Things to remember while writing my first draft:
As I work on my first draft of my mermaid story, I’m find myself having to remind myself about how to write. As this is only my second or third novel, I want it to be just like the novel I already finished. So here is a list of things to remind myself as I write.
- This will not be perfect.
- Write first; edit later.
- Your characters talk to you more while you write than when you plan. So write already.
- Facebook and wordpress are only there to distract you.
- As related to number four, facebook and wordpress do not need to be checked every five minutes. They can live without you.
- Mail doesn’t need to be checked either.
- Facts about how much caffeine a dog can intake doesn’t need to be looked at.
- It’s just ones and zeros. Ones and zeros are cheap and easy to change, so keep writing.
- Your perceptions of how good a section is aren’t reliable. Just because you think it’s boring doesn’t mean that it’s boring. Wait a little bit.
- Sometimes character histories have to change.
- Sometimes it’s best to wait until later to look up a small bit of factual information. After all, the internet will then distract you.
- Be open to change.
That’s all I have at the moment. Do you have anything to add?
2 responses to “Things to remember while writing my first draft:”
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Abigail
always a writer 
Wonderful list! I’ve been distracted by research lately. I heard Dana Haynes, author of Crashers, speak about his creative process, which involves writing “tech tech tech” when he gets to a piece he’ll need to research. Then he fills in the appropriate details later. I haven’t tried his method, but it’s an interesting concept that might help some writers get past that kind of interruption during writing sessions.
I like that a lot. Maybe I should use that with my current work and all the things I need to research on that still.