Writing The First Draft

  

  Sometimes when writing the first draft we feel the need to make things just so and write them exactly the way we want them to be when the book is published. Yet in reality, this is not how it works. Very rarely is a story written without the need of editing. That's why we have different drafts.

  The first draft is all about getting the ideas down. You're basically laying the ground work for your new novel. Don't worry if it doesn't make total since or sound like something people will be quoting for centuries. It can be fixed during editing to sound exactly the way you want it. As long as you've gotten the basics down, that's all that matters at this point. And if a line happens to come out the way you want it to on the first try, great. That just means less work for you during the second and third drafts. But don't be hard on yourself if things don't sound quite right in the beginning. Just keep writing. There isn't a book in the world that couldn't use a little tweaking. Every book written goes through several rounds of editing. Well, unless it's William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, yet from my understanding, that discussion is still open to debate.

  So as you go about writing your first draft, remember to focus on just writing the story and think about editing it later. Enjoy these early stages because they're probably the most imaginative part of the process.

  Wishing you a happy weekend either filled with writing or a blissful a break to recharge your batteries.

-Miranda Atchley