The Joy Of First Drafts - Alice Jolly
I am reaching the end of the first draft of a new novel. It is a while since I've worked on anything entirely new and I had forgotten how much I love first drafts. It also always surprises me how fast I can write one. Two or three months at the most.
My technique when writing a novel is first to plan and then to get the whole thing down on paper from beginning to end. The rule is that I'm not allowed to stop - no matter how bad it gets. The plot may cease to make sense, I may change all the characters names two or three times, a character may be born during the Second World War and then become a teenager during the 1980s - but still I keep going.
This is what works for me. I know that other writers work in entirely different ways. But I need to see the whole book from beginning to end before I can progress. And the process is so exciting. You can write whatever you want. No need to think about subtly, nuance, detail, research, credibility. It is fine to write as much melo-dramatic rubbish as you want.
Of course, when I look back over my first draft I will realise that it is utter tosh. And that I will need to go back and re-write it all - again and again. In fact, re-writing isn't really the right term because it isn't just the writing that changes. The whole structure will probably be taken to bits again and again before I even get on to the words themselves. All this may take years.
But hopefully some memory of that initial excitement remains. The book I'm currently writing is set in the Victorian era and so I am writing the first draft by hand with a quill pen - as my character would have done. I have also set up my writing space to look a little like my character's room might have looked. (Obviously I should shut up before you call the white van).
I briefly even considered dressing in Victorian type clothes. You'll be glad to know that I gave myself a firm talking to on that subject and can safely say that I am past that now. But I am loving looking at old Victorian death registers and endless other sources.
Oh if only writing was always like this.
But the sad fact is that, in my experience, by the time you've got about half the way through the process of writing a book, you lose interest in the subject you have chosen. But you still need to finish. And that's when it gets tough. Best not to think about it.
Better just to get back to another page of hugely enjoyable swash buckling rubbish, laden with adverbs and people endlessly shouting.
My technique when writing a novel is first to plan and then to get the whole thing down on paper from beginning to end. The rule is that I'm not allowed to stop - no matter how bad it gets. The plot may cease to make sense, I may change all the characters names two or three times, a character may be born during the Second World War and then become a teenager during the 1980s - but still I keep going.
This is what works for me. I know that other writers work in entirely different ways. But I need to see the whole book from beginning to end before I can progress. And the process is so exciting. You can write whatever you want. No need to think about subtly, nuance, detail, research, credibility. It is fine to write as much melo-dramatic rubbish as you want.
Of course, when I look back over my first draft I will realise that it is utter tosh. And that I will need to go back and re-write it all - again and again. In fact, re-writing isn't really the right term because it isn't just the writing that changes. The whole structure will probably be taken to bits again and again before I even get on to the words themselves. All this may take years.
But hopefully some memory of that initial excitement remains. The book I'm currently writing is set in the Victorian era and so I am writing the first draft by hand with a quill pen - as my character would have done. I have also set up my writing space to look a little like my character's room might have looked. (Obviously I should shut up before you call the white van).
I briefly even considered dressing in Victorian type clothes. You'll be glad to know that I gave myself a firm talking to on that subject and can safely say that I am past that now. But I am loving looking at old Victorian death registers and endless other sources.
Oh if only writing was always like this.
But the sad fact is that, in my experience, by the time you've got about half the way through the process of writing a book, you lose interest in the subject you have chosen. But you still need to finish. And that's when it gets tough. Best not to think about it.
Better just to get back to another page of hugely enjoyable swash buckling rubbish, laden with adverbs and people endlessly shouting.
Comments
That Victorian dress idea sound a good excuse to shop for lovely things, Alice! I am so glad to read this blog. I'm writing the first draft of a crime novel, a totally new genre for me. Bill Kirkton's comment reassured me a lot. I tend to write character driven pieces. I was getting worried when the strictly plotted line went haywire at times. Thanks to all, I feel better about the few thousand words written. Phew!
I'd never dare writing with a quill. I'm illegible enough on a computer.
Leela - I think an important thing to remember is: Nothing is written in stone. If something isn't working, change it. Merge several characters into one, change their names, their gender, their jobs - change the time period, the location. Only the final draft matters.
And I couldn't help thinking of a really fantastic piece from 'Bird by Bird' by Anne Lamott called 'Shitty First Draft' which gives just the advice you've given.