#book first draft

[writingwithfolklore]

Making the Most out of your First Draft

As someone who used to write every first draft without planning and then use that to figure out characters and outlines, I have a lot of experience in first drafts that are incredibly helpful to forming an actual story, and drafts that don’t add much.

              So here’s how to make the most out of your first draft:

1. Write what doesn’t make sense

One of the most helpful first drafts I ever wrote abandoned plotlines and started new ones as though they had existed all along like several times. It was also the longest draft I had ever written because I had packed so many ideas into it. The reason why this is helpful is because you can test out what a plot point will look like in the middle or even end of your story without having to go back to the same beginning again and again.

It doesn’t need to make sense, just try things out. Disappear characters who don’t work, add a best friend near the end that acts like they’ve been there the entire time, whatever idea you’re interested in you can try out without worrying too much about what makes sense or what you’d need in place to set it up. It's like literally stream of consciousness writing, and you're going to learn so much more about your world, plot, and characters than trying to make it make sense.

2. Write poorly

I spent a lot of that first draft having characters monologue to themselves or each other about their interests and problems and lives which allowed me to explore their backstories and voice even if that’s not something I would do in a final draft. I had the wackiest plot points to see how my characters would react, what would happen to the plot, and if I didn’t like it I would keep going like nothing had happened, I did a lot of yadda-yaddaing over worldbuilding and setting the scenes and making up things on the spot to see if they’d stick, skipping sometimes to the interesting stuff, or adding in a random scene just for fun.

It doesn’t have to be good. Even a little bit. You’re learning about your world and your characters and the story you want to tell, but you aren’t writing it yet. Allow it to be the worst thing you’ve ever written.

3. Make notes on what you like

As you go through and throw spaghetti at the wall (figuratively speaking), make notes on the things that stick. If you write a line of dialogue you really like, or a piece of backstory or even a vibe, make sure to make a note of it somewhere. This will help you narrow down your ideas to what you want to keep when you start writing your story. And if you’re like me and you want to outline or plan your subsequent drafts, these notes will be invaluable to start forming your planning.

Anything else I missed?

[theyoungwritersmind-aristanelson]

[bemp0]

Geralt warmup

[autisticredhood]

love this panel. jason’s holding a gun he took from a cop, implying he’s going to keep it and bruce is like sure yeah. bruce is hunched over in the back, cradling the decapitated robot head of commissioner gordon. alfred has a fake beard that looks like clumps of cat hair & is giving bruce A Look. jason is giving alfred the side eye like are you not going to say anything about this weirdly intimate moment B is having w mister decapitated robot head. truly has it all

(batman #415)

[tinasshelf]

Darrow at the Institute draft: wouldn’t it be cool if I had a bomb on me so I could take out some of the best and brightest of Gold rule, lmao

Darrow at the gala with a bomb on him surrounded by the best and brightest of Gold rule: well about that

[petrichorsweaters]

Hey!!

Do you like Good Omens and A Court Of Thorns And Roses?

Then you may just like my book that I'm currently writing, Petrichor! The first in a series that will take you through realms and universes you may be familiar with the name of, but never would have imagined!

Follow Cheshire, a stoic Angel of Justice, as she's thrust into a conspiracy to start the War between Heaven and Hell before the Apocalypse is supposed to begin while trying to clear her name of a crime she didn't commit. Excommunicated from Heaven, but not Fallen, will she survive the forces in the shadows forming this plot? And if she does, will she be able to find the true perpetrator of the crime in time to save the Earth from sure destruction? Unsure of who her allies are and who her enemy is, she will question everything she's ever known as her reality turns upside down.

Updates may be slow, as Life Happens, and I am Just A Girl. But feel free to ask me any questions you may have in my ask box!!

[tvaccaro]

It's okay if your first draft sucks!

Creating is hard. You're literally sifting through the dark recesses of your mind piled to the brim with chaotic thoughts and ideas, and desperately hauling them out into the light. Of course it's gonna look like shit at first!

Be patient and kind to yourself. You need time to take what you've brought back, rearrange and experiment with it, and eventually curate it into a beautiful story.

You're still getting to know your work. Don't give up on it just before you discover the beauty beneath.

[apolline-lucy]

🌱 2024.03.17

current favourite writing spot—cafe Pivot in Seoul—with an oat latte & blueberry earl grey tart + latest book I got ; MYTHOLOGY by Edith Hamilton—illustrated edition!!

[mango-sideburns]

My fav thing about TAZ is that any aspect out of context sounds fucking bonkers.

Like, in the balance finale there's a scene in which Garfield (who is very specifically never described visually bc most people imagine him as like. The Lasagna Cat. Who in this universe is the most powerful warlock in the realm and also has a hobby of cloning people, which is great for the one character that got forced into haunting a mannequin) is summoned by an alien spaceship that runs on the power of friendship so he could beat up some flashing balls. In D&D.

And that was just. Such a normal scene in the narrative. No one blinked an eye. I would like to bow down to Griffins clear unmatched talent for making me feel such big emotions over ridiculous shit like a goddamned umbrella or a regular ass pair of jeans or the idea of a taco recipe.

[daisywords]

"just focus on book 1 without mapping out the entire trilogy" I need you to understand how much I cannot do that

[queer-reader-07]

“tumblr changed this man” no. neil gaiman has been weird AT LEAST since he started publishing in the 80s. we all on tumblr are just all a bunch of weirdos (affectionate) and he just so happens to fit right in with us.

[firelise]

ONLY FRIENDS (2023) Scene Parallels | Ep 1.1 -> Ep 7.4 // #you wish that was you huh?

[qc-wiggles]

misc.

sasha, tim, jon, and martin all have linked ins. sasha offers compsci gcse tutoring. tim offers errand-running services. jon offers tutoring (comprehensive). martin offers dogsitting.

girl2girl connection: georgie has cradled sasha after she got her braces fixed and was sobbing in agony. they did not know each other then

the music practise rooms are haunted HAUNTED I TELL YOU

yearbook club room is barely more than a closet. in a couple’s eyes, the ideal fraternisation location. in jon’s eyes, like salt water

there may be a chamber group.

[camelspit]

uhh very quick alternate graphic novel clothing design ideas for sophie.

@skylilac @callas-pancake-tree @arson-anarchy-death @steal-nightmares-leave-dreams @neverseen-nevermore @abubble125 @purplesoup-lad-le @gay-otlc @thefoxysnake @keeper-of-the-lost-dadwin @ravs6709 @did-i-say-you-could-get-up @kamikothe1and0nly @that-glasses-dog @presidentroarie @even-if-in-another-time @nyxpixels @slozhnos @katniss-elizabeth-chase @sofia-not-sophie @moontoastt @lemon-girl-in-devil-town @three-bunnies-in-a-trenchcoat @purpleunicycle @just-a-honey-badger @loverofallthingssmart @antisocialdork @tamsong @cutebisexualmess

[thelivingdeceased]

i just wrote a novel.

[aimlesspoet]

okay but cringe culture needs to die because how are people supposed to become better writers if they're afraid of writing in the first place??