Wrandom Writing Tip #8: First Drafts

First drafts! YAY!!!!

Really, this is what you should be saying. First drafts should be the best part of writing a book (besides finishing it of course). Why do we have so many problems doing this simple task of writing until our eyeballs fall out?


First Draft Tremors of Fear
Sometimes, writers freeze. Let's face it. We all have. Dag-nabbit, I certainly do. About EVERY TIME I SIT DOWN TO WRITE. But starting the first draft is most definitely the hardest thing in the world to do.

So don't worry. We all feel that way, hun.

Something about sitting down to write the horrific story of three or more precious, innocent children you have birthed in your brain, to bring them pain and glory and love and loss, to kill their best friend and watch them suffer for their wrongdoings in the midst of Mordor and Hades all put together...something about that simple little task is scary, you know? Just me?

The first thing to know is that the entire world feels this way when starting a book. As far as my research goes. Which is a poll of one person. Which is me. I hate starting a book, because I feel like I have to get it right the first time.

You don't.

Of all things you should NOT strive for in a first draft, it is perfection and "rightness". The first draft is for literally letting your brain throw up on the page and watch what happens. It's like putting ideas down so you can whittle it down later. Scenes will come and go, and that's okay. I bet we'd be shocked at how many scenes were cut from Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings. And that's the beauty of writing...whatever doesn't work in one book will certainly work in another. >:)

So get over those first draft tremors. In fact, don't even think of this as a first draft. Think of it as preliminary writing, to get the feel of the book, explore the characters, and explore the world. Because, um, cough, basically you will have to rewrite the whole book when the first draft is finished. <:)


Planning
I've done a million things on planning, and I can't express to you how important it is. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE AT LEAST A NEWBORN BABY'S GRIP ON HOW YOUR STORY IS GONNA GO. Knowing the characters is NOT ENOUGH. You have to at least know where you story is going, a few big plot points, and how it's going to end. As the bare minimum. It's best to have a sketchy outline done on paper of the entire book, or go chapter at a time and write them as you plan them. Both work, as I've tried both.


So you're in the middle of writing a first draft?
While you're in the middle of writing your book, everything seems lame. I know. It isn't. It's not a book, remember. It's just exploration of what your book could be. Of what it will be. You are exploring your options, figuring out what works and what doesn't. Don't worry about randomness, long dialogue, chunks of description...it doesn't matter. It's your writing, you're just feeling the ground so that you can dive into the story in the next draft.


Just remember...
First drafts are CAKE. All you have to do is write! How easy is that? No extensive worry on plot, structure, or anything! You have freedom to write what you want, no matter how random and boring it is. So go crazy!