What a first draft must do

[mount_oregano]

For me, first drafts come hard. I’ve heard of writers who love them, but that might be an urban legend. I have a hard-learned opinion about first drafts.

First drafts have only one duty to fulfill: They must exist. They don’t need to be good. Mine don’t necessarily achieve coherence. In fact, I like to think of them as “zero drafts,” more of an experiment than an actual draft.

This saves me from the temptation to rewrite as I go, which I advise against. Rewriting can lead to getting stuck rewriting and re-rewriting the beginning, trying to perfect every sentence. Writers who do that may never get all the way to “The End.” But until the end is written, there’s no way to know exactly what the beginning needs. Even the most careful planner and outliner will discover changes in the story as it goes on.

In my first drafts — even as I plan first drafts — sometimes I get stuck. One tool that helps me is my friend Zack Jeffries’ writing prompt book, Break Through to “The End”. He intentionally designed it to use while starting an outline or first draft, writing the draft, or revising it.

What makes these prompts useful, I believe, is that they’re open-ended. Some prompts try to suggest an idea for story: “You’re looking into a bottomless pit. Describe your reactions three days later.” “A mistranslation of ‘weapons’ and ‘equipment’ causes an inappropriate shipment of goods.” (If you want ideas-based prompts, I recommend visiting PostSecret.)

Jeffries assumes you have a ton of ideas. He encourages you, instead, to wonder “What would happen if…” as a means to discover a new aspect of your story. For example, at one point, your character is going to make decisions that will have repercussions. He prompts:

“What would happen in your current scene or next scene if your main or perspective character wondered whether a decision they made was the wrong one? Is this a way to pull up the emotional strings of your reader? Is this a way you can reinforce what’s important to your main character? Can you show the reader what the main characters’ expectations are?”

Character arcs, relationships, plot, world-building, and theme — I can explore as I need in Jeffries’ book. For me, this is one more practical tool to help me get through the struggle of the first draft.

If you’re a writer, what are the tools that get you through the hardest parts?

Comments

[green_knight]

I have learnt to write from beginning to end. Otherwise, having done all the interesting bit I'm left with pile of really tough ones, whereas if I write in order, I have e fun scene that I want to get to.

[mount_oregano]

I like that strategy. Ideally, the last scene would be the most fun of all.

[radiantfracture]

Hmm I am intrigued!

[mount_oregano]

You can get a free sample of Zack's book at Amazon.

[pjthompson]

Oh dear. I started calling them zero drafts a while ago, too. As you said, it's less pressure. I'm currently struggling to finish a zero draft that's dragged on far too long. There are health and life issues that keep intruding but I'm so close to the end I can't give up. Won't. Sometimes when I'm stuck like this I take pressure off myself (and negative judgment) with brackets. When I hit a patch that refuses to go forward I type something like this in the space: [Insert fight scene here] and just move on. This gets me unstuck and when I let the zero draft lie fallow for a while and work on something else and it's time to write a bona fide first draft those resistant scenes are much easier to generate. I'm about to use some brackets on the current recalcitrant zero draft.

[mount_oregano]

I do that too. [Insert exciting sea battle here] [Foehn dies here tragically] Sometimes I even write apologetic notes to my future self for leaving a mess to clean up when the broom finally appears.

I hope you finish your draft soon!

[pjthompson]

Thanks! Me, too. Maybe I'll try the apologetic notes. 😁