I’ve frequentlybeen asked, usually by writers still trying to find their way, how many draftsI write of a book. I never have a good answer. Or when I give one, I inevitablymake myself a liar while working on the next book. 

But right now,I’m starting on Draft #4 of my current Work in Progress, which, by the way, isdue to my publisher on December 1. However, my Draft #4 is likely verydifferent from your Draft #4. 

Let me break itdown. 

The first draftis a free-for-all. I may or may not have an outline. If I do, it’s sparse andnot carved in stone, so I’m slinging words on the page to see if they work ornot. It often sucks. But even Draft #1 isn’t a rough first draft by the time Ireach the end. Each day, I re-read the previous day’s work and make tweaksbefore I start fresh. Once a month, I send pages to my critique group forfeedback. I may or may not incorporate that feedback while I’m still poweringthrough the word-slinging phase, but there are always a few comments thatdeeply resonate for me. I will definitely go back and make adjustments toaddress those issues. 

Once I reach THEEND, I save the manuscript, retitled Draft #2. I make a few more fixes overall,specifically to make sure the ending makes sense. A little adding, a littledeleting. I change some details that have been bugging me. Then I send it offto my beta readers. These are colleagues who haven’t seen even a word of itbefore. They get to review the entire story to let me know if it holdstogether. 

Draft #3 is whereI gather all my notes from my critique buddies and beta readers and begin backat Chapter One. 

I have justfinished that one. Another version has now been labeled Draft #4. I still havea notebook full of scribbles about details to add and words to cut. Some of thebigger issues from my critique and beta notes needed a more thorough addressingthan I did in Draft #3. Those are part of my scribbles. 

Since my deadlineis approaching with the speed of a runaway freight train, I’ll use Read Aloudas I start over. That way, I can also catch typos and missing words as I makemy way through the pages. Double duty!