Posted by EddieL on July 26, 2007 at 11:16:03:
In Reply to: Re: Fiction drafts posted by Kelly on July 13, 2007 at 14:37:57:
: This forum sure proves there are a lot of different approaches to writing fiction. I was amazed when I read the responses about multiple drafts. I write very carefully and therefore don't see any real need for more than one draft. Am I way off base?
Yes, you are. A novel is such a complicated project, it is essentially never finished; all you can do it keep working on it until you are tired of it.
John Irving once worked on a novel for five years. Then he sent it to his agent who eventually found a publisher for it. By then, Irving had rewritten it again. Then, even after it was in the hands of the publisher, he worked on it some more. Finally, just as if was about to go to print, he pulled it back. He'd decided to change the point of view entirely. He worked on it for a couple more years before it was published.