Write With Me!

I'm done! The draft is complete! Now what?

I got a lot of writing done this week. I made myself do it. I forced myself to do it. I was a harsh task master. And I didn't enjoy my time. There has to be a better way.

I'm going to complete my draft this week. MY COMMITMENT IS SET. Are you struggling too?

Sigh.

Stick with it! Don't edit as you go. No one is watching you. Just get words down on the page. Write 5 minutes at a time. Write 30 minutes at a time. Just...write...something. Before you know it, you'll have written the first draft of your novel. Exciting!

The stats are against us! Making money on debut novel is like winning the lottery. So...do it because you enjoy it!

Find someone that cares and tell them you are writing the first draft of a novel. Ask them to keep you honest. Share with them how it's going. I find that when someone knows that you are trying to do something, it adds a little bit of positive pressure to help you keep the momentum.

Seeing your story through your character(s) eyes and writing from their unique perspective can really draw your reader into the emotions and experience of the story.

You don’t have to write the best novel on your first try. You just have to write a whole one.

Don't worry if the section you are currently writing seems slow or fast or too energetic or too sleepy...it all has value.

I just realized that for almost 90,000 words, I have mixed up the order of my subjects and verbs. For example, "Why don't you ever listen to me?" asked Josie. Compared to, "Why don't you ever listen to me?" Josie asked. Subtle but different! Or, more obscurely: "Josie laughed when the tall kid fell down the stairs." Compared to "When the tall kid fell dow...

I took a break. Guilt free.

I allowed myself to get distracted for a few days this week. It was so enjoyable. But so inefficient. Don't do it!

You are writing something that has never been written, in this way, ever before in the history of the Universe! Keep going!

You probably love reading. Well, as a writer, you not only get to write your own story, you get to be the first reader, too. Enjoy the read!

Steal a style you love! Copy a sound you like! This isn't plagiarizing.

If you ever get stuck, pause, visualize, see the scene in you mind like a clip from a move. Then, write what you see!

Getting this first draft completed is a marathon, not a sprint. Did you write a lot this week? Great! Well done. No? Well, that's OK, you always have now and tomorrow to write...so don't worry about what's in the past, worry about getting some words on the page NOW.

Don't trust your memory, write things down!

Why do you write? Why do you want to write this story? Finding that "why" will enable you to press on when you lack motivation.

I don't know about you but I've put in some big writing "bursts" this week and I can see that I am in the final few chapters. As usual, I am trying to be consistent with my daily writing knowing that soon I will have completed the first draft!

There is a lot of value in reading, and reading intentionally, as you write your first draft. You can pick up effective ways to structure scenes, including realistic dialog, that will help you when the time comes to edit that draft.

One day at a time, progress no perfection! You got this!

You know that favourite part of your story? The part you love writing about? The part you are so excited about? When you go back and revise your novel, you'll have a chance to make every chapter sing in a similar way! People are going to really enjoy every chapter, not just the finale.

Don't worry about flow, plot, structure, dialog...just keep the story moving, stay creative, be experimental if you must. The most important thing is to keep moving forward.