This quote fits perfectly with yesterday’s post on spelling. He said, “Let grammar, punctuation, and spelling into your life. Even the most energetic and wonderful mess has to be turned into sentences.”
He was quite right. No matter how good your subject is, it’s not going to matter if you don’t master the mechanics. It’s as simple as that.
A second quote by Pratchett is quite well known in the writing world. He said, “The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.”
You might also consider that first draft as a floor plan. An architect begins with a basic plan, then adds and refines, takes away, refines some more. A writer is a story architect and proceeds in much the same way.
When you complete the first draft, you might ask yourself how you can make it better. Put the draft away for a few days or even longer. It may be resting quietly, but your mind is dwelling on what you wrote, trying to come up with ways to make it better. When you pull out the first draft, you’ll have some ideas on revision and be ready to proofread and edit mechanical things. Many beginning writers finish a first draft and consider it a done deal, think they are ready to submit for publication. It takes some a while to figure out what ‘first’ means in the term ‘first draft.’
The last of this wise author’s quotes for today is one that made me smile. He said, “Writing is the most fun you can have by yourself.” That came from the heart of a true writer.
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