Write That First Draft — Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200 (Yet)
Use momentum to your advantage to get your first draft done
The first draft of my middle grade novel took me ages to write (as in at least 6 years). If I was focused, I probably could’ve knocked it out in six months, even though I was busy teaching elementary school and having children.
Hindsight is 20/20, right? These days I know it’s possible to carve out time for daily focused writing sessions regardless of what else is happening in my life. At the time, I was tired and full of excuses. I would write in fits and bursts. A few chapters here, then nothing. I’d return to my manuscript, read it over again because I’d lost the flow of the story, and then start editing and changing what I’d already written. I wasn’t taking advantage of momentum. My process was working against me.
Do not do what I did. There’s a much better way to write your first draft. Sure, you’ll want to change everything later, but that’s not the point. First, get it done. Then, make changes.
Let your first draft flourish
When you write your first draft, it’s important to silence your inner critic. When asked how to do this Meg Medina, award-winning author of Merci Suarez Changes Gears says:
