Starting With An Overview

My first drafts aren't exactly drafts. I consider a draft to be a fully-fleshed-out piece of writing. What I usually make is an overview. Overviews break the "show, don't tell" rule, so there will be many parts that are glossed over or just not completely written out. I find this to be a great tool for writing.

Overviews work perfectly with my writing style. My first draft is developmental and exploratory; I'm writing it to figure out what happens next. Taking time to perfect everything as I go along would be a waste because I never know when I make a massive change that would render everything I made useless. An overview avoids that problem. After I've written a story and I know everything that happens, I want to write a completely new version; this means throwing out the first draft. Since my first draft is only an overview, it is designed to be throwaway, so I don't feel obligated to salvage the good parts from it.

Admittedly, my overviews are half overview and half draft. I may set the scene by saying, "The main character and her friend are driving to the park", but I will then write out the full conversation they have during the trip. This changing of scope doesn't follow any rhyme or reason. If I get a clear image of a scene I like, I will develop it. If I can only see the broad workings as I write, then I describe them broadly. This is also nice if I get stuck, because it allows me to get the gist across and keep going (which allows me to fill in those blanks later, when I know how I should fill them).

If your writing style is similar, where you need to develop your story before working to make a pretty version, then starting with an overview may be a good tool for you. If you are more comfortable making an outline and building from that, or if you just write by the seat of your pants, then stay the course as long as it keeps working.