Writing Great Fiction

Lecture 21: Should I Write in Drafts?

With each subsequent draft, you gather a little more material and go

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1. Try some of the different writing techniques mentioned in this lecture
   with one of your own scenes or chapters. For those who are more
   accustomed to using a computer, try drafting a scene in longhand to
   make yourself slow down and think as you write. You might also think
   about how you usually compose a scene or chapter, then try the opposite
   technique. In other words, if you’re the sort of writer who dashes
   through a scene without looking back, try slowing down and revising as
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   perfect before proceeding to the next one. If you’re already the sort of
   writer who revises as you go, try typing out a scene as fast and furiously
   as possible, without stopping and looking back. With either approach,
   you may hate the result—in which case, you can go back to your old
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   purposes, changing your process can lead to interesting results.

Writing Exercise

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