Writing that First Draft

I rewrote my first novel – Whip of the Wild God: A Novel of Tantra in Ancient India – about seven times in 20 years…now here’s D. Wallace Peach’s marvelous post about the joys of getting that first draft done…

Originally posted on Myths of the Mirror:

NaNoWriMo looms. My outline has taken shape. The terrain of a new world sprawls before me, rife with civilization. Characters chatter, love and battle in my head. If you’re like me, that first draft is a molten caldron, uncontainable and ready to erupt. I can’t hold myself back anymore.

A first draft is a flawed, untamed, tainted, wonderful, intense piece of art. Before I started using the volcano metaphor, I likened it to vomiting, spilling my guts over the keyboard. Disgusting, but so cathartic.

A first draft has nothing to do with perfection. It’s about the story. It isn’t the time to edit, to labor over weak verbs, revisit dialog, or craft flowing descriptions. You’ve spent weeks fleshing out your outline; it’s time to put it to work and start spinning your tale.

A few sections of that first draft will feel inspired and flow from your fingertips. Other…