Multiple Drafts

I have been writing and rewriting a challenging bridge section of a piece. (It’s always the bridge, isn’t it?)

For these challenging sections, it’s all about multiple drafts for me. I write, I print, I markup with a colored Flair Pen. I revise, I edit, I start again.

It’s hard when I’m working quickly to remain objective, but it’s important to force myself to distance myself emotionally from what I’ve created. The best way to get a good final version is to be merciless with the early versions.

If I’m lucky, I’ve gotten some or most of the piece into good shape, so I can focus on the remaining sections, bringing them in line with the rest of the piece.

Slowly, slowly, over multiple drafts, the challenging section comes into focus.