Hello Fellow Readers and Writers–
So you want to write your first draft. The story is in your head, and perhaps you’ve even jotted down an outline of sorts. But then something happens. All of a sudden you don’t “feel” like writing. What happened? You still like the story, you still want to write it, but something is standing in your way. It could be fear, some say laziness (but I don’t buy that). Who knows. You just want to know how to get started, or get the first draft completed. Here are some suggestions that I hope will help.
1-Set a goal. I don’t find “time” goals helpful, because sometimes I get my work done lickity split, and sometimes it takes hours. I prefer a “word count” goal. Let’s say you want to write 20,000 words. Take that number and divide it by how long you want your project to take. (Example: 20,000 divided by 14 days = approximately 1,500 words or 6 pages a day.) Without a goal of some kind, you can wander aimlessly and not get ANYTHING done.
2-Gather your favorite writing supplies. I have a canvas bag that holds my beanbag lap desk, several tablets of paper and a zippered bag to hold my pens. That way I can take my “writing kit” with me, in case we’re going for a drive, I want to write in the park, etc. I also have a favorite writing shirt. It’s a big, old, sloppy shirt that I only wear around the house. (It keeps me home and on the porch. LOL!)
3-Find your favorite writing spot. This can change with the weather and your moods, so have a couple of places that spur you on to write. (I’m on the porch in good weather, in my bed when it’s cold and snowy outside, and at my desk, if I’m in the typing mood.)
4-Make a commitment to write before you do anything else. Well, okay. You can eat a healthy breakfast and get your hubby off to work, if you must, but then WRITE, and meet your daily goal. And it’s IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER that the first draft is just about getting the story out of your head and onto the page. According to people who know, like Hemingway, the first draft is supposed to be crap, so don’t worry about what you’re writing–just get it down for now. Editing comes after you’ve completed your first draft, not during it.
5-Take the rest of the day off, knowing you’ve met your goal. Play. You’ve earned it. (You may find that you feel so good about yourself that you want to write more. That’s okay, but since you’ve met your goal, you don’t have to feel guilty if you don’t write any more that day.)
Well, folks, that’s how I do it. Hope you can find something in this to spur you on, so you too can finally get down to writing or completing your first draft. Good luck. Let me know if you come across anything else that helps you.
Happy Reading and Writing,
Jill-Ayn
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