In November, I decided to “sketch” the remaining sixteen scenes in my first draft without worrying about details like verb tense or punctuating dialogue. Then in mid-December, I began the work of finishing those scenes—and I’m almost done.  I have one (!!) scene left to finish. This is making me rethink the first-draft process.

What if, on my next writing project, I took this two-stage approach: sketch then polish? It contradicts how I’ve approached writing in the past, which is to stare at the page/screen until beautiful, complete sentences emerge. And I have tended to shun outlining in favor of letting the story take its course. But I can see the benefit of knowing the ending, if only in sketchy form, sooner rather than later.

Every writer’s process is different, so I know I’m not going to get help from books or blogs in figuring this out. Experimentation is useful, sometimes leading to a new path, other times just telling you that you were already on the best path.