TL;DR
7/10. Practical techniques for writing a high-quality first draft fast, serving the all-important goal of finishing that defeats so many novelists. Concrete and motivating for writers who stall or overthink, held from higher by a speed approach that suits some temperaments more than others and by being a drafting guide rather than a full craft education.
Novel Shortcuts by Laura Whitcomb promises something many writers desperately want: proven techniques for writing a high-quality first draft fast, a draft that is both quick to produce and rich enough to be worth keeping. Whitcomb, herself a novelist, offers practical methods for moving efficiently from idea to a complete, engrossing draft without sacrificing quality to speed. For a writer who bogs down, overthinks, or never finishes, its focus on efficient drafting addresses a real and common problem, and it largely delivers on its practical premise.
The appeal is obvious: the gap between starting a novel and finishing a good draft of one is where countless books die, and a guide aimed at crossing it quickly without producing garbage is solving a genuine pain point.
Speed without sacrificing quality
The book’s central value is its insistence that fast and good are not opposites, that with the right techniques a writer can draft efficiently and still produce rich, engrossing work. Whitcomb offers concrete methods, shortcuts in the genuine sense, for handling the elements of a novel efficiently: ways to develop character, scene, and structure that get a writer to a strong draft faster than laborious trial and error. For a writer paralyzed by the sheer scale of a novel or stuck in endless slow revision of early chapters, this practical, momentum-focused approach can be exactly the push needed to actually produce a complete draft, which is the prerequisite for everything that follows.
Keep reading
Writing a fast first draft you can actually use — Whitcomb’s efficient-drafting methods, in the craft of getting a draft down.
Finishing as the real goal
Beneath the speed framing, the book serves the deeper goal that defeats so many aspiring novelists: finishing. A great many writers can start a novel and few complete one, lost in perfectionism, overthinking, or the daunting middle, and techniques that keep a draft moving toward completion address the single biggest obstacle between a writer and a finished book. Whitcomb’s practical, get-it-done orientation is valuable precisely because a complete rough draft, however imperfect, is infinitely more useful than a perfect first chapter and nothing after it. The book’s real service is helping a writer cross the finish line.
Keep reading
How to actually finish the book you started — Whitcomb’s momentum-focused approach, in the wider challenge of completion.
The honest caveats
The caveats are about fit and scope. The fast-drafting approach suits some temperaments far better than others; a writer who genuinely discovers their story through slow, careful work may find the speed emphasis counterproductive rather than freeing, and shortcuts in the wrong hands can become an excuse for shallowness. The book is also focused specifically on efficient drafting, so it is strong on momentum and method but not a comprehensive craft education, a writer still needs deeper instruction on the elements themselves and serious attention to the revision that any fast draft will require. Fast-and-good gets you a usable draft, not a finished book; the rewriting still has to happen.
Verdict
It is a practical, genuinely useful craft book for a real and widespread problem, getting a complete, quality first draft written without bogging down, with concrete techniques that serve the all-important goal of finishing. It earns a solid place, held from higher by a speed-focused approach that suits some writers better than others and by being a drafting guide rather than a complete craft education or a substitute for revision. For a writer who stalls, overthinks, or never finishes, especially one who needs momentum more than more theory, it is a valuable, motivating tool; for a natural slow-and-careful writer, it may not fit. A solid, practical aid to actually getting the draft done.
Explore the hub
The Writing Hub — drafting, finishing, and the rest of the craft, gathered in one place.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Novel Shortcuts about?
Laura Whitcomb’s craft book offering practical, proven techniques for writing a high-quality first draft fast, getting efficiently from idea to a complete, engrossing draft without sacrificing quality to speed.
What is its central idea?
That fast and good are not opposites. With the right techniques, a writer can draft efficiently and still produce rich work, using genuine shortcuts for handling character, scene, and structure that reach a strong draft faster than laborious trial and error.
What deeper problem does it address?
Finishing. Many writers start novels and few complete them, lost in perfectionism or the daunting middle. The book’s momentum-focused techniques tackle the single biggest obstacle between a writer and a finished book, getting a complete draft done.
What are its limits?
The fast-drafting approach suits some temperaments better than others, and shortcuts can become an excuse for shallowness in the wrong hands. It is a drafting guide, strong on momentum, but not a complete craft education or a substitute for the revision a fast draft requires.
Who should read it?
Writers who stall, overthink, or never finish, especially those who need momentum more than more theory. A natural slow-and-careful writer who discovers their story through deliberate work may find the speed emphasis less suitable.
Does a fast draft still need revision?
Yes, very much so. The book gets a writer to a complete, usable first draft, but fast-and-good produces a draft, not a finished book. The rewriting still has to happen, so the speed is in reaching a draft worth revising, not in skipping revision.
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