Whether you’re a first-time writer or someone who has already published a story, writing that first draft can be a complicated process. The good news is that many of the roadblocks we encounter when writing a first draft are easily overcome by simply shifting our approach to the craft of creative writing. In this post, I will explain a few important tips and techniques to help you finish a first draft with confidence.
What is a first draft?
Obviously, the first draft is your first attempt to get your story or novel down on paper. But our key to better understanding the writing process is in the name itself: the first draft. This means there will be other drafts: the second draft, the third draft, and so on. If the first draft was intended to be the only draft, we would simply call it the story.
How do you write a first draft?
When you’re writing a first draft, chances are you are still exploring your idea for the story or novel you are writing. Yes, you may have outlined the plot and you may have also done some character development. But, in my experience, the first draft should still surprise you. When you are writing, your characters are likely to want to do and say things that you did not, and could not, plan. For that reason, the most important thing to do when writing a first draft is to be open.
Typical challenges when writing a first draft
Writer’s block can sometimes hit hard when we are writing our first draft. The most typical problem I see is when writers become obsessed with making their first draft perfect. They will write, for example, the first chapter of their novel, and then they will be unable to write the second chapter until they have done everything they can to perfect the first.
There’s nothing wrong with editing as you go, so long as you do so minimally. The editing process is actually a different neurological process entirely; editing is left-brained, critical, logical, you are sorting out plot holes and solving problems. It’s a necessary stage of the writing process, but it has no business interfering with the drafting process. Drafting is right-brained, creative, intuitive, and free. You literally can’t do both at the same time, and if you are trying then usually the critical left-brained editor will win, which means it will stamp out the creative drive in favour of getting things right.
The most important thing to know about writing a first draft
You won’t get everything right in the first draft. You might get some things right, and when that happens it’s a wonderful thing! But when you’re writing a first draft, these are the most important things to remember:
- Allow yourself the creative luxury of being messy and flawed. If you accept that the first draft won’t be perfect, it will be much easier to actually finish writing it.
- If your left-brained editor simply cannot leave the writing process alone, allow it to keep notes as you go. So if you are writing the first draft and you notice a plot hole, or you don’t like how you phrased a certain sentence, make a note. You don’t need to solve the issue now.
- If you find yourself frozen with indecision (should my character do THIS, or THIS?) just go with whatever you thought of first. You can always change it in the second draft.
- No one needs to see the first draft but you. You are safe to explore topics and decisions that are controversial, dark, scary, even cliche. Write them down!
What should you do after writing a first draft?
My final word of advice for writing a first draft is that once you’ve finished it, put it away and don’t look at it for at least a month. More time is even better (2-3 months is ideal), but I appreciate that sometimes this isn’t possible. The reason it’s important to do this is because we need to be as objective as possible when we return to the draft. If we come back to it too soon, we will find it very difficult to edit because we are still emotionally attached to the first draft writing process. Put it away (I call this burying the story), write something else for a while, read a new book, go on a short holiday, don’t even think about the draft if you can help it.
When is it right to return to the draft? When thinking about the story fills you with excitement. If you think about the draft and you only get a sinking feeling or a wave of dislike, you’re not ready yet. Give yourself more time.
Maria Hummer 