I Spy with My Critical Eye: Slaying Your First Draft Dragons

Writing a first draft requires a unique set of skills. All month, we’re asking authors to look back on their past first drafts… and the lessons they’ve learned from them. Today, Sarah Ockler, author of The Summer of Chasing Mermaids , shares how to slay your first draft:

There’s nothing quite like the euphoric haze of a new story idea. You know, the idea that keeps you up at night, that seeps into your dreams, that has you stopping in the middle of work or laundry or class to jot down a few notes. But once you decide to turn that idea into an actual novel, the real work begins: the first draft.

First drafts are tricksy. Writing them is a bit like encountering a sleeping dragon: one minute you’re discovering golden treasure, the next you’re getting flame-broiled by a mythical beast…

First Draft Challenges

After writing six (and a half!) novels, I’ve learned to spot some of my own common first draft dragons, as well as some tricks and techniques for keeping them at bay.

Problem: The dreaded blank page.  
Solution: Pre-planning and creative visualization.

Some days the writing flows like a dream, while others, I find myself meandering all over the page, or just staring at the wall trying to figure out what to write. While this can be a fun way to discover new ideas, it’s not very efficient!

Whether you’re a plotter or a pantser, you can keep your writing day on track by spending a few minutes at the beginning of your session doing some creative visualization: close your eyes and picture a scene or chapter, letting it play out in your imagination like a movie. After you’ve got a clear idea, open your eyes and jot down a few bullet points from your vision. 

Then, you’ve got your assignment—maybe even a mini-outline—and don’t need to break your writing flow to figure out what’s supposed to happen from one sentence or paragraph to the next.

Problem: Stifling creativity by over-planning.
Solution: Give yourself permission to wander and experiment.

While planning can help you avoid those wasted writing days, too much of a good thing can stifle creativity. If you’ve done extensive plotting and outlining, you may feel obligated to stick to the plan precisely, avoiding any deviations that might otherwise lead to brilliant discoveries.

No matter how extensively you plan, remember to leave yourself room to explore. Think of it like a road trip—you might start out with a map and an itinerary, but then a beautiful backcountry road appears before you. Take it! Who knows where it might lead? If it turns out to be a dead end, you can always go back to your map. So, stay open to new inspirations, even if they don’t yet fit in with your master plan.

Problem: Research wormholes.
Solution: Dedicated research hours separate from writing time.

We all know that the internet is a fountain of cool information. But when your writing day comes to a screeching halt just so you can look up the exact kind of tires your main character’s classic car should have, and six hours later you know everything there is to know about Henry Ford and the history of automobile production, you’ve slipped into a research wormhole.

If you reach a point in your draft where you need to look something up, make a note in the manuscript. The letters TBD (to be determined) are your friends! After you’ve finished your draft, set aside some dedicated time to go back and research all those cool little factoids, and then fill in the blanks.

Writing for you

I wrote my very first novel rough draft over a decade ago, and now I’m on book number 7. While my process has gotten more efficient, there’s one thing I do miss about the first time: writing for myself.

Back then, writing was a purely creative process for me; I simply wrote the book that I wanted to read. Since then, I’ve been blessed with many readers, and I’m so grateful to be able to make my living as a novelist. However, I’m no longer writing just for me. There are a lot of voices in my head these days: readers and fans, critical reviewers, agents and editors, librarians, other authors, friends and family. Keeping them quiet is a challenge; sometimes those voices threaten to drown out my own.

Always write for yourself first and foremost. Stay true to your creative vision. No matter how challenging that first draft feels, remember the joy or creative spark that brought you to the page, and write from there. I’m still learning how to do this! ☺

Believe in your magic

Like dragons, the act of writing a novel is nothing short of magic. You, as its creator, are pulling characters out of the ether and giving them life in a world of your own making. You’ve already been inspired, otherwise you wouldn’t be here, reading this. So now its time to honor that inspiration—let the muse know that you’ve heard her loud and clear, and show her that you intend to do something about it—by moving past fears and doubts, slaying your dragons, and getting those first words out on the page.

Trust your magic, writers. You’ve got this!

Sarah Ockler is the bestselling author of The Summer of Chasing Mermaids, #scandal, The Book of Broken Hearts, Bittersweet, Fixing Delilah, and Twenty Boy Summer. Her books have been translated into several languages and have received numerous accolades, including ALA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults, Girls’ Life Top 100 Must Reads, Indie Next List, and nominations for YALSA Teens’ Top Ten and NPR’s Top 100 Teen Books. She lives in the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

Top photo by Flickr user danna.