Monday, June 28, 2010

My Writing Stages a la Robert Pattinson's Hair

Confession: I've watched the Eclipse trailer way too many times. It seems everywhere I turn, Robert Pattinson is right there. Not that I'm complaining or anything, but it overwhelms me.

That is, until I see his hair.

Okay, okay... Who hasn't seen his hair, right? There are people who even keep tabs on the darned hairstyles and everything. But I saw it in a different light. Those brown locks that make tweens squeal their throats out made me remember something.

The writing stages of my manuscripts.

Here's what I mean:

First draft: Some writers outline, some don't. My first drafts are a no-man's land. I don't outline, don't plan ahead, just sit down and write. No idea gets left behind. Typos run amok. Once I finish the draft, it looks like this:





Second Draft: I read through my manuscript in order to fix plot holes. Maybe a scene should be cut because it's not right for the tone or the pacing. Maybe my main character is a sweetheart and shouldn't stab that pesky villain after all. Overall, I tackle big picture problems. My second version looks a bit like this:




Third draft: Line-editing begins. Grammar issues? Gone. Passive voice? Hasta la vista, baby. I pay careful attention to how well the sentences flow one after the other. If something feels off or forced, I cut it. The end result is similar to this:





Fourth draft: I edit according to critique partner and beta feedback. They take care of telling me if something rocks or sucks. One beta in particular enjoys asking questions. A LOT. That's cool, though--the manuscript turns out to be stronger because of it. It ends up being tighter, shorter, and less of an eye sore. My baby finally grows into a clean-cut version of what started out as an idea:




There you have it, folks. Robert Pattinson's hair reminds me of writing.

Am I nuts or what?


Now tell me: what do your drafts look like?

19 comments:

  1. oh my God, *awards 1 million genius points* This was hysterical, and actually a fantastic metaphor.
    pls allow me to incorporate other hottie.
    1st draft: http://tinyurl.com/phofwv
    second: http://tinyurl.com/nk8t2l
    final: http://tinyurl.com/olojt7

    that was WAY too much fun (and I did it at work too...)

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is made of such win. The thing is, this all makes perfect sense to me. I always find connections where you'd never think they'd exist-and sometimes still don't. Anyways, this is an awesome metaphor if I've ever seen one!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Fantastic! Loved your metaphor. Editing drafts is EXACTLY like Pattinson's changing hair. You are brilliant.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have to agree...you've seen the Eclipse trailer way too many times!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. OMG I love this!!! Beautiful analogy. Well, you know what I mean!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh wow!!!!! I love your stages of writing a la Pattinson's hair!!!! Excellent.

    I'm still at the long and drafty and windswept look I think! LOL! I kind of like the wild untamed locks though..!

    Take care
    x

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a unique way of showing your draft stages! That second picture of Rob is quite handsome.

    My drafts look exactly like yours. I start out not outlining, but then when I feel lost (and this happens soon) I begin the outlining process but I only go so far. Right now I have no idea how my second book will end, but that's fine with me. Maybe I should only outline the beginning, and let the rest go where it may. That is, if it works. xD

    Then I take out all the grammar (usually just incorrect usage of the apostraphe) and spelling errors, and everything else that drags my book down. And if I'm feeling like a perfectionist, which is often, I throw in a few more drafts.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is hilarious and awesome post, and I concur!

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is great. I will never look at writing the same. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  10. An interesting way of comparing your works to his hair, I have yet to decide what my MS looks like when going through drafts though. I will research other people's hair styles to see if they remind me of my MS. Off to Google.

    Write on!

    ReplyDelete
  11. This was a brilliant analogy, and the best Twilight-related post I've ever seen

    ReplyDelete
  12. Haha! This is great; so imaginative!!! For real, his hair was wonky (there ain't no other word to describe it) at first--the shorter look is better. The goal is the same for MSs--great analogy.

    ReplyDelete
  13. This may be one of the best things I've ever seen.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Coolest comparison I've seen yet. :) It takes a lot to not hate the writing process, but R-Pattz did that!

    ReplyDelete
  15. And I just found my new favorite blog.
    That's awesome. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  16. That was hilarious. I don't think I've ever seen something that accurate about a randomized style of writing--I can so relate to it and it makes perfect sense. Great stuff!

    ReplyDelete