyone is purely a “pantser” or a “plotter” is limiting. The process is somewhere in between
Thank you so much for putting words to that phenomenon of how talking about the book can sometimes rob of us of our drive to write. I am new to writing long form stories, and I have just discovered that if I talk about it I find that it is difficult to keep working on the idea I shared. I feel validated!
I am so glad it was helpful! The thing about our creative process is that we don't know what does and does not work for us until we experiment with it. I'm okay to talk about projects *now* that are in an early stage, but I do keep it to a minimum out of superstition!
Great advice, thank you. And also I have to say, the sound quality is dramatically better in this video. Perhaps this is a more suitable space for recording, or maybe you use different equipment.
Thank you so much for that feedback on the audio--that is SO good to know. I adjusted the audio slightly different this week when editing the video, but I suspect the quality is better because my office is *much* smaller.
@@authortaraeast I particularly loved Tip #6: Don't talk about your book. "Are you talking about your story because it can give you all the feelings of writing without having to actually write?" Guilty!
@@Elizabeth-fw9ui You're not alone! I heard this one the hard way. I lost interest in the first book I tried to write after hitting the 10k mark because I had talked about the book SO much. It was a lot of fun to talk about the book, but I gave all that energy away and then there was nothing left to figure out on the page.
Before I close my laptop, I try to make sure I’ve outline the next scene/chapter. Bc if I don’t, it’s much easier for me to procrastinate and then suddenly it’s been three days and I haven’t written a thing… 😅 But like. It needs to be derailed. To the point it’s a zero draft of the next scene/chapter. So it’s an externa twenty, thirty minutes after the time I intended to stop writing. But at least I procrastinate less ☺️
Hi Ryan, it is not strictly as Australian thing. I have heard UK and US writers also use the term zero draft. I think it is a great way to really take the pressure off that first attempt at a manuscript--the blank page can be so daunting!
I have about 15 zero drafts, I have ideas, but that's it. I can't move away from those drafts. It's frustrating and depressing. The problem is that the book I want to write is a kind of memoirs and it's painful for me to write it.
Hmmmmm, so much to unpack there. You might really enjoy listening to the way Dani Shapiro speaks about the writing of memoirs, what to include and exclude. It can be hard to decide what structure or what 'version' of a story (fiction or not) that we want to tell and that discover process can be very messy. If writing about the self, I think we also need to be emotionally responsible so that we don't re-traumatise ourselves. Writing is often hard, but it should also be rich, rewarding, and fun.
Ask one of your characters to help you. (If it’s fiction). I ask my main character to tell me what’s next, to lead me out of various holes. It’s a pretend game, just like writing fiction is. 🌿
I call it a dog draft bc it’s the rough-rough draft.
😆 This is the best !! Cheers! 😃
😂
LOVE IT ! BRILLIANT 🎉🎉👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Love that :-)
excellent :)
I'm so glad to see I'm not the only one who does this. Usually I write a "zero" draft to figure it what the story is really about and hardly use any of it when I start my proper rough draft. I call it my Lewis and Clark draft because I'm just exploring. Thanks for the great video!
What a lovely comment! I'm glad you can relate to this re-framing which, I feel, gives writers a lot more permission to be imperfect and loose on the page and to follow our curiosity :-)
Definitely!! Lots of space to have fun and see what works, as long as I don't put any pressure on myself, or the writing, to be anywhere near perfect. Love that part of it.
14:43 Musically you can lead into a dramatic change using foreshadowing. You can set up an expectation that change is coming and then go in a different direction. Using the same themes (& characters) they can then react to the new setting. Music is still story, so it's very appropriate to draw parallels. That was helpful, I'd not considered zero drafting before and I'm stuck halfway through a novel, mostly because I need to develop my antagonist, but much their backstory needn't exist beyond a zero-draft. Thank you.
I’m writing and plotting for a novel idea of mine and I’m currently just writing down whatever I can in a notebook and hopefully I can finish the story and the notebook
This is so helpful! I keep finding myself trying to figure things out too much, trying to know what's going to happen way ahead and it just keeps stalling me out. I feel like I logically knew I should try not to do that, but sometimes you have to hear someone say the thing for it to click.
What lovely feedback! Thank you so much and best of luck with your manuscript! Keep writing :-)
I am so glad that I found your videos! This is truly helpful. I’ve been writing my zero draft like a “first draft” which literally has put my writing at a standstill in my novel. Thank you for this series! Treating it as a zero draft makes me feel like I can be loose on the reigns. I needed that.
That's so great to hear! I'm glad the video provided you with some reassurance and permission. Best of luck with your draft!
My Zero is a notebook and when I finish a chapter I type it out as my First.
I love how you approach your process, it reminds me a lot of how I do things. I think to say anyone is purely a “pantser” or a “plotter” is limiting. The process is somewhere in between
I think this is the case for most writers!
Thank you so much for putting words to that phenomenon of how talking about the book can sometimes rob of us of our drive to write. I am new to writing long form stories, and I have just discovered that if I talk about it I find that it is difficult to keep working on the idea I shared. I feel validated!
I am so glad it was helpful! The thing about our creative process is that we don't know what does and does not work for us until we experiment with it. I'm okay to talk about projects *now* that are in an early stage, but I do keep it to a minimum out of superstition!
Great advice, thank you. And also I have to say, the sound quality is dramatically better in this video. Perhaps this is a more suitable space for recording, or maybe you use different equipment.
Thank you so much for that feedback on the audio--that is SO good to know. I adjusted the audio slightly different this week when editing the video, but I suspect the quality is better because my office is *much* smaller.
Yes!! This! This is what I've been waiting to hear! Thank you!
Thank you for your extremely practical info.
Love your first step!😂😊
You gave me lots of ideas and this has been the best writing advice I've come across from. TH-camr 👏
Brilliant tips - thank you so much!
I am so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
@@authortaraeast I particularly loved Tip #6: Don't talk about your book. "Are you talking about your story because it can give you all the feelings of writing without having to actually write?" Guilty!
@@Elizabeth-fw9ui You're not alone! I heard this one the hard way. I lost interest in the first book I tried to write after hitting the 10k mark because I had talked about the book SO much. It was a lot of fun to talk about the book, but I gave all that energy away and then there was nothing left to figure out on the page.
Before I close my laptop, I try to make sure I’ve outline the next scene/chapter. Bc if I don’t, it’s much easier for me to procrastinate and then suddenly it’s been three days and I haven’t written a thing… 😅
But like. It needs to be derailed. To the point it’s a zero draft of the next scene/chapter. So it’s an externa twenty, thirty minutes after the time I intended to stop writing. But at least I procrastinate less ☺️
Good info and an interesting talk. Thanks!
Thank you!
This is so good!! Thank you!
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Just a quick question, how do you know when your zero copy is done?
Do Aussies call it zero draft? I've only heard rough draft in the US.
Hi Ryan, it is not strictly as Australian thing. I have heard UK and US writers also use the term zero draft. I think it is a great way to really take the pressure off that first attempt at a manuscript--the blank page can be so daunting!
❤
So my first draft is a zero draft 😅
The zero draft is really your first draft.
Do people really write fifty thousand word zero drafts? Is that actually a thing? Dang, now I feel like a slacker.
Don't feel like a slacker! Everyone has their own unique process!
I have about 15 zero drafts, I have ideas, but that's it. I can't move away from those drafts. It's frustrating and depressing. The problem is that the book I want to write is a kind of memoirs and it's painful for me to write it.
Hmmmmm, so much to unpack there. You might really enjoy listening to the way Dani Shapiro speaks about the writing of memoirs, what to include and exclude. It can be hard to decide what structure or what 'version' of a story (fiction or not) that we want to tell and that discover process can be very messy. If writing about the self, I think we also need to be emotionally responsible so that we don't re-traumatise ourselves. Writing is often hard, but it should also be rich, rewarding, and fun.
Ask one of your characters to help you. (If it’s fiction). I ask my main character to tell me what’s next, to lead me out of various holes. It’s a pretend game, just like writing fiction is. 🌿