Writing a First Draft

 

I've got an idea for a story to send to a Chicken Soup for the Soul book. I've been trying to get a first draft written, but I get a few paragraphs and then decide it is no good. Quit. Start again another day. I realized yesterday that I should have finished each of those first attempts. Get a full first draft done and then revise after it sits for a few days.

The poster today tells us that the first draft is just a working piece to help you create a strong finished story. Some writers end up with multiple first drafts for one story idea. Is that wrong? No. You do whatever works for you. You might snip this and that from each draft and weave them together for the final one. 

There are times when we write a first draft that is almost a finished product. We only need a few minor edits. It happens, but I can't say I've done it a majority of the time. I think the kind of of first draft that needs little editing comes when we work on the story idea in our mind for a fair amount of time. It's one reason we find it hard to fall asleep at night. In the quiet darkness of our bedroom, we can sift and sort the story idea mentally for....often too long a time. 

Work on that idea in your head while doing household tasks that don't require much mental effort on your part. Unloading the dishwasher takes little mental acuity. Grab a dish or two and keep working on the idea in your head.

I have read a good many quotes by writers about first drafts. That should tell us the importance of writing one. No writer should sit down at a keyboard, write the story, and submit to a publisher all in one fell swoop. Nope. You need to go through this process step by step.

Write a first draft.

Let it sit for a few days.

Proofread, edit, and revise

Let it sit a little longer.'

Do a final edit.

Let it sit another day or two, then submit.

This all comes down to taking time to write what was once only an idea in your mind. Don't rush! Remember in school when you rushed to write a paper last minute? Was it your best work? Probably not. 

Never negate the importance of the first draft. It is the beginning of the process which leads to a finished product. 

Writing Rule One--Begin!

I am a believer in thinking out your stories, essays, and poetry before ever writing that all-important first draft. While I do my everyday household tasks, I might be thinking about a story possibility. Even when I am watching tv in the evening, my mind often dwells on writing in some manner. 

Even though I've not written a single word, I consider it a beginning. The idea has to precede the first draft. If you sit in front of your computer with no thoughts about what to write, what will happen? Nothing! You'll continue to sit and stare at the screen. 

What every writer must learn is to pay attention to those writing world thoughts that dip and swirl through your mind like a dancer. What if you lose those thoughts? The best way to keep them is to jot down a note or two which will trigger your memory later.

Sometimes, I read something in the newspaper or a newsletter that triggers a writing possibility. I've learned to write myself a note, to write the phrase that reached out to me.  One phrase jumped out at me the other day in an article by a writer. I copied that phrase and wrote an entire post on it. It was my beginning.

There are writers who let those story ideas run through their minds over and over and over but never start writing the first draft. However and wherever, do start writing before the idea in your mind is so old and decrepit that it is rather meaningless.

Do some writers put off beginning out of fear that the result might not be very good? I'm sure that happens. Those first drafts are merely the start of something better. A first draft is never meant to be the final version of your idea. A few lucky people will only need to make minor adjustments to that first writing, but they are in the minority. Most of us write and rewrite a number of times before we consider our story ready for submission. 

The idea is to begin. You cannot have a finished piece unless you do.