Lately I keep asking myself about the first draft of a novel. What does it look like? How do other people write their first drafts?
I can get stuck within a chapter for weeks. In fact, I have been stuck writing chapter four of my novel for an entire month! That's basically no progress at all...and that was even during a "Writing Challenge" contest that my writing buddy Valerie and I were participating in!
(^ Click the link to see the blog post all about it).
Needless to say we put so much pressure on ourselves to write a pretty story that we ended up not writing at all. So I travelled to youtube to see what other writers do in their first drafts. That's where I found the video above.
One of the first things the speaker says is this:
"The secret to writing, is rewriting."
For some reason, that struck me deep. That no one is meant to have a first draft finished with all characters in the right places, every dialog completed (this always gets me stuck!), and have the character's voice flow evenly throughout the chapter. NO!
That is done in the rewrites, in the later drafts. Watching this video gave me "permission" to write smaller chapters, with incomplete passages, and STILL FEEL COMFORTABLE calling that chapter "finished."
There is a flutter of freedom in my heart. And with it, a renewed excitement. As silly as it might seem, I have more hope now of "finishing" my first draft, and that means, closer to finishing my novel. Now I'm gonna take this excitement and start writing again!
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****UPDATE - 10:15pm ****
Using this video as inspiration, I totally just finished my Chapter Four. The evil stumbling block of doom that gave me writers block for 5 weeks is finally defeated! Woo-haa freaking yes!
WOOT! Congrats for tearing down that wall!
ReplyDeleteYou did it!!! :D
Now, nothing can stop you! Mwahahaha!! ^_^
And you're totally right, a first draft is precisely that: a FIRST draft! So give yourself permission to write imperfect stuff!
(I know, I still have to understand that as well hihi Listen to what I say, not what I do! :P )
Keep writing, buddy o' awesome! ^_^
Hey if it wasn't for you, I probably would have given up writing right after November. But you stuck with me and I'm blessed because of your help. Over the last six months or so, I've been exposed to different writing styles including yours. And now, I am finally getting comfortable that I can't write like you :D
DeleteI've officially realized that I'm a drafter!
And that fact makes me feel so much freedom :)
I don't think I could have learned about my writing style without your guidance and friendship. So I raise my coffee mug to you in a toast: to more first drafts and chapters!
*ting*
Let's spend next week on finishing chapter five!
ReplyDeleteHey Mieke, nice to see you here! And you are totally right - what better way to get inspired about novel writing than taking a retreat to a little cabin in the woods? Isn't that every writer's dream? I'm really looking forward to going with you!
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