The Art of Drafting, Rewriting, and Sculpting Stories

Challenging authors to push beyond the first draft and uncover the true heart of their story

At Narrative First, we couldn’t agree more with the perspectives of Courtney Milan, Celeste Ng, and Lisa Lin on the value of drafting and rewriting, which we were introduced to while skimming through the social media app, Bluesky. Their insights reflect the core philosophy behind what we do here—reimagining the writing process to help authors get to the heart of their stories, without losing the opportunity for deep thought and reflection.

Novelist Courtney Milan perfectly captures this idea when she says, “the act of drafting tells you about the shape of the story.” That’s a concept we hold dear at Narrative First and within Subtxt. The traditional approach to writing—the one where you get something down just to “fix” it later—isn’t about slapping words onto a page. It’s about thinking through the fundamental elements of your story: character, plot, theme. You can rewrite first, but you need that structure, that deeper understanding of what’s really going on inside your characters’ minds. This is what Subtxt excels at—it’s not about giving you an easy way out with AI-generated text; it’s about pushing you to think more deeply about the choices you make. And as Courtney says, “argh, why would he do that?” is often where the best story moments live!

And then there’s Celeste Ng’s brilliant reminder: “Writing is thinking.” A first draft—no matter how rough—represents the thinking you’ve done about your story. When you try to bypass that process, especially by handing it off to an AI without real story intelligence, you haven’t done the work. As novelist Ng points out, when you rely on a “non-thinking robot,” you actually set yourself back. At Subtxt, we joke that using our system isn’t easier—it’s harder! Not because you’re wrestling with poorly generated content, but because the AI actually challenges you to dig deeper, to clarify your story’s intention, to make sure every character feels as real and layered as you need them to be.

That’s why our approach to AI is different. We see it as a tool to help you develop your story from the inside out, not a shortcut. Subtxt works with you to think through character motivations, narrative arcs, and the overall thematic cohesion of your story. It’s not just about producing content—it’s about making sure the content you develop is meaningful, considered, and true to your vision.

Novelist Lisa Lin adds another layer to this when she talks about writing as “sculpting”—a beautiful metaphor for the process of rewriting. That initial draft is your raw material, and through thoughtful revision, you’re able to refine, hone, and polish. Subtxt is designed to help you with exactly that—getting to the heart of your story and helping you carve out what doesn’t belong, while ensuring everything you add builds toward that final, gleaming product.

In the end, using Subtxt is about putting your creative process first. We don’t believe in shortcuts or thoughtless output. Instead, we believe in challenging writers to explore the minds of their characters and the depths of their story before the first draft is even written. And that’s where the real magic of writing lies.

So, if you’re looking for a tool that doesn’t just help you write but makes you a better storyteller, Subtxt is here for that journey. Let’s think, rewrite, and create something incredible together.

Happy writing! ✨