I think I've converged on four phases of #writing large projects like a #nonfiction book. I'm curious to compare notes with others. Mine are:
1) Exploration research -> Outline / book proposal
2) Detailed research -> Chapter outlines
3) Writing -> First draft. All the content is there. And I've made a first attempt at making it readable (but it's not there yet). Here I begin to get some feedback.
I iterate between 2 and 3, chapter by chapter, and push through a draft of the entire book.
4) Refining -> New draft. This round is about readability and storytelling.
How does this compare with your process? @PessoaBrain, @WiringtheBrain,
@markdhumphries, @tdverstynen,
@thomasinselmd, @summerfieldlab, @JamesGleick, @gershbrain, @Iris, @cyrilpedia, @alexh
(Anyone?)
@NicoleCRust For me the toughest part, where you have to be ruthless, is in step 4: cutting the things that you really liked at the outset that don't work for the finished piece.
All the early drafts of the piece below had a long section on the Long Island farmer who brings a sick hen to Peyton Rous at Rockefeller. It was my favorite bit. But in the end, it broke the flow of the story, and so I cut it.
https://www.ft.com/content/cda27366-7de5-4a90-aa17-7bf4c3981d0e
@NicoleCRust That's an interesting thought, thanks. This is a much better space for storytelling - there were some epic threads on the Other Site, but they were the exception.
In many substantial projects - inc. developing programs or writing books - the first stage hugely contrasts with the last!
Initially - like a python swallowing a pig: include every possibility - add carelessly to your commitments.
Gradually, become more conservative, and finally become horribly ruthless!
Everyone's character clashes with at least one of those!
@cyrilpedia
Excellent point. 💔 That can be heartbreaking, for sure. To soften the blow, I like to move it to a new home, "extracted_Text".
Maybe some of the sections like the one you describe can be shared in other ways? Over here on neuromatch.social, we have 10K characters that I believe should be used restrictively, but something like this would be a good exception (I'd love to hear that story about Peyton Rous!).