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The Magic of the Second Draft
How shifting my mindset turned revisions into my favorite part of writing.
If I ever feel daunted by writing the first draft again, completely frustrated at the mess I’m creating and will have to clean up, may I look at this moment in time and recognize the magic in the second draft and beyond.
I’m currently editing my next romance book, The Jilted Lovers Club, and I’m noticing all the clumsy things I wrote when I penned the first draft, alongside little miraculous passages that may make it past my red pen.
Editing this book has been a joy. I know the story better now. I know the characters, I know where they’re headed, and I have a better idea of what’s driving them than I did when I first started writing. And now when I edit, it’s with this knowledge in mind. I am now able to make each one of their moves have meaning where before it was just to fill the space.
I used to hate editing. I also used to feel completely stunted in the first draft phase when it started to crumble around the messy middle.
But now? I love editing. I do a ton of writing in the second draft phase. I have fully embraced that the first draft is me telling myself the story, and the second draft is me making it make sense.
