Each month, I try to participate in the IWSG’s monthly blog hop. Some months the questions are easier to answer than others. This month’s is really a complicated one for me and it’s not a writing style that will work for many although it does for me.
June 2 question – For how long do you shelve your first draft, before reading it and re-drafting? Is this dependent on your writing experience and the number of stories/books under your belt?
The simple answer is never. I commit what many authors and editors believe is the greatest mistake in writing with every single book I write. I edit as I go. I’m a pantser. I don’t work from an outline, a synopsis, or goals and motivations chart. Each time I sit at my desk to add to my story, I go back over the material previously written and edit it for content, if something struck me later in the story, for spelling, grammar, sentence structure, or even simply to move sentences and paragraphs around if I think the story will flow better. Then, I’ll move on to the new content and flesh out the scenes. At least a dozen times in every book, I will stop where I am and go back to the beginning, rereading, and where necessary rewriting what I have written.
When I get to the end of a book, I may rewrite the ending a couple of times until I’m satisfied that all the plot threads have been tied. I’ll go back to the beginning once more and revise the draft until I can’t find a single change to make. If I’m satisfied that it’s the best it can be, I will send it to be critiqued. If my critique partner suggests a change, I’ll act on it, and then I’ll publish the book.
How long the whole process lasts depends on the complexity of the book and whatever else is going on in my life. Writing this way isn’t for everybody, but it’s what works for me. Having written 33 books to date, and expecting to publish at least three more this year, I prefer to stick with what works for me.
How about you?
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Living the Dream 
Sounds like you have a well-honed process! My friend Elaine, also author of several mystery series, uses a similar process. Conventional ‘wisdom’ doesn’t exist. Everyone has to find their rhythm.
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Thank you. I find it works for me; hopefully, the readers do too.
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That’s amazing, I admire your process so much! I wish I could do that, I have to make an outline before I write otherwise I get super confused!
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