10 THINGS THAT HELPED ME WRITE THE FIRST DRAFT OF MY NOVEL
I’M WRITING A BOOK AND IT’S ALMOST DONE!
Hahahahaha. No. Not even close. But, the first draft is done. Which, as someone who struggled to write this draft for years, is an enormous accomplishment. A lot of things helped me along the way, some slightly more unhinged than others, but if they helped me, they will probably help you too.
Acceptance that the first draft is not going to be as good as you hoped. In fact, it will most likely be a hot nightmare. But that’s okay. The best piece of writing advice I’ve ever heard, is that the purpose of the first draft is to tell yourself the story. Which brings me to number two:
Don’t take it too seriously. It’s your first draft, do whatever it takes to get the story on the page. Write yourself silly notes or place-holders. Use a different font half-way through. Which brings me to number three:
Keep it simple. My first draft looks like a verrrryyy long outline. I skipped setting details, used a ton of place-holders. I didn’t use any dialog or action tags, I left out flowery-prose (or any prose for that matter), because I just wanted to get the story out of my head. Figuring out these things and adding detail is what the second draft is for. And that, ahem, brings me to number four:
Have your character arcs planned out. This is so important. Yes, you can rework your character’s journeys in later drafts, but if you know how they are going to grow throughout your story from the get go, that is a huge weight off your shoulders down the road. I consider my first draft to be a “skeleton draft,” meaning it is literally just the bones of my story. But because I am just working with the bones, I want to make sure they are strong enough to support the rest of the body (my second draft I am affectionately calling the “muscle draft”).
Print out each chapter after you’ve written it. I am a chronic edit-while-you-draft writer, and let me tell you, this wastes soooo much time. I’ve found that if I print each chapter after I’ve written it and stick it in a binder, it forces me to move on.
Have a dedicated writing space. I didn’t realize how crucial this was until I started writing. There are only two spaces in my apartment that inspire me to work on my draft; one being my studio/desk, and the other being a comfy chair by my bookcase in my bedroom. But once you find a space that works for you, make that your writing sanctuary.
Decide what time of day you prefer to write. This is very similar to number six, but when you find a time of day that works for you and your schedule to write, stick to it! It’s so easy to have other things in your life take precedent over writing, but if you really want to write a book you have to make time. For me, it’s usually in the late afternoon (2pm - 5pm) and the evening (8pm - 11pm).
Write on multiple devices. I’m currently using Pages to write my novel, but when inspiration strikes me while at work, using the Pages mobile app is not ideal. So I instead open my Notes app (which looks absolutely insane) and I write in there.
Have a solid playlist. I know some folks prefer to write with silence, but I need a playlist going while I write to imagine each scene and every detail.
Pinterest board for inspiration. Burnout is real and sometimes you get uninspired and sick of your novel. The one thing that always reinvigorates me is a perfectly curated Pinterest board. I add to mine throughout the stages of writing and I think when this behemoth of a novel is done, it will be fun to look back on the board and have a visual representation of the story. Plus, Pinterest is a great place to find inspiration for character and cover art (just don’t steal anyone’s work).
