How I wrote my first draft in under three months
The End. The most magical two words any author can write.
It’s an incredible thing really, taking the kernel of an idea and turning it into a fully-fledged story. Once I got the idea for the story, I was itching to write and was keen (like most authors) to see if I had what it took to get published and get my work into the hands of readers. So, I started writing my first draft with a goal of getting 80 thousand words down in three months. I ended up writing The End at just 74 thousand words but managed to do it in only eleven weeks. Here’s how:
Plan:
I’m not a pantser. I tried. It doesn’t work for me. I like nothing better than a well thought-out, cohesive plan. A chapter-by-chapter breakdown gave me direction and avoided too many instances of writer’s block. I spent one month plotting my debut novel before I even wrote a single scene. Then, when writing time rolled around, I felt as if I already knew where I was going.
Daily Word Count:
For me, knowing I had to meet my word count each day made me write whether it was 5am or 10pm, whether I felt like it or not. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but I was dealing with small children during the day who, let’s face it, let you get nothing done. I chose a realistic daily target and I stuck to it. No excuses.
Set a Deadline:
There’s nothing like having a looming date circled on the calendar to make me keep my date with my laptop each day. Having a strict timeframe in which I wanted to have my first draft finished kept me accountable. For me it was Christmas. I knew we were going to be heading off to see family and the last thing I wanted to be doing was pulling out my laptop and banging on the keyboard when I could be stuffing myself with fruit mince pies or lounging on the beach with my loved ones.
Only move forwards:
Despite planning, I still identified plot holes and new story threads as I wrote out the first draft. I avoided the temptation to go back to previous chapters and edit. Instead, I just made notes so that I’d remember to add those bits in during the second draft. That way I felt comfortable enough that I wasn’t going to forget them but wasn’t wasting time trying to change things as I went.
Accept that it won’t be perfect:
My first draft was rough. And from what I’ve heard, that’s okay. I let go of all expectations that it should be polished after just one take. I accepted that I couldn’t possibly take an idea from my head and pop it on my laptop flawlessly. But a rough, bare-bones story is all I needed to get me to the next stage.
Photo credit: Jess Bailey via Unsplash