Thoughts on First Draft

Writing a first draft can be challenging, especially for new writers. Here's another article from about.com http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2012/03/26/hammering-out-that-first-draft.htm?nl=1 on the topic with some good suggestions. I'm going to add one of my own. Drafting a novel is not actually the first phase. The phases of writing a novel are these:

1. Inspirations
2. Composting
3. Drafting
4. Revising
5. Editing

When writers talk about there process they may neglect to mention one or more of these phases and here's why. You can combine many of these phases together. For example Inspiration and Composting happen entirely in your head. Writers will cycle back and forth from inspiring thought to letting it sit and germinate and then get another brilliant flash. You may get an idea for a character while driving to work and then discover a plot while on the phone to a friend.

Most writers will caution you against revising or editing while you are drafting, but people do it. It's just as deadly sometimes, to dream and compost while drafting. It's usually not such a big deal to get an idea or dwell on it while drafting, but it's far better to do it before you sit down to write. For one thing you are going to change your mind about things through out the drafting process no matter what, but you'll have a much better time of it if you've already flashed on the major aspects of your novel, and then moved them around in your head. Some people get a lot of use out of an outline. A lot of us don't use a formal outline, and of those who do most won't actually stick to it all the way through, but it's an option.

So the real tough thing about drafting your manuscript is if you haven't had very much inspiration and haven't daydreamed about it, and then as you draft you also try to go back and revise the things you're going to change, as well as fixing your typos, misspellings, etc. Your doing 5 steps all at once. It's like getting a good idea for how to start a novel and then trying to write a perfect final draft the fist time. Surprise! That's going to take you forever.