testing a new fast drafting method, pros/cons, & stats! | WRITING EXPERIMENT VLOG

[@FidinaQuery]

Kate is glowing and looking so pretty! Also, this vlog was super refreshingggg.. love seeing the outdoor adventures!

[@exploringallgenres]

Another great vlog. Love the idea of doing 500 word scenes. Your garden is looking good. Just a tip, water your tomato plants at the base of the plant, watering the leaves can lead to issues/rot, also, if any of the branches/leaves are touching the ground, trim those back as that can introduce diseases into the plant. Jumping between spurts of writing and cleaning is what I do too, it helps break up both tasks and makes sure I get them all done.

[@Jocrazyface]

I'm so glad this worked for you!! You hit on it exactly - the positive reinforcement and hit of dopamine of reaching those short, achievable goals is so motivating. This method is currently carrying me through my third zero/first draft of the year, which is crazy to me. I also find the more I do it, the cleaner I write and it's more of a solid first draft than a zero draft. Plus it's fun and freeing!

[@reginaduke7451]

I think I will give this method a try on my next short historical romance. It worked great for you!

[@LauraNettles]

Hello! I’m world building and kind of outlining my next middle grade horror Mama Long Eyes. Hope to start drafting in a week or two. I have a general plot so far and some characters. Need to develop what my spirit realm looks like and its rules. It’s a distraction while I query. Got another rejection last night. Sent out 7 more.

[@SM-yd8hq]

Just a tip with the tomatoes, they like to be watered from the base, you'll get more significant fruit if you avoid the leaves getting too wet and harvest your peppers when they easily come off the vine. If you have red ones, they will turn a lovely bright red and you'll know, but if they are green, they will bulge a little at the top.

[@nataliejaneshields]

I feel like this method could be a really great tool for NaNoWriMo! Do this for all of the scenes in your novel, and if you need more words to get to 50k, jump back and flesh out more scenes.

[@KateCavanaugh]

Oooh that’s a great point, definitely would work well for monthly challenges!! It really does keep the momentum up. And probably once you hit “the end,” you might have a better idea for your story or even ideas for new scenes too!

[@malintries]

every single time you do another experiment in your writing it makes me feel sooo inspired and want to try it out!!

[@KateCavanaugh]

Aww, I'm so glad, Malin!! Definitely let me know if you try this one!!!

[@MartaCanPixel]

When you explained this challenge it honestly sounded like my idea of hell 😂 But after hearing how well it went for you and how you reframed it as a different way to outline I am actually kind of curious, I might give it a try for my next project! Also when you were talking about people writing at different speeds and we are all slow at one part of the process or another, my immediate thought was I'm slow at everything 🤣🙈

[@QueenPrism]

I think this is exactly the idea that I need. I have all these scenes flashing through my head at different moments of the story. I think this would work perfectly!

[@thegeekylibrarian360]

Your peppers are two year plants, so if tou can get them through the winter they can bear fruit next year as well! Its easy to see if they are ripe for picking if its red peppers at least. Fully red = done ❤

[@KateCavanaugh]

Ahhh, thank you! That is so helpful! I’ve been doing some googling and still wasn’t 100% sure. I’ll wait until they’re red. And keep my fingers crossed through winter! :)

[@Heothbremel]

Definitely will have to try! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@Lara_Ameen]

Wow! This sounds like an amazing method! Maybe I’ll use it when I’m ready to draft a new project. I am so glad it worked for you.

[@mothnaut]

This method sounds amazing and I can't wait to try it out! Fast drafting definitely appeals to me because otherwise I get really bogged down, and my strengths lie in the editing stages anyway so it makes sense to get there as soon as possible. Loved this whole video!!

[@ava_grace_wants_to_write]

oh my god i was crocheting while watching this video and then you started crocheting and i was like twinsssss!!

[@angelcross028]

I’m doing this to fast draft my 0 draft for July camp nano ❤ thanks for this, Kate!

[@Grace-td5dd]

Oooh I might have to try this the next time I’m working on a new story. Part of me wants to do it now but I’m trying to only work on editing one of my WIP’s for now while I’m busy with exams so I’m using the time more effectively

[@herothebard]

I love the rainbow nails for pride month!

[@KateCavanaugh]

Thank youuuuu! 🌈🏳️‍🌈

[@UndyingLight117]

I remember when Jo talked about this method. I was thinking I'd try it too. Haven't yet but seeing how well it worked for you, Kate, is inspirational. Thanks @Jocrazyface ! Thanks, Kate!

[@herothebard]

I kind of love this idea, and as someone who often can’t start a project until I know everything about it, and it can be really overwhelming to try and start a project if I feel I haven’t outlined it enough. Which is particularly a problem when I don’t have to do as much world building because it is contemporary romance vs. High fantasy. Will definitely have to try this out next time I have something that I have a base idea for maybe a few scenes but don’t really know much else about the story.

[@melissahalliday6708]

I might try this method with my next project. This was really cool to watch

[@ivywang1732]

oooh my god this sounds like such a fun concept! I really want to try this for the rest of my novel, although from experience I work better if I just set aside 2 hours to flesh out one scene at a time

[@amandagrubbs3855]

Oooooh very interesting. I just started a zero draft, and this is very, very tempting. Also, I just got a handful of my first house plants yesterday, and it's become my entire personality so the gardening portion of this vlog tickled my brain in a particular way that hadn't been tickled before! Excited to see your growing progress, as always!

[@KateCavanaugh]

LOOOOOL I love that about it becoming your entire personality! That's so true. I will tell anyone about the minute progress of my peppers now bahahah. AND YES! Definitely give it a go on your zero draft!!! Or maybe even halfway through, when things might start feeling more difficult.

[@SDHegyes]

This is such a fascinating way to do fast drafting. My chapters tend to be entire scenes with one event happening in one location per chapter, and they tend to be 2-3K in length, so I'm interested in seeing how this might work for me because I wouldn't be able to complete an entire story (zero draft) using it but it might be interesting to see how it fleshes out.

[@victoriamarshall5152]

I'm trying a fast zero drafting method for my second book in my high fantasy adventure book. I think it will help with fleshing out what I don't know yet about the story. But I'm interested in trying this 500 words a scene/chapter method. Also, love the new keyboard!!!

[@helrammaplays]

Going to try this!

[@KateCavanaugh]

Yessss! Let me know how it works for you!

[@Nicki13Lover]

I've been doing something similar and it's really helped with writers block!

[@KateCavanaugh]

Oooh, I love hearing that! I can totally see how it would help. 500 doesn't seem TOO intense, you can motivate yourself to push through, and seeing the progress stack up so quickly would be encouragement in itself!

[@Sketchbookvibes]

I’ve been trying different fast drafting methods as well. ❤

[@KateCavanaugh]

Ooooh have you found any that have worked well for you or that you wanna try??

[@Lanza2401]

Hello, this video was awesome! Could you please explain how you set your scrivener for revisions? How you have two drafts of the same book at the same time on screen? I also do scrivener and I would love to do that!

[@LAL7887]

Omg this is such a cool method! I might just try it out. Question- did you write 500 words out of the scene, so like dialog and everything you would write normally, and stopped in the middle of a scene if it hit the 500 words mark? Or did you write basically a synopsis of the full scene, using 500 words?

[@ABookIsHobSession]

Heck yeah a new video! ❤

[@MissCapturedSoul]

You've convinced me to get a mechanical keyboard. ❤ I've been using a MacBook Pro with the Magic Keyboard for years, but think I should upgrade!

[@KateCavanaugh]

YES!!! The sounds are SO satisfying. I hope you enjoy all your future click-y clacking!

[@NicoleFordThomas]

Guuuuurl…I saw Butcher and Blackbird in that pile of books. 👀 I just finished Leather and Lark. What are your thoughts? (When you have them, of course!)

[@eska3472]

Hi there (long time lurker here 🙂) I loved this video. So much fun! Just for your "You tell yourself the story" I have to try that method on my next project. Quick Question: Do you know the method "Writing into the dark"? Like writing without an outline or even a real clue where the project is headed? (it's like no writer has ever heard of plotting and just start writing 😀) I try that at the moment and it's really hard for me but on the same time so much fun because I'm really the first reader of my story and I don't know what's happening next. It's also a little bit scary... Just saying. Maybe it's something for you too? Or you did something like that already?

[@JSSH-SCIFI]

Question: But how did you make it work with scenes longer than 500 words? Didn't you have to leave some details/end of scenes behind and it impacted the flow of the story? Otherwise great challenge, I want to try it too :)

[@scribblypuns2577]

well NOW I want to see 500 scene outline! 😂😂

[@KateCavanaugh]

Omg one day when I try my hand at an epic fantasy, 30 years from now bahaha.

[@lifewithtash978]

Not related at all to writing, but try and water especially tomato plants at the root instead of at the fruit/leaves because it can cause rot or cause fungus. Also, if your schedule allows water first thing in the morning, especially on extra hot days like you have there.

[@lade18]

What would you say is an outline? Just characters and the world?😭 I want to finish my outline before I start my story, but I'm lost rn

[@ringsroses]

I think my first NaNoWriMo win was helped by me doing a version of this. I'm glad that Jo articulated the method, I feel like half the reason we as writers are always reading craft tips is to have another writer articulate something we've been close to stumbling on but are flubbing on.

[@spookycatladytravels]

Have you used anything like prowritingaid to edit? I have it and am liking it.

[@KateCavanaugh]

I’ve not yet! What do you like best about it? I might have to try in the future!

[@spookycatladytravels]

@KateCavanaugh It makes finding mundane repetitive writing errors you make super easy and fast. Like I have a habit of writing I began to walk instead of just walked. Searching an entire doc for that sucks. It makes you aware your doing it too so now I try not to in the first place.

[@katherinedonovan974]

Testing a writing experiment? Everytime I do that, I feel like this is not the story I want. How do you do it?

[@thehomelessteddycomics3346]

Very interesting video. You should look for author Stacy James Meadows. Great video with interesting insights on a unique topic. ❤

[@kida4star]

Where did this come from? I didn’t understand the reference and I can’t seem to find the original source. Please share reference!

[@KateCavanaugh]

I called her Jo in the video but her username is "Jocrazyface" on Twitch & Patreon! She was trying this method and raving about how it worked for her and it really inspired me!

[@namoreads]

May I ask what software are you using for writing?

[@KateCavanaugh]

Scrivener!

[@herothebard]

It took me a while to get though this video mostly because I got distracted for like an hour and a half on my linktree double checking that I didn’t get a job update.

[@sydrichey6600]

are all of your mysteries going to be the cozy type or are they more on the thriller end?

[@KateCavanaugh]

I do have one that's more thriller for sure! I'd like to return to it soon. I'd say the rest are half cozy vs. half standard "detective" books.

[@jthomp1254]

❤❤❤

[@Allinlife.]

I try to get atleast 500 words every day in my story

[@calmyourmind5665]

What’s cool is that doesn’t seem like a lot for one day, but that’s a 100,000 word novel (first draft) in 29 weeks! You probably already knew that, but those kinds of factoids help keep me going.

[@Allinlife.]

@@calmyourmind5665 i actually did not know that, thats amazing

[@sydrichey6600]

Also you look so much better now than you were when you had to take the 2 month hiatus

[@melissalauren80]

I’m definitely not a fast drafter. I leave small gaps and notes to myself sometimes, but my first draft is usually pretty complete and close to final word count. So my historical fiction took 3 months to draft and is around 95k words. I don’t know that I could leave a scene or chapter unfinished in a draft. It’s an interesting idea though.

[@JacquelinElizabethWrites]

We need more throuple romances ❤

[@johntubbs6617]

Just as plants grow from a seed, so do stories from a seed of an idea. Wait a minute is that a metaphor?😮

[@KateCavanaugh]

Bahaha! Love that John!

[@alexscott3401]

No offense but you've been writing & on authortube for years now and haven't published or or queried one work????

[@KateCavanaugh]

I've done both those things. :)

[@alexscott3401]

@@KateCavanaugh Oooo, my mistake then, link me up!