The Lousy First Draft

Every story has to begin somewhere. If you're a plotter like me, it starts with the pre-writing process, which includes such things as story structure and characterizations. But once that part of the process is complete, you must, must, MUST get the lousy first draft down on paper in the shortest amount of time possible.



Why?



Because the longer you drag it out, the less likely you will be to finish.



"But it's not perfect," you whine. So what? I doubt very seriously if any author has been completely pleased with their finished manuscript, much less the first draft.



"But I don't know where to go from here," you opine as you stomp from the room. Then start with a different scene in a different location in the book. Who said novels had to be written in a certain order?



"But my characters won't do what I tell them to do," you pout. Good! Misbehaving characters can be very interesting and show you a side of themselves that needs to be included in the story.



The point is: just get it down on paper in as complete a form as you can without allowing your internal editor to take over. When he/she begins to point out the mistakes, tell him/her that you'll deal with it later, jot a reminder note if you want, and then kick him/her out the door! This is your story, and you can call that demanding editor back in the room at a later time.



I don't know of a writer alive (or dead, for that matter) who loves (or even likes) their first draft. There's a reason they're called "rough" drafts. But that rough draft has value. It's a chunk of marble from which you'll fashion your masterpiece.



If you can't take my word for it, then maybe you'll accept Michael Crichton's (Jurassic Park): "Books aren't written - they're rewritten."



So turn off the left side of your brain until you get that lousy first draft written. I promise, you'll be glad you did.