First Drafts

by Katherine Reay, @Katherine_Reay

The First Draft…

It’s wonderful to be here today. As I write this, The Austen Escape is a couple months from release and I begin a new story. In fact, this very morning, I pulled out my colored pens, opened the file in Scrivener and started, in earnest.

The blank page, or the blank computer screen, is a daunting sight. It’s exciting because it is just that – blank. We can fill it with anything and that anything has the potential to be great. But that catches our breath too because it must be filled – and that it will require hundreds of hours and thousands of words.

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The Fast Draft –Yes or No?

by Rachel Hauck

I’m fast drafting a novel right now. Last night, after dinking around all day, I told myself to “get to it” and blasted out 2000 words in an hour. Give or take a minute or two.

I’m near the end of a book so I know a bit of what’s going on. I have a feel for the characters and the story. Those random conversations characters have together started running randomly through my head a few weeks ago.

Next week, I’ll end this fast draft and start rewriting. Most of the beginning of the story will change, I already know. The middle needs a lot of tweaking. With that in mind, I hope my ending is the most stable part of this fast, first draft.

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Write a Book in 3 months in just 3 Hours a Day

by Susan May Warren

Looking back at 2016, did you finish that you'd planned to write? It may be too late to finish this year, but 2017 is full of possibilities. 2017 is the year you can get your book written, or maybe two, dare I say three? Because you can write a book in just three months!

Write a book in 3 months? In three hours a day? And have a family life, too? Bah!

You laugh, but seriously, it can be done. Now, I’m not saying it’s easy. But the fact is, with a little “nose to the grindstone” as my father used to say, it’s possible.

Here’s how:

First, we talked yesterday about the four keys to a successful writer’s life. If you’ve committed to the task, found your writing space, wheedled out time from your schedule and determined to keep a running game plan, then it’s time to talk strategy.

Let’s assume you have 12 weeks to write a 30 chapter book, with approximately 3000 words per chapter. That’s 1500 words per scene. That’s 6 pages per writing session, 180 minutes per scene. That’s thirty minutes a page.

Calm down. Breathe. Think about it. Can you sit down and write a blog in 30 minutes? If you already had the idea, already had the words brewing inside you? Probably most of you can. Maybe you can even do it faster than that, but we want to leave room for editing, and revisions, and notes.

And I know at least some of you do that NaNoMoWrite (I feel like I’m talking Morkish when I say that and I probably didn’t even get it right!) – that write a book in a month thing. So I think I’m being rather generous at 3 months.

Now, you’re going to pad in on either side with 2 weeks of character development, and 2 weeks for rewriting and editing, synopsis and query letter. So, yes, we’re talking 4 months, but really, the concentrated, “under the thought blanket” time (as my kids call it) is three months.

Pre Week 1: Research of idea and premise, preliminary characterization and rough brainstorming of plot.

Pre Week 2: Further Research, the cementing of characterization and synopsis writing. Sometimes, a chapter by chapter summary of the book helps at this time.

We’re going to spend the month of January talking a lot about what goes into prewriting. There are people who take months in prewriting, so I don’t count that as actual novel writing time. They live with their characters in their minds for a while, having conversations, trying on names and attire until they have them just so…and then they embark. During this time, do enough research to get your story plausible, and outline the major plot twists in the story. I always write a synopsis at this point, also, as a sort of guideline.

Then I write my first chapter. Here’s a hint: Often your first chapter isn’t one you’ll really use. It’s the “finding your character’s voice” chapter and really, it contains WAY too much backstory to use in the book. But it’s helpful as a warm up to the big event.

Week 1: Starting day. First, gather your research material around you (use lots of those big brightly colored paper clips so you can bookmark pages), and a notebook. Open up a new file and call it something terrific like Susie’s Super Suspense Book 1. (Okay, not using my name, of course, or, I suppose if you want to….) Then, open up a new doc and title it: Chapter 1.

At this point, you’re going to turn off your internal nasty editor, the one that tells you things are not grammatically correct, or perhaps you’re using a word no one has heard of before, and you’re just going to write. Splash the words onto the page. Ignore the red and green squigglies – just write. A cup of hot cocoa helps, and I’m a big fan of mood music. If you get to a point where you’ll need to do more research, put in something plausible, and denote it with an * — saying you’ll GET BACK TO IT. Don’t disrupt your writing flow. If you have a word you hate, yet can’t find the right one – Asterik it! If you can’t remember a character’s name, or eye color – Asterik it! When you’re done with your ms, you’ll read through each chapter, do a search for the Asterik’s and change it when you’re mind isn’t cluttered with story.

But what if I come up with a great story thread half way through the scene? Should I stop and go back and fix it?

NO! did you hear me? NO! Make an…what? ASTERIK! Start writing the story from this point on with your new story thread. THEN, make a note in your notebook to go back and add in or tweak that story thread AFTER you’ve finished the book. Seriously. It’s your story. No one will read it until it’s done. It’s in YOUR brain. So you don’t have to have to add everything in until you’re ready.

And right now you want to…just keep writing, just keep writing…

Once you’ve finished your scene, SAVE. And then open a new doc, label it CHAPTER 2 (or maybe Chapter 1, scene 2), and make a few notes about what you’d like to open with next scene, or things you want to accomplish. OR, you can do this in the notebook I talked about yesterday. The strategy is to jump start your mind the next time you sit down.

Now:

Close the computer.
Stand up.
Stretch.
Dance through the house shouting, “I finished Chapter 1! I finished Chapter 1!

Go to bed, and pray for words for Chapter 2.

If you want, you can spend the weekends doing more research, or going back and rereading any points you wanted to refine.

Keep doing this for the next 12 weeks. You’ll be surprised at how disciplined you get, and how fast the words flow out. And how refreshing it feels to say, I’ll get back to all those asterisk later!

When you write the final chapter, take a weekend break. (Take your poor family out for dinner, for Pete’s sake!)

You’ll spend the NEXT two weeks adding in those threads, re-writing, fixing all the green and red squigglies and doing a rough edit, then a thorough edit, and then a polish. Okay, it might take you longer than 2 weeks. But the key is…the story is DONE. It’s out of your brain.

And you can say…hey, I wrote a book in 3 months!

Don't let another year slip through your fingers! Let 2017 be the year you finished that book - maybe even two!

TWEETABLES

Write a Book in 3 months in just 3 Hours a Day by Susan May Warren (Click to Tweet)

Did you get that book written that you'd planned to write?~ Susan May Warren (Click to Tweet)

Just keep writing, just keep writing…Susan May Warren (Click to Tweet)


Susan May Warren is owner of Novel Rocket and the founder of Novel.Academy. A Christy and RITA award-winning author of over fifty novels with Tyndale,Barbour, Steeple Hill, Summerside Press and Revell publishers, she's an eight-time Christy award finalist, a three-time RITA Finalist, and a multi-winner of theInspirational Readers Choice award and the ACFW Carol. A popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation, she's also the author of the popular writing method, The Story Equation. A full listing of her titles, reviews and awards can be found at: www.susanmaywarren.com. Contact her at:susan@mybooktherapy.com.

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First Draft Manifesto

Writing a novel isn’t as simple as it seems. You should know what you’re getting yourself into when you sit down to write a first draft, and so I give you . . .

The First Draft Manifesto

Principle #1: Divorce Your Art From Perfectionism

Just write what you're thinking.

I know. Sounds too easy, right? Like I'm making up a fake truth to fool you so that your writing will fail, and then I'll swoop in with mine and make millions (cue evil laughter). Nope. Nothing like that at all. Here's the deal . . . When you put too much effort into finding the right words, your creativity gets bunched up, bogging you down. Sometimes even stopping you. That's bad, folks. Newsflash: you don't have to have the most psychedelic words strung out across the page like a hippie on acid. You only need to have words. Period. They don't have to be perfect. Not yet. That's what editing is for.

Principle #2: Step Off the Cliff

BE BRAVE

There's a certain amount of bravado involved in penning a first draft. How much? Gobs. No, really. I measured. It takes guts to expose the story in your head for all the world to see, but don’t hyperventilate. The beauty of a first draft is that no one but yourself need see it. So go ahead. Take a deep breath. Then expel every crazy word idea swirling around in your skull.

TAKE CHANCES

Go rogue. Allow your characters to take risks with their actions. Snark up the dialogue, letting it shoot off into conversations you never dreamed possible. Give your plot permission to take a sharp left turn or even mow down into the ditch for some off-roading.

FREEFALL

Your writing will never change or grow if you don't vary the way you write. If you usually write in third person, do a scene in first, just for the heck of it. You don't have to keep it that way, but in the exercise, you might find a new perspective in which to stage that scene. Flail around a bit with structure, like writing only dialogue for an entire chapter. Quit rolling your eyes. Of course you'll go back later and add in setting and descriptions.

First drafts are the safest place to experiment and stretch the boundaries of your usual writing norm. If you were waiting for permission, here it is. Go for it.

Don't tuck tail and run . . . persevere!

Principle #3: Endure to Infinity and Beyond

The idea of writing a novel is oh-so-much more romantic than actually parking your heinie in a chair and pounding out words. After a day or two of actual writing, the ninety-nine percent will tuck tail and run, whimpering about writer's cramp or block or something about a clogged artery in the posterior region.

The only way to finish a first draft is to . . . umm . . . **excessive throat clearing** FINISH THE DANG THING! Yes, I'm yelling. There's no easy way out except through, and that takes endurance.

So keep plugging away, word after word. Eventually you will give birth to a pound-and-a-half baby manuscript, putting you in the ranks of those with a complete novel to their credit instead of a loser talking smack about writing one.

Principle #4: Think like a pirate.

There are lots of things to admire about pirates, as long as you overlook their rank body odor and the fact that they slit throats and rob people. The piratey trait with the most takeaway value for a writer is that pirates aren't married to rules and regulations. Sure, they've got a code to follow, but in the words of Captain Barbossa . . .

"The code is more what you call guidelines, than actual rules."

When you set sail on the ocean of first draft, you have a destination in mind. There's a plan lurking about in your grey matter, a map for you to follow from beginning to end. If you're really a planner, you've even got a synopsis written and know exactly how the story will flow from chapter to chapter.

But if you come up with a better idea halfway through, it's okay to change directions. Sure, your story might not turn out how you expected, but that's okay. Don't put so much pressure on yourself to stay a certain course that you're not willing to explore a different direction story-wise. Some of the best creativity happens when least expected.

Principle #5: Carpe Diem

Besides mindlessly zipping from one blog to another or checking out updates on Facebook or Twitter or whatever, how about you sieze today, right now, and type out a few words of your story idea?

Creators create. Yeah, God took a day off but guess what? That was AFTER he finished. Don’t let today slip by without carving out time to splatter some words on a page. I’m not saying they have to be stellar. They just have to be. Don’t tell me you’re going to write a book. Do it. Do it now.

What? You’re still here?

Like what you read? There’s more. WRITER OFF THE LEASH: GROWING IN THE WRITING CRAFT is a kick in the pants for anyone who wants to write but is stymied by fear, doubt, or simply doesn’t know how to take their writing to the next level.

Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. Follow her adventures and find out about upcoming new releases at her blog, Writer Off the Leash, or stop by her website. You can also find her at the usual haunts of Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

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Crazy thoughts about writing ~ by guest blogger Michelle Stimpson

Bestselling author Michelle Stimpson has penned several works, including Boaz Brown, Divas of Damascus Road, Last Temptation, and her upcoming release, Someone to Watch Over Me. She has also published more than forty short stories through her educational publishing company. Michelle holds an English degree from Jarvis Christian College and master’s degree in education from the University of Texas at Arlington. She is a part-time language arts consultant and serves in the Creative Tyme ministry at her home church, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship. Michelle lives near Dallas with her husband, their two teenage children, and one crazy dog.

Crazy Thoughts about Writing


1. You don’t have to like your first draft. Just write it. You can fix it later.
I have fallen out of love with everything I’ve ever written about 2/3 of the way through the first draft. I take a step back and say, “This is terrible! No one’s going to buy this! I wouldn’t even buy it!”

At that point, I’m always tempted to go back and rewrite, but the truth is: If I stop 2/3 of the way through, I’ll probably never finish. I’ve taken advice from Toni Morrison who says the most delicious part of writing is rewriting. I agree. But you can’t rewrite if you don’t have a write, right?

2. You can skip around a little.
I absolutely abhor writing descriptions. What people wear, how hard the wind was blowing, the décor in a restaurant—all that kind of stuff slows me down. Especially if I have no idea what restaurant or how the restaurant looks.

Sometimes, I just need the main character to get in that restaurant with her hunk of a man so he can so he propose. If I get stuck on the setting, I’ll lose time. What I do when I’m stuck on something this simple is just write “Add Description Later” in red letters in the draft and I get back to it later. No biggie.

3. If you don’t write something in your novel every single day, it’s not the end of the world.
It’s a good thing I wasn’t in writers’ circles before I wrote my first novel. I probably would have felt like a big failure before I ever started, because there was no way I could write every day like other “real” writers claim to do. I had a life!

What I tell aspiring authors is to write something every day (whether it’s a journal, a blog, or whatever), but keep a realistic writing schedule when it comes to longer works. If Tuesday won’t work because your daughter has gymnastics, then just don’t plan to write on Tuesdays. Sure, you could take your laptop to practice, but that time might be better spent doing your weekly grocery shopping while she’s at practice—then you’d free up Thursday to write!

Be realistic about the fact that there are only 24 hours in a day, and don’t discourage yourself by having unrealistic expectations. Sandra Cisneros, one of my students’ favorite authors when I taught, said that she only writes on days when she can stay in her pajamas. Granted, she doesn’t publish as often as many other writers, but she’s enjoying life.

4. Sometimes I feel like an outline, sometimes I don’t.
While I do some amount of character research, I sometimes I don’t create an outline until I’m about 1/3 of the way through writing a novel. By that point, everything is all crazy and twisted, and I’m starting to confuse myself (not to mention the fact that my main character has been pregnant with the same baby for two Christmases).

Other times, I create a pretty detailed outline, knowing that things could change at any moment. Vicki Spandel (an educational writing guru) says that writers should think of an outline like a grocery list. You put milk, bread, and cheese on your list because you don’t want to forget those three things. Now, if you get to the store and find cookies on sale, feel free to get the cookies. But don’t come back without the milk, bread, and cheese.

5. Consider self-publishing.
This is a crazy notion, I know, but times are a-changin’. Thankfully, I’ve been published by some great publishers. But before I ever got a contract for my novels, I wrote a number of high-interest stories for high school students. A major New York educational publishing company expressed an interest in the stories, but shortly thereafter, 9-11 happened, and I never heard from the publisher again.

In 2008, I started selling those stories online (www.WeGottaRead.com). It took a while to get the ball rolling, but it’s a nice ball. A steady ball. I can safely say I’m glad I didn’t sell these short stories to a publisher. Plus, the opportunity to experience publishing from the other side has given me a greater understanding of how the industry works.

Someone to Watch Over Me

Tori Henderson is on the fast track in her marketing career in Houston, but her personal life is slow as molasses and her relationship with God is practically non-existent. So when her beloved Aunt Dottie falls ill, Tori travels back to tiny Bayford to care for her. But when Tori arrives, she's faced with more than she bargained for, including Dottie's struggling local store, a host of bad memories, and a troubled little step-cousin, DeAndre. Worse, the nearest Starbucks is twenty miles away...

Just as Tori is feeling overwhelmed, she re-connects with her old crush, the pastor's son, Jacob, who is every bit as handsome as to remembers. As the church rallies for Aunt Dottie's recovery, Tori realizes that she came to Bayford to give, but she just might receive more than she dreamed was ever possible for her.

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