The psychology of book drafts for professional writers

If you’re a professional writer — say, a writer writing for an editor, or a ghostwriter writing for a client — you need to understand the psychology of book drafts. You may look at your drafts one way, while your editor or client sees them another. You’ll have less angst in your life if you understand how writers and editors think.

Professional writers writing books benefit by writing them one chapter at a time. It’s painful and wasteful for editors and clients to review content that’s in fragments. If you’re writing this way, you’re probably creating these drafts:

• A fat outline that describes what you’ll be writing in the chapter.
• A first draft that’s complete, but may have holes or problems you’re aware of.
• A second draft that’s intended to be as close to final as possible.
• A final draft that’s intended to be included in the final manuscript.

Here’s how you probably see those drafts, and how your reviewer does.

Fat outline

What it is: A list of what you plan to include in the chapter — stories, statistics, research, proof points, frameworks, diagrams, advice, and so on — in roughly the order in which you expect them to appear.

How the writer sees it: This is my plan for what I’m going to research and how I plan to proceed. I’m sharing it to make sure the editor or client agrees it’s a worthwhile plan.

How the editor or client sees it: This is my chance to change the direction of the chapter before it’s written, request needed research, and make points about what ideas to emphasize and how to think about them. If I do that, then the draft, once written, will be more effective.

First draft

What it is: A draft written after the writer has completed all or nearly all of the research. It typically follows the sequence shown in the outline, although the writer may discover things while writing it that require changes. The language should be good and effective if imperfect. Where there are holes that can’t be filled yet or questions that need answering, the writer should draw attention to those.

How the writer sees it: This is how the chapter will look. This is your chance to find anything I got wrong and fix it. It’s also intended to show you where pieces are missing that you need to weigh in on.

How the editor or client sees it: This is my first chance to see the whole chapter. I can see what’s working, and what the writer got wrong. It may also stimulate some new ideas that I’d like to include in the next draft. If the writer got things wrong in a major way, this is my chance to nip that in the bud.

Second draft

What it is: A draft intended to fix all the problems identified in the first draft: a candidate for a draft to be included in the final manuscript. Facts, language, and sequence should be final. Footnotes aren’t final, but are included as web links to be filled out later.

How the writer sees it: I think this is done. I addressed all your previous comments. I will act as if it is done unless you have an objection.

How the editor or client sees it: This is probably my last chance to get this right. So I will dig in and edit it as a final version. This is also my last chance for an “aha” moment where I can completely shift the direction and emphasis of the chapter.

Final draft

What it is: The text that will be included in the final manuscript.

How the writer sees it: This is done and ready for copy edit.

How the editor or client sees it: This is my last chance to find problems. I probably can’t change the direction of this draft very much.

The psychology of drafts

Here’s the big disconnect: As a writer, you’re driving to completion and want to finalize things as soon as possible. But your editor or client has all sorts of ideas how to make things better. This can be frustrating, since you think you’re nearly done and they’re still making changes. This is eternally the case; the only question is the degree of the disconnect.

Here’s what this means for you as a writer:

• Try and make each draft as complete as you can. The more questions you leave open, the more editors or clients won’t see it as worth digging in and critiquing in earnest.
• Write things in as modular a way as you can. Clearly separate sections that are case studies, frameworks, research to back up claims, or advice. This makes it far easier to fix things once the editor or client requests changes.
• Make noises about how final things are. This communicates to the editor or client that this is the time to weigh in, rather than waiting for a later draft.
• Conduct a review session after the chapter is delivered. This is where you make sure you really understand the reviewer’s perspective, since it’s easy to misinterpret written comments. It’s also where you can communicate, “I will fix these things in the next draft, and at that point we’ll consider it done. Is there is anything here you’re holding back?”
• Understand that there will be late changes. There are always “inspirations” that happen late in the process. But if you’ve communicated the finality of drafts properly, you’ll minimize the number of disruptions that creates. Getting upset doesn’t help. Cuing your reviewer about expectations does.

And here’s what this means for editors and ghostwriting clients: Don’t hold back. Don’t “be nice” about drafts. The writer has worked hard to get you what you’re reading; put energy into reviewing it as closely and with as much attention to detail as you can. Even if your feedback is vague — for example, “This seems boring,” “This is too long,” or “The tone is somehow off” — you create a starting point for discussion.

Good writers crave feedback, not praise. They like it a lot more than late changes or lame manuscripts. Understanding the psychology of reviewing makes a quality outcome much more likely.