First Drafts

Hey everyone! Happy December : ) This is going to be a really busy month for me...my wedding is in 9 days, so I'm getting ready for that (which includes procrastinating on writing those thank-you cards) and then we'll be going on our honeymoon, then the next week is Christmas, so I don't imagine I'll be able to get as much writing done this month as I would like. Also, I probably won't be blogging much. I hope to start blogging more often after the wedding and holiday season. But, I thought I would talk about my feelings toward first drafts today.

As you all know, I'm still waiting anxiously to hear back from the agent that has my manuscript. I've also sent out more queries to other agents, but so far no one else has bitten. In the meantime, I've been working on the first draft of another YA manuscript, and so far it's been a really unique experience. In some ways, it's easier than my first book because I can say to myself, "Hey, you already wrote one book! That's the biggest hurdle of all." At the same time, you can't help but suffer from the dreaded Sophomore Effect, where you wonder if you really can do it again. First drafts are by far the hardest to write, but they shouldn't be! The most important thing to remember is this:

First drafts are supposed to suck!! It's a RULE.

Okay, so I can pretty much guarantee your first draft is not going to suck as much as you think it does, but the point is you need to let yourself off the hook. Don't worry about writing the Great American Novel during the first draft. Don't worry if you feel like a scene has too much description or whether you can come up with a better word for "realized." The most important thing about the first draft is to JUST WRITE THE BOOK. That's it. When you look at it that way, it actually becomes the easiest draft to write because it doesn't matter how great or sucky it is, no one ever has to read it. Now, the second and third drafts will be more difficult because that's where you start to go through it with a fine-tooth comb, but they shouldn't be that terrible because, guess what? You've alrady finished the book. You wrote "The End." It's done. Now you just have to perfect it.

This is what I've learned from several writing classes, author's blogs, as well as from my own experience writing my first book. Just keep reminding yourself that you'll never have anything to perfect if you don't get through that first draft. Even though I've already done it once, I have to keep reminding myself with this second book.

So, good luck everyone! And if you've been nervous to start writing, or if you're struggling with that first draft, I hope this helps. *in my best Dory voice from Finding Nemo* Just Keep Writing! Just Keep Writing Writing Writing!

Sidenote: My puppy (who is seven months old today and 65 pounds) got to play in the snow for the first time yesterday, and she loved it! Granted, it was only a dusting so I can't wait to see how she acts when we get a couple inches of it. Hopefully I'll get a good camera someday and post some pictures of her on here : )