Drafting Diaries: New Series
Here’s to more honesty, openness, and the kind of vulnerability that turns talented writers into a genuinely supportive community— one where we write better drafts and actually enjoy the process.
As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I want Daily Drafts & Dialogues to be so much more than just another routine Substack for writers. I want it to be a relevant daily literary companion that is geared toward open-minded and curious writers and readers, especially those who are constantly looking for opportunities to improve and practice their craft via drafts and dialogues.
I also want to help facilitate deeper connections with fellow indie authors, creative writers, critical thinkers, and prolific readers who are interested in building an engaged and supportive network of open-minded and creative people who believe in the power of language and storytelling. One draft. One dialogue. One day at a time.
But that requires a certain level of vulnerability and trust. And if I expect you all to be vulnerable with me and your writing, then it’s only fair that I’m vulnerable with you and my writing too. Writing can seem like a lonely endeavor when you don’t have a supportive network of others rooting for you, but it doesn’t have to be that way, for you or for me. Hence why I’m starting this new monthly series called Drafting Diaries.
Once a month, probably around mid-month, I’ll be sharing behind-the-scenes snippets of other larger writing projects I’m working on that are not usually published or mentioned in other Daily Drafts & Dialogues posts as part of this new Drafting Diaries series. While I want to leave it a bit open-ended, to see what naturally surfaces as I develop this series alongside my current WIPs (Works In Progress), for now I’ll say that you can expect to encounter posts that will capture a more intimate look at the struggles and triumphs I endure as I work on those WIPs.
In this new Drafting Diaries series, you’ll probably see revised or deleted passages from my WIPs, notes on the evolution of my story arcs and plotlines and characters and the WIPs’ structure, as well as other notes on what I’m researching or considering as I’m drafting. I might share notes and excerpts on the ideas and passages I’m nixing or on the fence about, as well as notes about the books and art that’s influencing my drafting process or the evolution of what I’m drafting.
Basically, in this series, you’ll get a peek at my creative process, struggles and breakthroughs, broader reflections about what I’m working on, as well as occasional snippets and notes about what’s inspiring me and my work.
Because I want this series to showcase the power of vulnerability in writing, and how vulnerability can and will help all us writers feel less alone and become our most authentic selves, it won’t be centered on curated or polished writing advice or productivity reporting. Instead, I hope it reads more like a real-time serialized creative memoir of sorts, like creative field notes, and that it functions more like an online literary workshop studio.
I’m currently in the early drafting stages of my next novel project and I can’t wait to share more about it and my journey working on it with you in the coming months. The project doesn’t currently have a title and I’m not yet sure what genre it will fit into, though it will probably end up being classified as speculative fiction… with dystopic flare(?). But even if speculative fiction isn’t your jam or what you like to write, I’m hoping this Drafting Diaries series will still help you feel a little more seen and less alone as a writer or indie author who encounters similar struggles and triumphs throughout your own drafting process.
Beyond being a space to record and reflect on my own creative journey, I sincerely hope this new Drafting Diaries series yields a space for creative honesty and experimentation, for both you and me. And I hope it helps us both stay connected to the fun and enjoyable parts of the drafting process, especially when finished or publishable drafts remain months away and we encounter unforeseen obstacles and struggles.
Each month you can expect to see reflective updates on what I’m drafting, as well as my thoughts and feelings on the overall drafting process and what’s inspiring it, notes on the progress and discoveries I’m making as I draft, and snippets of passages I’m working on or deleting.
The drafting process can be fun and challenging in equal measures, which makes building a supportive and creative network essential.
Thanks for your interest in the new Drafting Diaries series, and for joining my journey. My sincere hope is that it will make us both feel a little less alone as we work on our different projects.
To help kickstart a dialogue about this in the comments, I’m curious:
What part of the drafting process is the most challenging for you?
What would you like to see in this new series?
© This work is not available for artificial intelligence (AI) training. All Rights Reserved by K.E. Creighton; Creighton’s Compositions LLC.
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Egalitarian Book Club
Currently Reading: Westward Women by Alice Martin (Join the buddy read here.)
Recommended Reading Schedule:
Week 1 (May 1-10) — Chap. 1-7 (Part I)
Week 2 (May 11- 17) — Chap. 8-14 (Part II- III)
Week 3 (May 18- 24) — Chap. 15-21 (Part III- IV)
Week 4 (May 25- 31) — Part V, remaining chapters
June Pick:
Votes are in! We’ll be reading Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke in June.
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