There's a draft

Author T. C. Boyle just appeared on local radio, and I was moved, for the first time in my adult life, to actually call in with a question. Early in the show he mentioned that he begins novels with an idea and writes to see how the story will come out; he doesn't plan much or outline. I called and asked what implications this has for later drafts. Does it mean he has a lot of work to do to rein in the first draft (as I do with my own first draft)?

"This is going to drive a lot of people crazy," he answered, "but I don't do any subsequent drafts. I do substantial rewriting as I go along in the first draft, and when I get to the end of the book, it's essentially done. Of course there's editing and so on, but what's in my computer is basically it." Yes, that did drive me crazy. Boyle's new book is Drop City.