✍️ Extreme Zero Drafting – Thoughts So Far
or, How to Walk a Dog with a Long Leash
I mentioned to those who signed up to #GraNoWriMo in November that I’d be experimenting with a concept I called Extreme Zero Drafting. Now that I have some weeks under my belt, I want to talk about it a bit more.
Zero Draft in itself is not a concept I came up with. It’s been described in various names and forms by many writers over the years, including “Shitty First Draft” by Anne Lamott. I prefer the term “Zero Draft” – as in, the draft before Draft 1 – but I’m fully aware that’s a personal choice. You can read my (relatively popular) post about Zero Draft here.
However, I added my own little twist with Extreme Zero Drafting. If Zero Drafting means heads-down writing without worrying too much about things like plot and character and story development, then Extreme Zero Drafting is all that plus not even worrying if you’re writing anything related to the story. If you get stuck and can’t think of something story-related, you can just write down your grocery list or type out something you heard on the news or describe getting coffee this morning. Whatev.*
So although Zero Draft is a concept I’ve heard of, Extreme Zero Drafting isn’t – at least in the form I’m using. I’ve heard of writing laundry lists etc. as a way to avoid so-called Writer’s Block. But this technique I’m talking about is more about tapping into creativity rather than jump-starting it.
It’s a technique I never would have come up with if it wasn’t for one simple fact: I was regularly getting bogged down in my current novel.
What Is Extreme Zero Drafting?
I’m not sure if I’ve listed all the issues I’ve had with my current WIP before, other than vague references. The story/plot has been elusive. Themes have been elusive. Voice has been elusive, and is still a work in progress. Some challenges are to be expected, of course. But I’ve been struggling with things I don’t normally struggle with. It’s made me question why I’m writing this novel, to be honest. The answer I keep coming back to is: because I want to. Besides, there is something there, buried and concreted. If I can successfully dig it out, if I can dust it off, and if I can polish it up, I might have something worthwhile. All big ifs. I’ll keep working at it until it’s no longer fun.
One of those ways I’m trying to dig, dust, and polish is by approaching the story obliquely. So, instead of coming at the story and its characters head-on, thinking about motivations and planning where the story will go, I’m just writing. It can look manically out of control, sometimes. Like a guy with a dog on a long leash. The pulls and changes in direction can seem random as I hold on, but I’m trusting that the dog knows the way.
How Extreme Zero Drafting is Going So Far
I’ll say right out that my process hasn’t been as pure as I envisioned. For example, much of the writing I’ve done this month has been putting down scenes I had in my head already. Nothing inherently wrong with that, but I envisioned exploring new territory with this new technique. That hasn’t happened so much yet.
I also had a “no research” rule guideline. My time working on the novel this month would be precious, and I didn’t want to succumb to rabbit holes. Again, research is not inherently bad. (Neither are rabbit holes for that matter.) But I really wanted to focus on just writing.
Unfortunately, with some of the scenes I was laying down, I needed background information. So, I was faced with a choice: write what I knew and go back to fix after research or do minimal research to find immediate answers and then write. I chose the latter for practical reasons. For example – an example that in no way reflects my book, for those who are searching for clues – what does Mars smell like? How could you smell Mars without taking off your helmet, in which case you’d be dead in seconds? I could write a whole scene based on the scents and smells of Mars, only to find out later that it’s a dead planet that smells like nothing.
I’ve also had problems maintaining a high level of creativity. Many nights I go down to write, only to be too numbed from the writing day or just plain too tired to be creative. This month, I’ve been writing anyway to get the words down and meet my 30,000-word target. This isn’t as futile as it sounds – in fact, I’ve come up with some new and workable ideas in my groggy (maybe semi-dreamlike?) state. But, yeah, “workable” is a key word here. Whole passages will need reworked sometime in the future!
None of this bothers me because I approached it as an experiment – there wasn’t any “winning” or “losing”. However on the other hand, there have been many positives. I’m producing words, which was the main goal – more words in a single month than I’ve done since February. I’m coming up with new ideas, as touched upon above. I’m enjoying the process. (Mostly – those groggy sessions have been a struggle, but I’m happy for them when they’re done.)
The more I write, the more I am solving those story/character/theme/whatev issues I struggle with.
Final (Interim) Analysis
I don’t have Extreme Zero Drafting figured out. I may write a follow-up post if and when I nail it down completely. For example, I haven’t really gone back to read what I’ve written yet, except for a couple short, specific instances when I was trying to pick up the thread. I’ll have to dive back into these lumps of clay and see if anything useable came out of the experiment. But so far, I’m happy with my progress using this technique.
I should mention too that I’m finding this technique needs more practice than I would have expected, which is part of the reason why I don’t have it all figured out yet. It takes a combination of concentration and letting go. I think that person-and-dog metaphor is particularly apt. You need to be able to both hold on tightly and let go absolutely. That takes a certain knack that I’m still learning.
I’ll let you know what sights and smells my dog finds…
Key Takeaway: Extreme Zero Drafting shows promise as a writing technique to let the story and characters tell you where they’re going rather than vice-versa. Although more research and observation are needed, it’s showing promising results. It takes practice to do, which is somewhat surprising. I’ve learned that it’s like walking a dog on a long leash: you need to hold on tightly while letting go absolutely to the will of the dog.
Over to You: How’s Your Writing Going?
Did you commit to a NaNoWriMo-type writing challenge? How’s it going? Have you tried Zero Drafting or something similar? Let us know in the comments!
In the meantime, I leave you with a video about regular zero draft writing. Scroll down to view below.
Until next time, keep writing with wild abandon!
~Graham
email me if you get lost.