There is a time in the writing process when writers need to take a step back from the words for a moment and focus on telling the story. We call these drafts "discovery drafts".
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| These writers are focused on their stories. They're working on their writing fluency by writing fast and long. |
This is the time when we recreate the experience or memory in our minds and step inside. As we relive this moment, we write all the sounds and words we hear, the small actions of all the characters, the emotions we felt, and the sights, smells, and feel of the setting of our story. We focus on getting the story on the page by writing fast and long. Just as good readers let the story or book carry them away, a good writer can get lost in their own story. The sights and sounds of the real world around you begin to fall away as you capture the images in your mind like insects in a spider web -- trap them on your page for your reader to savor.
Writers, what are some important things you've learned about writing a discovery draft? What are some things that good writers do to help them as they draft? What did you learn about the way a writer actually writes the words on their page? Where are we writing our drafts? Help us talk again here about what good writers do when they draft.
