S37E2 - If You're Good Enough, You Don't Need a Second Draft

There are few pieces of advise worse than this one. There is a misconception that to be a truly good author, you don't need a second draft, that your first draft will be perfect and ready for publishing. Unfortunately, many new authors will then use these first drafts to either query agents and publishers, or they will immediately self-publish their book. This has led to a misconception about self-published books being unedited and poorly written.

We don't say seasoned authors is because the more experience and knowledge you have in the writing world, the more you understand that second, or even third and fourth, drafts are essential. This advice comes from somewhere, though. There's a reason it keeps being perpetuated among new authors. There is a limit to how many drafts you should do. Making too many edits and changes can make a worse story in the end. But you always need to take at least a second look if you want to publish.

In this episode, hosts Leigh and Ley discuss why you should always do a second draft, and how you can approach this piece of bad advice in the future.

First aired November 7, 2022.