Creative Conundrums #9: First Draft Exposure Vs First Draft Secrecy
A Writer's Corner series dedicated to challenges and worries throughout the creative process, doubts, queries and everything in between.
2024 Thoughts (I refuse to call them goals or plans) and Past Instalments of Creative Conundrums
The first (working) week of 2024 has come to an end; in time’s weird way of doing things, it flew by, and it dragged. Regardless of how these initial six days felt for you – a sprint, or a slog – I hope the year has started well for you, your family, and friends.
The planner in me is tutting, I can hear her. She is also shaking her head, eyes closed, a deep sigh in tow. This is the paragraph where I should address if anything is changing on this Newsletter, but the truth is I have not figured that out yet. Posting on the weekend should be feasible. Mid-week posts have always been ‘touch and go’, due to other commitments, and I do not envisage this changing in 2024. This is especially true, as these are the most ‘difficult’ posts for me; perhaps, I ought to think of pushing that to Saturday and publishing Creative Conundrums mid-week. In terms of content, I will keep the Creative Conundrums up until I run out of topics to discuss. I would like to be consistent with my A Dose of the Dreaded 'Dear Diary’ Series, as I find it quite therapeutic (selfish, I know!).
Turning to you: what are your thoughts on 2024 in respect of your writing journey? Is there anything you would like to amend, or explore? What are you excited about?
Before we move to the theme at hand, as usual, below you will find links to previous instalments of Creative Conundrums, if they are of interest. Apart from #1 and #2, which are inter-related, the Creative Conundrums can be read in isolation and in any order.
Creative Conundrums #2: Individual Publications or Publication Sections?
Creative Conundrums #4: What Are the Substack ... Things Called?
Creative Conundrums #8: Creative Writing Courses Vs M(F)As in Creative Writing
Happy reading!
What is Creative Conundrums?
“What is Creative Conundrums”, you ask yourself. It is a series – if someone has a finer term for it, I would steal it in a heartbeat – dedicated to questions of creative nature, worrisome thoughts, plaguing insecurities, and day-to-day challenges that I wrestle with.
Over the years, I have realised that much of what we often consider to be unique to our personalities, for example the tendency to be indecisive, or circumstances, say, our education background or job, resonates with others louder than we have ever imagined.
Creative Conundrums will, therefore, serve two purposes:
Aid me in un-baffling myself through endless rambling and mind backflips, and
Provide solace to you in the realisation that you are not alone in your troubles (Fingers crossed, sound practical advice will be a welcome by-product).
Now, let us discover Creative Conundrum #9.
Creative Conundrums #9: First Draft Exposure Vs First Draft Secrecy? Context
I do not believe it was on Substack but I stumbled upon an article / opinion piece about drafts, and how secretive and precious writers are about first drafts in particular. It argued that the majority of authors, including well-known and bestselling names, would not contemplate making their first attempt at a Chapter public, for example.
While everyone has a different idea of what constitutes a first draft – a few scribbles or an almost perfected text as a result of careful planning – I have considered the validity of the statement (briefly as it may have been). I largely agree. Of course, exceptions exist and many a writer are generous with past iterations of their material but humans are programmed to fear failure or criticism; we are our biggest critics, but we dread someone else disliking something we have created. We also often seek validation from others (to ensure we are accepted, an honourable member of a group of individuals, a part of the tribe; our survival instincts are rather strong!). In that sense, keeping that first draft under lock and key is sensible. I can also only assume that, contrary to popular belief, famous authors will be even more sceptical about this ‘be open with your first draft’ business, as their reputation may be seen as ‘on the line’.
At the other end of the spectrum, you have me. Despite my status as a novice writer (I do not refer to myself as one, really), my edits on Writer’s Corner are minimal. I would write, usually in the morning, go to work or be involved in weekend activities. Roughly an hour before publication, I would do a cold read, amending the text where I feel it may benefit from it. Then, I press ‘Send’.
Creative Conundrums #9: First Draft Exposure Vs First Draft Secrecy? The Actual Conundrum
The question at the centre of this discussion for me is whether I should be that liberal with sharing what I write: I am a beginner and am stabbing in the dark, particularly with regards to fiction (you may have gleaned that from a. my fiction writing attempts and b. the previous instalment of Creative Conundrums in which I talked about my desire to complete a Cource or an M(F)A in Creative Writing).
Am I setting myself up for failure by treating Substack as a training ground? The platform has been great for giving me a sense of accountability. A small audience is an audience nonetheless. You may not have realised it but all of you have pushed me to write (forget how inconsistently I did that from April 2023 onwards) whereas, by myself, I may have not. Substack has handed me an outlet on which to take my first creative steps. But perhaps those tentative, unsteady steps should be taken in private, in the company of me, myself and I.
Should I be reconsidering how I view Substack? Do not get me wrong: I treat it seriously but, at the same time, I am as honest about my vulnerabilities and learning curve as possible. Part of this transparency is rooted in my resolve not to over polish by spending days or weeks on a post, and re-writing it until it reads perfectly in my head.
If I went down that route, it would be a fortnight or longer before anything was up …
Creative Conundrums #9: First Draft Exposure Vs First Draft Secrecy? Your Thoughts
I recognise this may be a slightly controversial topic, in which you may or may not wish to contribute to but, if you are willing, you may want to start with the questions below:
Are you a writer who shares their first drafts? Why or why not? Who do you send them to?
Would you be willing to publish a first draft on Substack for your subscribers to have sight of? Why or why not?
What are some of your arguments for or against it?
On average, how many drafts do you produce before giving your audience access to your final piece of work (whatever that may be)?
Thank you in advance for dedicating a portion of your day to reading and commenting! Your support is always very much appreciated.