ISWG: The Most Important Thing I've Learned on Pinterest

September 2, 2015

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com
I’m a Pinterest addict. There. I’ve admitted it. And I can do that because we all know I write fiction. But truly. I love Pinterest. All the pretty pictures and colors. The neat craft ideas. The cats! The puppies! The writing funnies…
So I found this bit of advice: Keep Calm - it's only a first draft. Oh, my goodness, are these words to take to heart.
So you’ve written the story and the hero’s name changed halfway through. Keep calm. It’s only the first draft. You can fix it.
So you’ve written the story and the hero started out with brown eyes and ended up with blue eyes. Keep calm. It’s only the first draft. You can fix it.
So you published the story and six months later it suddenly occurs to you how you could write it better. Keep calm. It’s only the first edition. You can fix it.  I could go on and on, drawing from the vast pool of my past mistakes, but I’ll get to the point and move on for the day.
No mistake you make is an original mistake. It's been made before so don’t beat yourself up over it. Honestly. Someone, probably many someones, have accomplished the same feat. 
When I started out a good piece of prevailing wisdom was to polish, polish, polish that manuscript before you submit it. 
Okay, that’s good advice. You should have your manuscript as spic and span as humanly possible, but don’t get sidetracked when your beta reader/crit partner points out your hero started out with blond hair and now he has black hair. Don’t get insulted. Don’t argue. Don’t throw a temper tantrum.

Keep calm and fix it. It’s only the first draft. 
KC Kendricks http://www.kckendricks.com http://www.twitter.com/kckendricks