Freelance Non-Fiction: How to Choose When to Edit and How Many Drafts to Write

Non-fiction is a different animal than fiction. What works in a fiction draft could seem wordy in a non-fiction article or book. What we see as a clear portrait of a person might strike someone else as a piece of fiction. Non-fiction writers do have an advantage over fiction writers: they get paid more often, but not always more. A key to the trade of a non-fiction freelance writer is choosing the number of drafts. The writer must set a schedule and adhere to it, find the mistakes editors are looking for, and make it all readable. This can all be done in the drafting process.

Schedules are important to fiction writers too. They lead to checks in the mail for both trades. But the non-fiction writer often has more than one project on hand, while the fiction writer often sticks to one story at a time. A freelancer should practice discipline as much as possible. A first draft to an article should not take more than two weeks unless it is a book or an article that needs a lot of research. At the same time, many smaller projects are done to keep the writer afloat financially. So, if the writer schedules the big article with the small article, they allow themselves some room to breath. The first draft need not be perfect; as long as the writer sticks to a schedule of revisions the process often works. Consider writer the small article for nominal pay while you craft the feature article for a magazine. Keep the drafting of both for separate times, but allow yourself to escape into each when we lose track of where the article is going.

Editors look for grammar mistakes, punctuation problems, tense and plural shifts, and, most importantly, readability. The first element a non-fiction writer should do, at least when writing for a popular market like a magazine, is find ways to keep each draft more entertaining. The first draft needs the bare bones and a hook. The second draft needs a clear them. The third draft needs perfect wording, grammar, and punctuation. Those are just examples of what can be done with initial drafts.

Prose that is readable sells. Choosing to write, say, five drafts, allows for making the article readable. The writer can develop each sentence, make sure the idea is clear for example, and then move on.

In choosing drafts, consider all these points. There is no tried-and-true way to do it. We find a schedule that works for us, are conscious of the editor's quirks, and make each draft more readable than the last. These are just examples, but considering, for example, a schedule, will directly lead to a choice on how many drafts it will take to get published.