So today we’re talking about: first drafts

Personally, I find first drafts to be both exciting and horrifying to work on. I mean, it’s the beginning of your new book. It doesn’t get any more difficult than that. But it’s also a chance for you to explore new things –characters, worlds, magic, backstories, different plot lines, etc.

Perhaps the most frustrating part about first draft is that it’s easy to get writer’s block. And talking about it out loud (or typing it) gives me hope that any case of writer’s block is actually curable.

So some things to consider when you’re writing your first draft:

  • Set achievable goals –sometimes you have to set a bunch of small goals to reach a bigger goal. And that’s ok! Whatever it takes, however you get the goals you want to reach, that’s all that’s going to matter at the end.
  • Track your word count –now this is a personal preference for me, so it might not be for everyone, but I really like tracking my word count. I like seeing my progress, seeing what weeks I did better, when I could have done more, etc. But just remember, don’t let your word count define you. It’s easy to get caught up in the number game, or thinking “oh if only I could do that much in one day!” Just remember everyone writes differently.
  • Work at your own pace –going back to not worrying what everyone else is doing. Maybe your writing friends have finished their books, maybe they’re killing it with their word count. Whatever it is, don’t let it stop you from seeing your own hard work paying off. Set your own pace and do what’s comfortable for you
  • If something isn’t working, change it up –I find when I can’t type anything on my laptop I go back to good ole paper and pen. And sometimes that’s all it takes to get me writing again.
  • Breathe, it’s a first draft –as my good friend Andrea reminded me the other day, first drafts are just the first of many drafts in this process. Who knows how many other times you’ll rewrite this book? So take a breath, don’t freak out, remember this is the first draft and it doesn’t have to be perfect. Think of it as a skeleton –the beginning of what you’re working on.

That’s just a few tips for now, but I’m hoping that can help somebody today overcome a bad case of writer’s block!

As for me, it’s back to working on my first draft of Clara and Daphne.

Until next time, happy writing!

 

 

Lindsey Richardson is a fantasy author who lives in Maryland with her husband and three cats. By the age of eighteen, Old Line Publishing expressed their interest in Lindsey’s novel, Cursed With Power. Lindsey has been both traditionally published and self published.