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²~Photo Credit~² |
I often wish I could read a slew of first drafts from published and unpublished authors. Intellectually, I understand first drafts are raw, messy, unrefined. I've heard other writers describe theirs. I've read countless articles and how-to books on the subject. But to see a couple first drafts would be to truly believe, that every great novel began as a raw, unrefined mess.
Guess I'll just have to keep the faith and plug away at mine, to capture my own Seeing-Is-Believing experience.
Some tips I'm using to cheer myself on during this challenging plow-through-the-fear-and-self-doubt writing stage are:
² The first draft is the time to Free Write. It's all about creating, letting loose a high energy flow of wild imagination.
² Concentrate on the characters, tell their stories. Only look forward --> What comes next? Don't look back and worry about what you've written. If something important comes to mind, add a comment in the margin for later, but move forward!
² You are a Writer now, not an Editor. Writers tell stories, so lose yourself in that task. Leave the spelling, grammar and punctuation to the Editor you're allowed to be later, when you are in the revision phase.
² Don't be afraid and have fun!
What other tips do you have for plowing through and getting that first draft finished?
