Heart Drafting

I've been writing about how to make one's writing more literary.  One of the best pieces of advice I've ever heard on how to write came from the movie "Finding Forrester," a movie about and for writers.  “You write your first draft with your heart, and you rewrite with your head.”  This isn't specifically about writing in a literary fashion but can be used by any writer.  When I started college, every paragraph was hard-fought because I did my research as I went along.  If I wanted a quotation, I'd look it up.  

After hearing this advice, I learned that, yes, I can and should do research first if research is needed.  If I'm writing historical fiction, I should first immerse myself in the time period.  If I'm writing about World War II, the French Revolution, the American Civil War, or anything else that requires research, I should first become an expert.  If I'm writing fiction, I should have a pretty good grasp on my content, have maps, plotting of magical or other rules needed to create my world, etc.  But then, I should put all of that aside and just write.  I may need to refer to an outline I've already done to make sure I don't paint myself into a corner if I'm an outliner.  If I'm a pantser, I should make sure I know roughly where I'm headed.  But once I get writing, I shouldn't delay the writing process by making sure one word or phrase or grammatical turn is just right or that I know the exact wording of my literary allusion, or I'm going to get stalled.  My writing may feel stilted, but more importantly, I may never get it done because I'm doing the editing as I go along.  

If I want the writing to flow, I should just let it flow.  I need to send my internal editor outside.  I should NOT do spell check as I go along.  If I have delays or distractions, sure, I can reread what I've most recently written to get back into the flow.  But otherwise, I need to let it flow.  Write that first draft with my heart.  Then and only then can I let Mr. Internal editor, my notes, my research, my spell checker, my grammarian, etc. back in the room.  Writing like this is fun and joyful.  I highly recommend you try it, even if it's just in a free write.  If you want to write, just write.  

You Gotta Have Heart

I've noticed something about the movies I've watched recently.  Some of them work for me, and some of them don't.  I wondered why.  I tried to guess, but it dawned on me what the movies that don't work for me lack: heart.  We more or less enjoyed "Secret Life of Pets" in theaters because it was a good romp.  But upon further reflection, I realized the characters were fairly simple and unrelatable.  The beginning looked promising, but the rest lacked heart and meaning.  I didn't care about what was happening that much because of the lack.

"Moana" and "Finding Dory," however, were full of heart and meaning.  I cared about the characters from the beginning, so what they went through and their voyage meant a lot more to me.  I saw a clear motivation for everything they did, and it made human sense.  The characters cared about each other, so I cared about them.

I guess, for me, the clearest back to back comparison is the two newest "Star Wars" episodes.  "Force Awakens" seems to me to be full of heart.  I love the humor and chemistry between the characters as well as their clear motivations.  It's a joy to watch.  Meanwhile, "Rogue One" has some good characters and a clear plot, but it seems to lack that heart.  I found it hard to care about most of the characters because they didn't seem to care much about each other.  Some of the individual pairs of characters have chemistry and heart, but all together, there is little to no heart.  The magic that worked so well with "Force Awakens" is lacking for me.  Some people really like it because of a compelling storyline.  For me, that's not as important as caring.  

Authors who sit down to write a screenplay, story, novel, or whatever need to make sure audiences and readers care about their characters, that they are invested in the heart of the story, or nothing else matters.

Drafting and Revision

Drafting

In the movie "Finding Forrester," a writer's movie, a character says that the first draft should be written with the heart and the second with the head.  For most people, it's not very helpful to sit down and write without any idea what I'm doing.

There are different styles of drafting.  I'm what's often referred to as a "pantser."  I fly by the seat of my pants.  I just need my characters and an inkling of where the plot is going, and I just start writing.  With my romance novels, I don't even write chronologically, whereas with my children's fantasy, I do.  Either way, I don't plan much before I write.  Meanwhile, some people need an elaborate outline and all details planned before they would dream of writing.  These are often called planners. As for me, if I tried to plan everything in detail, I'd never get anywhere.  Outlines just don't work for me.  I need a rough idea where I'm going and a clear view of my characters then I just write.

Regardless of the way one writes, this advice from "Finding Forrester" can be a guide.  When one writes the first draft without spending a lot of time editing, revising, or rethinking everything, more progress is likely to be made.  Those who get bogged down with the details and with rewriting everything over and over again, researching every twist and turn, and belaboring every detail will likely get nowhere in their writing.  There are things that need to be researched in advance, but most things can wait.  The way I understand how the writers of the "Star Trek" series did it, they'd type along and write [tech] anytime they got to a piece of story that needed technology, then they or someone else would go back in and research the technology needed.  A writer can use this method by writing along according to outline or general idea then write [MORE ABOUT THIS] or some such then go in to fill in whatever is missing later.  It's really best if an author uses the momentum built and finishes that draft before ever letting the internal editor or researcher have a chance to walk through the door.

Revision

The next step after the heart/rough draft is written is to revise.  But if one revises right away, when everything is fresh, every cut hurts.  It all feels too personal.  To write the first draft, the author has poured out his/her heart and soul onto the page.  The characters, sometimes even the minor ones, are his or her babies.  He/she has spent HOURS on short scenes that feel important or at least special somehow.

After the draft has lain fallow for as long as the writer can manage, it is time to return and see it with fresher eyes.  It is time to figure out which scenes advance character and/or plot and which ones are just fluff.  It is time to take an axe to those scenes that are precious [overwritten] but not important.  With a bit of distance, one can also achieve a bit more distance as well as impartiality.  I wrote a short story during my undergraduate years, over a decade ago, about which I felt particularly proud.  I recently reviewed it and realized so much of it was inessential.  It went from around 3000 words to about half that.  It is so much better for the cuta I once didn't think needed to happen.  Reading aloud always helps as well.  It slows down the eye and helps the writer catch errors that otherwise would be missed. It's always best as well if the author can find several pair of external eyes to look over the manuscript and give feedback.  Polishing takes as much distance, chronologically as well as emotionally, as one can muster.

In other words, throw yourself into draft one.  Let it carry you either through your outline or in crazy directions if you're a pantser.  But then let Mr. Editor/Researcher/Detail-oriented in and turn it into something a publisher could accept and a reader could enjoy.  Best of luck.