Books Quote by Lauren Groff
“It's more like I write multiple first drafts, handwritten. So with my first novel, I wrote whole drafts from different points of view. There are different versions of that novel in a drawer on loose-leaf sheets. I won't even look at the first draft while I'm writing the second, and I won't look at the second before writing the third.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Literary Magazine, 2022
She describes a layered drafting process, treating each version as a separate manuscript, allowing fresh perspectives and preventing earlier drafts from biasing later work.
In simple terms: She writes multiple drafts, each from a new angle, without revisiting previous ones.
Write each draft anew to keep ideas fresh.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- novel writing
- workshop
- creative retreats
- editing sessions
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How does abandoning previous drafts shape your final story?
- Can this method improve narrative depth?
Time‑intensive and may lead to redundancy without synthesis.