After the first draft

I'm not alone in thinking that the worst part of writing, the absolute gut-wrenching, want to die, want to go enrol in law school and forget this whole seedy business is when you have to face the first draft and figure out what the hell you were doing and more importantly, what the hell you are going to do now.

I've been in this for the last few days on New Light Shine. What I thought was a pretty solid first draft turned out to be well, a first draft. The surface of things, a rambling story with a hint of all the things that should exist under the surface but instead just hang like loose threads.

It's overwhelming. I never know where to begin. The instinct is to get my pen out and start rewriting dialogue. This never helps. Let me repeat that. This never helps. Talk about bandaids on gun shot wounds. Draft Two is all about outlines. Detailed documents where everything the play needs to function is worked out before anyone does any talking.

This is where I am with New Light Shine. It's always horrible for the first day or so but after that it starts to become more enjoyable, dare I say fun? Maybe not quite that far. Draft two is the detail stage. Tiny little things, twitches of character and plot, are marked down and bit by bit they start to grow and connect, forming something works as a whole.

Draft Two is not mad writing, seeing where things will go, not caring about what is on the page as long as there is something on the page. Draft Two inches along, tiny step by tiny step, getting bigger and more solid with each detail. It's about creating a detailed world, where your characters are comfortable telling their story and interacting with each other and going on the journey they must go on.

Making connections. That's what I'm trying to say. Draft two is all about making connections.