First Draft Definition: Key Differences Between First and Second Drafts

Have you ever wondered which draught you are moving on? Do you wonderment what nan quality is betwixt your first draft, your 2nd draft, and editing your book? Let's break down nan first draught meaning and nan differences betwixt drafts.

When penning aggregate drafts of a book, you whitethorn beryllium halfway done your unsmooth draught and determine to commencement over. Or you whitethorn person written nan full manuscript, but past wish to scrap it and commencement fresh.

And erstwhile considering this, you question: “Am I penning a first draft? Am I editing my novel?”

What does “first draft” mean—or “second draft,” for that matter?

Knowing nan differences betwixt first drafts, 2nd drafts, and editing your book will elevate your expertise to tackle nan penning and editing process. It will thief you understand what to attraction connected erstwhile you're writing—and person nosy while you do it!

If you've been having problem finishing your ain first draught and want thief and encouragement successful nan process, see joining our 100 Day Book program and subordinate thousands of writers who yet vanished their dream books! Check retired 100 Day Book here.

What Does “First Draft” Mean?

The first draft is simply a completed manuscript that has NOT been edited; successful different words, a unsmooth first draught of your portion of writing. In astir cases, a first draught requires further activity to beryllium publication-ready.

To put it simply, nan first draught is simply a heap of words thrown together.

If you person written astir of your story, but ne'er vanished it, and you determine to commencement over, is that a first draft?

Yes.

Until that amazing, miraculous, hard-earned infinitesimal wherever you type nan words “The End,” you person not completed your manuscript. It is still successful nan first draught stage.

What if you’re starting from nan first page and rewriting a communicative that is already complete halfway finished?

It is still nan first draught because you are reworking a communicative that you person not finished. Completing your full manuscript is an basal measurement to execute earlier you statesman nan editing process.

Writing a first draught provides you arsenic nan writer pinch a chance to meld your thoughts together and to further create your ideas. It is nan preliminary shape successful nan penning process.

Without a first draft, there’s thing to edit. There’s nary measurement to skip this basal measurement successful nan penning process!

From Mess to Masterpiece

It's breathtaking to spell from a blank page to typing those hard-earned words: THE END. But what happens next? Do you conscionable statesman a caller project, aliases commencement over?

Answer: you edit.

Your first draught is complete erstwhile you are fresh to move connected to your 2nd draft, nan adjacent shape of penning your book.

You mightiness person met your word count goal, aliases written measurement much than you expected to. Or possibly you didn't deed your extremity connection count, but you did scope nan extremity of nan communicative (or, for a nonfiction book, nan extremity of nan contented you want to include).

Regardless of really your first type of your communicative turned out, your second draught is nan unskippable adjacent step.

It's arguably moreover harder than penning nan unsmooth sketch of your book, which is what you created successful your first draft.

But that doesn't mean you can't succeed.

What Does “Second Draft” Mean?

The second draft of a portion of penning is nan consequence of 1 information of editing. A writer “working connected a 2nd draft” is moving connected a first information of revision and edits, mostly focused connected structural concerns for illustration awesome plot points and nan travel of ideas.

A completed 2nd draught whitethorn beryllium a finished, publishable manuscript, but it will usually require further editing.

Editing is complex. And editing nan 2nd draught is different from penning nan first draught because you already cognize wherever you are going pinch nan communicative and really nan communicative ends.

You astir apt already person nan main three-act structure written. You’ve decided connected nan conflict and resolution. You person created your hero’s journey, your main characters, and nan difficult choices your protagonist needs to face.

You wrote your first draft.

Sure, it mightiness beryllium messy, and you mightiness alteration immoderate of those awesome elements on nan measurement erstwhile penning nan 2nd draft. But nan halfway of your communicative is already connected nan page.

As you edit your 2nd draft, you will return that communicative and make it better.

To do this, you will publication your book from commencement to decorativeness and look astatine your book arsenic a whole. You will see nan building of your book and observe loopholes that request to beryllium fixed.

It tin beryllium arsenic elemental arsenic adding missing scenes, cutting unnecessary ones, aliases rewriting scenes that are not moving nan communicative guardant nan measurement you intended.

You whitethorn moreover find you request to rewrite parts of your book entirely!

The Genius of Feedback

Part of nan editing process is nan request for different brace of eyes to publication your work. As writers we are often blinded by our ain thoughts. We thin to spot what we mean to say, but we do not ever spot what our readers will beryllium reasoning erstwhile they publication our works.

Getting feedback from different writers shines ray connected really our readers will person what we are writing.

Here astatine The Write Practice, we judge successful community-driven feedback and critiques. As you activity connected your 2nd draft, you mightiness find suggestions captious successful fostering imaginative maturation and stimulating ideas. It is besides a awesome measurement to get into nan minds of your readers.

Critique isn’t ever easy to hear. It tin beryllium achy astatine its best, profoundly wounding astatine its worst, and tin sometimes origin lasting effect to our penning and our self-confidence. Whether you telephone successful beta-readers aliases prosecute an editor, getting and utilizing feedback will make your penning stronger. 

That being said, disapproval is besides incredibly useful for productivity and acold more effective for generating ideas than brainstorming alone.

Here’s really Berkeley scientist Charlan Nemeth puts it:

“While nan instruction ‘Do not criticize’ is often cited arsenic nan important instruction successful brainstorming, this appears to beryllium a counterproductive strategy. Our findings show that statement and disapproval do not inhibit ideas but, rather, stimulate them comparative to each different condition. . . . Authentic dissent tin beryllium difficult, but it’s ever invigorating. It wakes america correct up.”

Being critiqued by chap writers prepares you for nan world of literate criticism, sparks ideas that will thief you make your book nan champion it tin be, and it helps you turn arsenic a writer.

Check retired our Book Editing Checklist to spot wherever you are successful nan editing process and really to get your communicative fresh for publishing.

Want feedback from a supportive organization of writers? Join america successful The Write Practice Pro and stock your penning for insightful critique! Join nan organization »

Should You Hire an Editor?

A batch of group wonderment if they should put successful an editor. It costs money, it feels vulnerable, and you fearfulness they whitethorn want to alteration your story. Does this sound astir right?

There are respective reasons why personification would prosecute an editor. Here are 3 important ones:

1. A master editor tin connection region and objectivity. As valuable arsenic having peer-driven feedback is to you arsenic a writer, it tin often lead to uncertainty and disorder owed to conflicting opinions.
2. A master editor will constituent retired your weaknesses arsenic good arsenic your strengths. They stay nonsubjective and connection proposal connected really to return your communicative to nan adjacent level. They thief amended and tie retired nan storyline(s).
3. A master editor will connection penetration and knowing into your genre. They’ll supply feedback astir nan obligatory scenes and conventions successful your genre to guarantee your communicative is moving forward. This is often thing that is difficult to execute connected your own.

It tin beryllium scary sending your activity to an editor. Fear of judgement and rejection often worms its measurement done you astatine first.

However, a master editor knows this and will beryllium some honorable and kind. Over time, you’ll found a narration pinch them, 1 that will often past done your full penning career.

To put it successful simplest terms, a master editor is basal successful helping you style your manuscript into a communicative that useful and is fresh for publication.

Ready to prosecute an editor? Our squad of editors will thief you tackle your 2nd draught and return your manuscript to nan adjacent level. Hire your editor »

How Many Drafts Does it Take to Write a Book?

The number of drafts from thought to publication looks different for each writer. However, nan mostly of writers will request astatine slightest 3 drafts to complete their story. Here’s really this tin look:

1. First Draft: This is besides known arsenic nan discovery draft, wherever each writers constitute pinch nan nonsubjective of getting their ideas connected nan page.
2. Second Draft: The opening of nan editing phase. Also known arsenic nan structural edit, where you activity connected nan world communicative arc, capable successful nan crippled holes, omit and/or rewrite wherever needed.
3. Third Draft: The proofreading phase. This is simply a last polish wherever you’ll correct things for illustration typos and errors successful grammar and spelling.

For astir writers, 4 aliases moreover 5 drafts activity amended for processing nan communicative and getting it fresh for publication. Proofreading should ever beryllium nan past shape of your editing process.

A five-draft process looks this:

1. First Draft: Your find draft.
2. Second Draft: The opening of nan editing phase. A structural edit to guarantee each nan basal elements are successful nan story.
3. Third Draft: This mightiness beryllium a 2nd structural edit, wherever you’ll refine nan changes you made successful nan 2nd draft.
4. Fourth Draft: This statement edit will attraction connected nan line-by-line writing, cleaning up paragraphs and sentences truthful your ideas are arsenic clear arsenic possible.
5. Fifth Draft: The last proofread, 1 past polish to hole immoderate remaining typos aliases errors.

A batch of caller writers don’t ever person nan patience to beryllium down and constitute aggregate drafts. Practice makes cleanable (well, possibly not cleanable successful this sense, but decidedly better). The much you believe your trade and create a regular wont of writing, nan much knowledgeable you will become, and nan easier it will beryllium to cognize your penning and really to building your communicative on nan way.

Experienced writers mightiness request only 3 aliases moreover 2 drafts, but that is because they’ve written truthful galore books that communicative fundamentals are baked into their first draught process, almost connected an unconscious level. You tin get to that constituent by wading done nan editing process and practicing your creation each day.

Ready to constitute aliases edit your book? The 100 Day Book programme will return you from thought to vanished draft. It’s designed for you, whether you’re moving connected your first aliases 2nd draft. Write your book »

Do you for illustration penning your first draught aliases editing your 2nd draft? Let america cognize successful the comments.

PRACTICE

Your believe for coming is to walk fifteen minutes revising a portion of your writing. It mightiness beryllium a short communicative you’ve written, an excerpt of your activity successful progress, aliases moreover a believe you’ve shared connected different Write Practice article.

Bonus points if you are revising a portion that has already been critiqued by an editor aliases different writers!

When you are finished, stock your activity successful nan Pro Practice Workshop here. And don’t hide to remark connected different writers’ revisions!