Hey there, welcome back to my creative zone. I am Anasua Ghosh, the author of three published novels, a blogger, writing coach, mentor, and an avid reader. I have been writing for a long time to understand some of the writers’ worries and concerns. Writing the first draft of a novel is one of the worries which writers frequently go through. The worry increases if you are writing the first draft of a novel for the first time in your life.
In this post, I am
going to explain to you how to write the first draft of a novel. So, stay with
me and tolerate me for a time being.
Writing The First Draft Of A Novel
You will find
ample novel first draft tips to get started with. However,
some of the tips might be a little overwhelming for first-time writers. If you
have never written a book before, you may not understand the preciousness of
interviewing a character (three published novels later, I still don’t
understand). If you are writing a book for the first time, you may not
understand what does it mean when the writers say – you write a first draft
word by word. So, the aesthetic aside, we are going to bite the bullet of
writing the first draft of a novel together.
Before getting started
with the tips, let me explain a few things quickly.
- The first draft is actually a rough draft
- The first draft does suck (maybe not the
entire first draft but some of it will suck)
- You write the first draft to understand
the story
So, that being said,
let’s tackle the novel first draft tips one by one.
Write It
Well, yes, you need to
write it. The best thing about the first draft of a novel is
that you don’t have to think too much. I usually tell in my writing workshops
to go ahead and just write it. The first draft is the fun ride time. You get
the luxury of writing whatever is in your mind. Some writers call it the idea
dump session for this reason.
Remember that your
first draft, no matter who says what, is not the final book. It should not see
the light of the day without at least two rounds of rewriting or editing. This
one is for your eyes only. Therefore, you have the liberty to write your heart
out. Don’t stop. Don’t hesitate. Don’t even question. Just write it down.
Don’t Edit
At least don’t edit
while you are writing the first draft. It is one of the basic novel
first draft tips which I can give you. I had the habit of editing
while I wrote the first drafts of my books. It got me nowhere. I stared at the
pile of unfinished books which demanded that I finish writing them. But I could
not because writing and editing simultaneously delayed the process and
eventually I used to lose my passion. Added to this, was my habit of pantsing.
Everything together used to push me toward dead ends. Therefore, don’t edit
while you are writing. Just get the words down on paper and then once you are
done, you can always edit.
Keep All Your Data Within Reach
I tell everyone to
keep a small notebook within reach while they are writing their first draft. I
always do this because I am not very good at remembering the sidekicks’ names. Even
if your MC’s mother appears only twice in the story, you still need to get her
name right. It will be embarrassing to call her Nina in the second chapter and
then Flora in the last one. So, keep a name log and keep the log within reach.
And please go the old-fashioned way here and use a paper notebook and pen. You
can carry this with you and think on paper whenever you feel like it. There is
something way too romantic about writing a novel manually, at least a part of
it.
Set Time For Writing
Most of the first
drafts don’t see The End because of procrastination. The first draft of
a novel can be difficult to write because you are starting from a scratch.
It is tough to take a blank sheet of paper and build a world on it. At times
the fire fades. So, you may not feel like writing every day. Yet, you have to.
You have to push yourself forward and keep going no matter what. If you want to
finish your first draft, you need to set time for writing. Be protective of
this particular time. You don’t have to set an unrealistic time target that you
cannot meet. Set aside 15 mins every day. You will be amazed at how much
progress you can make during that time.
Start Small
The same goes for your
word count target. Don’t have 3000 words per day target. We all know that it
will be difficult to meet this. Rather have a small 300 words target. If you
are not getting paid for your book right now, you don’t have to finish it
within 3 months, right? So, give yourself time and allow the book to flourish slowly.
Lastly, I will suggest
not to discuss your plot with anyone before you are done with your book. Even
if you are too excited about it, keep the lid tight for a while. You have no
idea how encouraging some individuals can be. Even a single negative word can
kill the passion you are feeling for your book. Trust me, I know this from
experience. So, write the first draft of your novel in secrecy.
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