Writing the first draft of a novel

Writing a first draft of a novel can be equally simple. Hell, during much of the process i was a raw beginner. Id say its good to wait around two weeks before you start your first. With a completed draft under your belt, it can be tempting to dive straight into edits, revising all of those pesky plot holes and other weaknesses you created along the way. Im no stranger to book writing, having written 28 cookbooks but island apart is my first novel and writing it posed all sorts of challenges. This article has been deeply insightful and enlightening, but it shows me that i still have a very long way to go.

Armed with nothing but a pen and some paper, they produce a perfectlystructured scene in beautiful prose without even breaking a sweat. The first draft will vary depending on the skill and experience of the writer. The hardest part of writing a book is finishing the first draft. I finished my first draft of my first novel about a week ago. Whether you are writing your first novel or your fifth, writing a novel requires focus, planning, motivation and discipline. So youve finished the first draft of your new novel. Novel writing ii first draft syllabus gotham writers. Your finished book can be equated to michelangelos david, a perfect statue that emerged from a rough block of marble. First draft writing 7 tips for easier drafting now novel. Heres my process, and i believe its relevant whether you are writing fiction or nonfiction.

Theres no single approach to writing a first draft. First draft should be thought of as a canopy off writing, holding however many drafts it takes to get you to the place where you feel you have grasped the story and put it on the page. Resist the urge to read through your novel as soon as youve finished writing it. If you think the term fastdrafting is pretty selfexplanatory, youd be correct. Ernest hemingway famously stopped writing in the middle of a sentence so hed know exactly where to resume the following day. It takes time, gives you sleepless nights, makes you feel emotional, tired, and foolish, and by. But even if you havent started writing yet, its worth keeping the following things in mind to ensure youre on the right track. No matter how many times an author finishes the first draft of a novel, they know this is only the beginning of the writing process. Getting the first draft of your story on paper is the single hardest part of writing a novel and the hurdle at which most people fall. How to edit the first draft of a novel the writing cooperative. Gotham has two separate programs for novel first draftpart 1 and part 2. Create a quick outline to help organize and expand your original idea. Perhaps you are the kind of person who likes to have a stepbystep list of things to follow.

How to edit the first draft of a novel the writing. The tyranny of the first draft the talkative writer. But its also only the first step towards your finished book. When youre drafting, write whichever way works best for you.

I felt so accomplished, but i now realize how much goes into the editing process. Writing the first draft of your novel the novel factory. For my first, i had followed all the rules of writing, read all the books, and worked hard until it was finished. Writing by writers draft is an intensive program for 15 writers who are committed to completing a novel, memoir, short story, or essay collection over the course of two years. By far the most important piece of advice you can follow when writing the first draft of your novel, is to plough on through, and not hang around editing, polishing and tweaking.

I once wrote the first draft of a book chapter that smelt so bad, i had to open up the office window while reading it. These tips for writing the first draft of a novel wont remove every possible frustration from the creative process, but they will give you a headstart on what you want to write about. So youve written your first draft novel or other manuscript. From here you can work out how many words you need to write per day on average. Here are 10 dos and donts for writing your first book. Counting the 100 hours it takes to do the design documents, you come out way ahead in time. I note down new scenes that need writing, continuity issues, problems with characters and much more.

The first step is always the hardest and when it comes to writing, that step can seem insurmountable. Hed written a rough draft and wasnt sure what to do after that. If you write a thousand words a day, something most people are capable of doing in an hour or two, for 100 days, by the end youll have a 100,000 word novel, which is a pretty long novel. At the beginning of last year, i made a decision to write six first draft novels, and to have one of these drafts ready for querying. If you think that your first draft is your final draft, you should go and find another career. About midway through a first draft, i usually take a breather and fix all the broken parts of my design documents. I write all kinds of notes in the margins and scribble and cross things out. After reading it, i explained how writing a book involves five different drafts. The first draft is about getting a good grip on your plot, developing your characters and their interactions in broad strokes, and identifying any. W hen i finished the manuscript of my second novel i had one thing on my mind to make sure i didnt make the same mistakes i did with my first novel.

Once i have a first draft i print the whole thing out and do the first pass with handwritten notes. Labouring under all that fear meant i did a whole lot of writing and rewriting of the early parts of the story. The key to writing a novel is to make a little progress every day. Analyze your manuscript to find its strengths and weaknesses. When you havent written a book before, you assume its easy enough to do, until you try it. It can be tempting to redraft the first few chapters several times before you have even written a first draft of the middle or end, but this isnt going to get you any closer to completion. Fastdrafting is quite literally the process of writing the first draft of your novel or short story, novella, etc. For some people, writing a first draft is the easiest thing in the world.

The book was 6,500 words when i delivered it, but i have just finished a process of cutting and reediting that has taken it down to 1,000 words. So what do you even do after you write that first draft. If you do choose to write a novel in 30 days, keep in mind that youre writing a. For many writers, the first draft is just the bare bones and often no one will ever see that version of the manuscript.

Plough on, keep looking forward, dont hesitate by far the most important piece of advice you can follow when writing the first draft of your novel, is to plough on through, and not hang around editing, polishing and tweaking. Writing your first draft can seem a daunting prospect. And the grand scheme of things is where you need to be before you can properly consider your novels structure. To help you, i have put together a list of steps for how to write a first draft. How to write the first draft of your novel curtis brown creative. First draft to finished draft starts every workshop with an analysis and offers multiple revision options in each area. Writing first drafts is a stage of the writing process many authors find daunting. Not too long ago, a friend asked me to read his book. True, some rewrite each page or even line, until its perfect, then move on, while others hurl a whole first draft down on the page, spellingmistakes and all, and only then go back and start to hammer it into shape. You may need to come back and include some of these elements during your rewrite or edit.

Whether starting a first draft, or working through a new revision, this program is appropriate for writers who want a rigorous and supportive community throughout their process. In from first draft to finished novel, novelist karen s. Currently writing my first novel i have played with stories for years, but this is the first organized attempt at finishing one as a book. Read 7 tips for first drafts from writers and get your first draft done. Here are 6 techniques that helped me go from aspiring novelist to published novelist. You probably knew it anyway, but perhaps its time to figure out why. When youre faced with a blank screen, and knowing that you have to write 100,000orso words, it can be scary. If you outline and develop characters beforehand, that can also contribute to a cleaner first draft. What to do after writing the first draft of your novel. We have this idea that writing a book is a magical process involving only inspiration but nothing that looks. Develop a detailed story plan checklist to solidify your storys details. A first draft is written after the outline is finished and is usually done without much editing. But first you have to create that block of marble, and for authors, thats the first draft. If you want to write a standard length novel 80 000 to 100 000.

Yes, it will be rough, and it will need editing, but to get to a finished book, you need a first draft to work on. Writing a book is a mid to longterm project unless you are one of those rare authors who can. Ive edited half a dozen manuscripts in my writing endeavors, each one requiring differentiated attention. Writing a first draft is easier when we think a little ahead as we draft, to what we need each scene to do.

Writing first drafts is a stage of the writing process many. You are uniquely you, and the novel you write is one nobody else can. Your first draft can be clean and well written while another writers first draft is complete shit. Why writing your first draft is not as scary as it seems. Advice on writing your first novel from a published novelist. I have to be honest with myself with each story, find. I have found great comfort in the comments of many about a first draft can be as rough as it needs to be. Writing an initial draft of any novel is usually a slow, painful and agonising process.

Writing the first draft of a novel can be a very rewarding experience. I want to give you all the content in this video so i break down my process writing a first draft plus i have ten first draft writing hacks for you to. During the first draft, the author attempts to develop the main characters and flesh out the plot ideas of their work, uncovering their overarching themes in the process. A checklist for your novel or manuscript rewriting process in this blog post, pro novelist and writing tutor, emma darwin full bio below gives you her advice on how to revise a first draft of your writing. If, after part 1, you wish to continue working on your first draft, then take part 2. How to write the first draft of your novel almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. A first draft, also known as a rough draft, is the very first version of a piece of writinga rough sketch of what your finished work will be like. To begin planning your book, set a deadline for completing your first draft. A common question we receive regards how to write a first novel. I wrote my first novel right after finishing a course in creative writing.

Write a heading to remind yourself of what part of your draft youll work on today e. Making writing a big deal tends to make writing difficult. It can also be one of the most frustrating experiences of your life. During much of the process, i felt like a raw beginner. The point of the first draft is to further flesh out your story and provide it with more detail.

On the other hand if youre writing the first draft of an essay, decide on your priorities. Basic bullet points of the ideas you want to cover, or first draft outlines where you plan your book by writing a version of it draft zero, a pansted first draft, is one you can finish in roughly the same amount of time it takes you to plan and outline your book. If, for example, you give yourself a year to finish, your necessary word count per day will be length of your novel 365. Wiesner carefully explores each of these stages, showing you how to. The first draft of my first published novel was 1,084 pages long. Five tips for writing a first draft novel writing help.

Some need more character development, some more plot structure, some need a better arc, or more heart. An invitation and initiation into the writing life affiliate link, no expense added. A first draft is a preliminary version of a piece of writing. Im glad to tell you that writing your first draft successfully is, in many ways, just a matter of attitude and thought process. Trying to make it perfect as i went along instead of surrendering to the process knowing that it was only the first draft and merely stage 1 of the entire novelwriting adventure. Because you finally finished writing the first draft of your novel. There is no reason to spend 500 hours writing a wandering first draft of your novel when you can write a solid one in 150. It took james dyson more than 5,000 attempts to design a good prototype of a bagless vacuum. Having just completed the first draft of my second novel, i can attest to the fact that writing a first draft is still a lot better than oral surgery, but a good measure worse than folding laundry or even cleaning the bathrooms which, full disclosure, my husband does.