Well, sure — and I follow a similar path. I wrote novels throughout, all crap. On the one hand, I learned a lot. That said, I don’t know that those were necessary steps, either. After all, I was young, and I don’t think it was particularly possible that I write something of caliber at that point. I dunno. Skill, patience, comprehension — these come with time, not necessarily with failed attempts. If you had endeavored three full drafts when you were 12, or 18, you wouldn’t be in the position you were now, feeling confident and possessing what may be the proper course for the tale.

Mind you, I’m not knocking this approach; again, it’s the same way I’ve gone with it.

These days, though, I don’t have time to write crap manuscripts.

– c.

It was crap.

I tried again, in college, with the same character only female. It was better. It flowed more freely. I kept the story tighter, had bad things happen to characters I liked, avoided adverbs when possible and ended up with a much better manuscript.

It still wasn’t right.

So now I’m rewriting for a third time. It’s going much better, it’s much more interesting and definitely more in line with the speculative fiction that seems to be my niche. What does this have to do with this advice I probably shouldn’t be taking?

I wouldn’t be this confident about what I’m writing now if I hadn’t written a completely crap manuscript from end to end – not once, but twice.

I can see that, yeah. Giving some precious part of your manuscript prominence is a dangerous act. And, killing your darlings remains valuable advice.

Editing scripts in general is easier than editing prose. Scripts are light and loose; pull pieces out, put pieces in. Prose work requires a much meaner machete.

– c.

That is either crazy-brilliant, or crazy-crazy.

I learn toward the former in theory, the latter in practice.

But it’s a neat concept.

Hrrrrrrm.

– c.

What he was basically getting at was that the one bit you love the most you probably had a case of word-shits, and it’s fluffed up higher than Ron Jeremy at an orgy.

I think that, ideally, an outline shouldn’t stop that breakthrough. That breakthough is an essential element, and it may not even come from the original writer — it may come from outside critiques. In my experience, it often does. Forest for the trees, new perspective, etc.etc.

– c.