The best way to learn about writing is by doing it, and while I have written my fair share of first drafts, I still learn a lot each time I sit down and begin a new story. On April 1st of this year, I sat down to write the first draft of my WIP I like to call “Project Mystic”. This is by far my most developed project and is something I am still working on today, but boy, did I learn a lot after writing its (AWFUL) first draft. Today, I am going to give a list of all the things I learned while writing its first draft that helped me become a better and more understanding writer.
- First drafts really do suck
- Only time will make your writing good
- Your ideas will change with each draft, and that’s okay
- Sometimes our thoughts don’t translate perfectly onto the page…and that is also okay
- The more you love your project, the faster you will get through that horrid first draft…don’t waste your time on a project you aren’t passionate about!
- You have to be okay with things not going according to plan otherwise you will spiral in on yourself
- Just get it done. No matter how crap it is, just keep on writing
- But remember to take lots of breaks…whole day breaks, weekend breaks, evening breaks, whatever fits your needs
- First drafts can be as long or short as you need them to be, there is no right length
- Stretch…a lot. This goes for whenever you are sitting at your computer for long periods of time, whether its when writing your first draft or not
- The writing routine/schedule you are using for your first draft might not hold out the entire drafting process, and it probably won’t be the same routine you use for your other drafts or other projects. Be flexible
- If you change something from your original outline make sure you add it into your outline right away! You don’t want to write it in and then have no idea where to go from there
- Be patient and enjoy the process of writing your first draft
So there is my rambly list of things I’ve learned from writing the first draft and I hope you enjoyed! Don’t forget to check out my last blog post and my social media accounts which are all linked below! Thanks 🙂
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