[WWC #2] On collaborative drafts
“Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open." - Stephen King
One of the most fun things about writing online is not the actual blogging phase - it's the thing that comes right before it.
For a long time now, every time I write a chapter of my book I tease it on twitter and invite people to comment on a draft in Google Docs.
Like this:
Typically I'll get between 5-10 people leaving comments and adding notes. I love these comments! They make my writing so much richer.
It was this comment on my last draft that led to me adding a whole section on "learning questions":
There's a few things I like about this "open feedback" process:
- It helps me see which bits resonate most.
- It typically highlights at least one or two areas where I could use more concrete examples
- It helps ensure that the people I really care about are reading the text closely
This last bit is important! Once the piece is "finished" it's too easy to bookmark it to read it later, or to skim it on your phone. But I want people to read my work! To really read it.
Turns out asking for feedback encourages a kind of close reading that otherwise it's hard to get :)
Anyway... here's the Google Doc draft of my next chapter. I'd love your feedback, comments and close reading before I publish it:
Don't Give Advice - Google Docs
This piece is the last of the writing - now it's all about editing. Crap.