First draft euphoria

Let me state at the outset - I’m excited.

As long as no unforeseen circumstances blows this goal out of the water, I’ll finish the first draft of my new contemporary romance next month.

A first draft in only 9 months?

I know, right?

AMAZING!

It has always been possible, and I know now it’s totally possible to get a first draft completed in less than 9 months.

How do I know?

"You can’t edit a blank page.”

This quote is attributed to Jodi Picoult and I’m going to take it one step further.

“The story in your head is nothing unless it’s written down.”

It's what I have to tell myself. Harsh, but true. Words in my head are just words. They are ideas. Zero words on the page. Productivity nil.

I owe most of my current first draft to good old-fashioned handwriting. For a long time, the narrative in my head was ‘I need to be at my laptop and open my story to write.’

It was a huge barrier to writing. My head does not have a happy relationship with screens, so more often than not, merely the thought of opening my laptop made me nauseas if I already wasn’t feeling good. Going back to pen and paper has been integral to getting down the words.

I don’t have to (and don’t want to) lug my laptop around with me. Handwriting is calming, even when I’m not feeling good. I always have a notepad or small exercise book with me.

It helps if I make a note in my diary (a physical diary!) on what scene I want to write next. I put that note on a day and time I know I’ll be out and about but have the opportunity to do some scribbling.

Yes! I book writing time in my diary.

What's more, I've learnt that the perfect prose in my head goes through a wash spin cycle before it hits the page and not a lot of it is good writing, even if the ideas are there. This used to make me so frustrated and despondent. What was the point?

The point is - now I know my process.

I know that it will take me numerous drafts to get the story or whatever I’m writing into decent shape.

And that's okay!