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Kwaku's avatar

I used to constantly revise whilst writing initial drafts in the computer which made the process so protracted.

Now I draft on paper and revise/edit on laptop on different days which allows both to still feel relatively free and creative.

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Evan Miller's avatar

Thats interesting. I imagine that in the typing out of that first draft something new emerges. I suppose this can easily with into a conversation about mode and method.

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Nathan Laundry's avatar

I have the same issue with drafting on the computer. It's too easy to hit backspace. Drafting with a pen and paper has really helped me feel more free to think without criticizing myself so much. I think when it's on the screen it feels more like the final product so I treat it that way. On paper, I've got arrows, margins, and all sorts of visual ways of organizing my thoughts and words that I can't on the screen.

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Thaddeus Thomas's avatar

I often enjoy revising fiction. (Non-fiction, I'm not so sure.) Of course, that depends on what aspect of revision we're talking about. It can be a full of play as drafting and be a form of drafting-- building new material to capture what you know is needed but couldn't form the first time through.

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Evan Miller's avatar

Yes, I feel the same. There are so many layers of revision, and they all take up a different headspace.

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