I go through a lot of drafts. I agree with Gore Vidal who said "I have nothing to say, only to add." The novella I plan to send to a magazine this month is on its eleventh draft. But Numero Dos is my darling.
The first draft, well, that's hard work. Sometimes the words flow like a waterfall but on other days it feels like pushing a marble uphill with your nose. Just trying to get something down on paper.
But the second draft, ah...
You see, it's the first time I actually get to read my story. It exists from beginning to end. I see it with all its gifts and flaws. I usually find pieces that need to move to different parts of the story, and realize that whole paragraphs or even scenes didn't make it from my teeming brain to the computer screen. This is the part of writing I like best.
After that each draft shifts more from the building process to the polishing process. There is a danger, of course, in polishing too much, to the point where you lose the excitement that you started the story with.
To be honest, if there were more markets available for my stories I would probably do fewer drafts. Hey, I can only send so many stories per year to the three or four pro mags.
But also, being honest, on that eleventh draft I still find a few improvements to make...
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