Here’s the thing about first drafts: They are fun, but they are also scary. They are messy and muddled and awkward and hard. They have no guarantee. And they can make perfectionists like me very, very uncomfortable.
But they are worth it for the times when everything works and, anyway, they have to be done in order to get to revisions. Even on the difficult days.
And those days do come.
Unfortunately, there’s no category for Personal Cheering Section in the help-wanted ads, and the cats would rather sleep on the couch than rah-rah-rah me into getting all the new words written. So when I’ve used up my last jar of inspiration, and my motivation has fled, I have to flail those pom-poms myself.
Throughout my recent two-month long frenzy of creative chaos — otherwise known as a first draft — I did just that. To be specific, I built a page of reminders to look at any time my typing lagged. As the manuscript grew, so did my list, because I learn new things every time I write a book or, more likely, I learn the same things over and over, forgetting in between.
Here, prettied up for your sake, and shared in case it provides inspiration (perhaps to those embarking on NaNoWriMo), is my memo to myself:
Tell a good story.
Write now. Revise later.
Have fun. Smile. And then send a knife hurtling toward your protagonist.
Go on. She can take it.
Forget layering in emotion, setting, symbols, and theme for now. This is an empty tortilla, baby. Only one floppy layer to be had. Fill it later.
At some point — usually three days — it will be harder to stop than it is to keep going.
Until then, write it anyway.
You have finished books before. You will do it again.
Probably even this one.
Comparing an untamed first draft to a previous book’s reworked, polished, final form is like comparing a supermodel’s eighth grade school picture with her Vogue spread. Not fair. Everyone looks awkward at the beginning. The pretty comes later.
The book will not be perfect.
The book will not be perfect.
The book will not be perfect.
But it can be fixed. That’s what revisions are for.
Just type.
Don’t look down.
How do you convince yourself to keep going on difficult writing days?
Thank you, Caryn. I so needed this post today. And thanks for stopping by my blog. Yours looks great, so I decided to follow. 🙂
Thanks so much! I loved yours, too! Since I use WordPress I can’t follow in the usual way, but there are always RSS feeds so I can keep up with your posts!
Oh, yeah, this is exactly what I need to remember! I get so caught up in the layering and the themes and everything being perfect that I stop myself. But it’s true, keep going and it just gets easier. Thanks for the awesome reminders!
Exactly! I do the same thing, which is why I finally wrote this memo to myself. Good luck!
This is an awesome post, Caryn. I love what you said about writing until day 3 and then it gets easier. I’m struggling right now, so that’s exactly what I needed to hear. It is very much like a runner getting past that wall…
I hope it helps! I hadn’t thought about it with running, but you are exactly right. It is kind of like that. I just keep telling myself when I’m getting back to the book: “Keep going. The first three days are the hardest.” It helps.
Good luck with your WIP! I hope it gets easier to focus.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today, it’s good to *meet* you. I’m waving my poms poms for you, go girl. I loved your tortilla reference too!
It was great to “meet” you, too! Thanks for visiting me in return, and for the cheers. Good luck with your writing, too! I hope you get your publishing contract soon!
Oh, such a timely post. I’m at the beginning of a brand new draft. And it’s ugly! Unlike my shiny umpteen-revised first book that I worked on for three years, I don’t know these new characters. I’m in uncharted waters. And I needed to hear these wise words from you. Thank you!
That’s exactly the issue! I think it’s so hard when you switch from an ultra-shiny, oft-revised book to a brand new one that you’re just stumbling through. It’s so, so hard not to compare, fair or not. Hard to believe that soon these will be the books we compare our next WIPs to, isn’t it?
What a fantastic post! Especially for us perfectionists who try to do it all in a first draft and continually get derailed because of it! I’m printing this out and keeping it beside me as I dive into a SFD of a story that needs to be completely rewritten–THIS time I’m taking your empty tortilla approach! ( what a great image!) Thank you for this.
Thanks Sharry! Good luck with revising your SFD. Anne Lamott would be so proud. Like you, I always feel like I need to put everything in at the beginning but, hey, that’s what makes revisions fun – adding all the cool little details.
Your memo (and this post) has totally inspired me! Thank you! Happy revising, my friend. *pom pom swish*
So glad to hear it, Robin! Any time you need personal cheering on, just email me. You know I’m up to the task! *pom pom swish* to you, too!
So, I agree with you for most people. But my brain works in a weird way. Maybe it’s a lazy person’s way. LOL. But once I get through the first draft I have a harder time going back and putting all the good stuff in. I tend to read over something and be like, that sounds good and send it off to my readers. So I do go back and revise most chapters after I’m done before moving on.
Great post!
You know, I think it might depend on the personality and the book, too. I used to agonize over my first drafts, perfecting them, but then I just got caught up in the edits and never moved on, so I finally decided that this way works for me. I’m so glad you have a process that works for you, too. I know lots of people do it your way. It’s probably a lot less scary when you get to the end and have revisions to do.
I’ve shared your post a couple of places, Caryn, because it’s excellent! And what I do when I get “bound up” while writing is repeat: “not perfect, but will be done!”
Conda, you are wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing my post with people!
It sounds like you and I have very similar mottos. The one I repeat most to myself is that the book will not be perfect in the first draft; that’s what revisions are for. (But I do have to get it done first!)
Love this! Just what I needed. And this: “Everyone looks awkward at the beginning. The pretty comes later.” Good advice for writing AND life 🙂
Thanks! The good thing is that the awkward ones often grow up to be very pretty.