on writing: the first draft
Ernest Hemingway: "The first draft of anything is shit."
Dear writer,
This is a master post of all the random bits of advice about writing a first draft that I wrote down in the past years ever since I started writing (because I was obsessed with learning from the best)(and these pieces of advice have helped me personally).
The first draft is the most daunting thing a writer can face. Probably. Very likely. It is for me. I open my document and it stares at me like a teacher waiting for an elaborate answer to a question that I didn't even hear in the first place because I was mindlessly staring out of the window. Shoot. What now. My mind is blank. The pressure's got to me.
This is usually how it goes for me:
Me: It's just the first draft. It's not supposed to be perfect. It can never be perfect.
Also me: Why isn't this first draft perfect???
Writing the first draft, I almost always doubt if I can even write. Or speak for that matter. Was I just deluding myself the whole time? The panic rises from my own expectations. And I'm all for them – hardly can put them down. It's overwhelming.
But I need to shut them away for a bit, place them down somewhere else, if I want to make progress. I need to get words on the page without overthinking.
Ernest Hemingway: "The first draft of anything is shit."
The Act of Just Writing
Neil Gaiman: “You write. That’s the hard bit that nobody sees. You write on the good days and you write on the lousy days.”
Despite our impatience, we have to get used to failing and writing a potentially very bad first draft. The acceptance will set you free. PLAN on writing a very bad first draft.
Margaret Atwood: “If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word.”
Push through self-doubts. A finished draft is better than a perfect unfinished one sitting in your drawer for years.
Stephen King: “Stopping a piece of work just because it’s hard, either emotionally or imaginatively, is a bad idea.”
If you hit a tough scene, either keep going badly or switch to another. The momentum matters more than getting stuck.
You can note down findings you will use in better drafts later on. It's the foundation, which always takes the longest to build.
The Permission to Write Badly
Jodi Picoult: “You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.”
Anne Lamott: “Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.”
Your draft can be full of mistakes, it's a playground. It's a scrap of paper. It's a note no one else will see in its current state. It's just a thing you put down before you forget it.
It is an invitation to try and fail. That one scene you're dreading because it is perfect in your head but you can't put it down on paper? Write it in three or more different ways or POVs. Be a person, be a ghost, be a bird. You are the God of this story.
Closed and Open Doors
Terry Pratchett: “The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.”
Stephen King: “Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open.”
The first draft is yours. Writing the first draft is for getting to know the story and yourself as a writer. Don’t let outside opinions interfere just yet. The following drafts are for improvement and growth and solidifying what your story is truly about. Sometimes that knowledge unfolds later on; the magic happens in revision.
Zadie Smith: “Resign yourself to the lifelong sadness that comes from never being satisfied.”
Be willing to rewrite and refine in the future. Knowing that you will get to this step anyway might help you push through that first pressure.
Momentum and Consistency
Haruki Murakami: “The repetition itself becomes the important thing; it’s a form of mesmerism.”
Octavia Butler: “Forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not.”
Isabel Allende: “Show up, show up, show up, and after a while, the muse shows up, too.”
Small, consistent progress beats waiting for inspiration.
Some writers plan out the entire plot beforehand, some start without even knowing how the story ends... For me personally, the end as a fixed point is important (the mood in which it will throw the reader). You can use that point, build your story towards that. Or, and this works for fellow writers I know, you can surprise yourself if that excitement keeps you going. Point is, find the motivator that feeds you to keep coming back.
Neil Gaiman: “You have to finish things—that’s what you learn from, you learn by finishing things.”
No looking back, no editing while drafting! Keep up enthusiasm. Editing will be the excuse to stop moving forward, and you'll be stuck. Try to resist the urge. I find it helps when I don't write in chronological order.
First Draft is for Firsts
Use the first draft getting to know your characters. You're meeting them for the first time, and they can do or say anything. Anything. Play with this power. Spend time understanding their motivations, flaws and desires. If a scene feels flat and you’re stuck, ask: "What does this character want here?”
Granted, you can still change them in later drafts, but there's nothing like waking up your characters and throwing them in this world you created for the very first time.
Toni Morrison: “I don’t think a writer should write about anything that’s not of deep personal concern.”
If your story isn’t working, focus on what excites you the most. Your passion will come through in your work.
*
Bonus: After the first draft
You need space immediately. This can be days or weeks, but ideally weeks. You cannot gain fresh perspective when you’re not apart.
Go watch films, go out, read books, visit museums or galleries, go to the cinema, talk to friends about themes from the book or completely unrelated things. Separate yourself from the story and let it simmer and breathe as it stands. I call this step Writing without writing.
You'll come back smarter for it.
Look out for the post about what to do after the first draft, in later revision.
