Am I the only writer who enjoys revising?
I hope I am not alone on this, but I love it. I like to analyze what I have written and compare it to my goal for the short story. I love to take it apart piece by piece and make it better.
Not just my work, either. I love to edit others works (albeit I’m less extensive with theirs). I want to be a book EDITOR, after all.
My problem lies with actually writing the first draft. Getting everything on paper feels like a weight on my chest. I can’t help but to be bored and become restless. I’ve decided to share some tips on how to actually write the first draft so you can get to the fun part (for me, anyway).
1. Play your favorite playlist. I’m one of those people that likes to write and do other tasks with music playing. It doesn’t help all the time, but it certainly helps me when I’m trying to spit out a first draft.
2. Don’t worry about making it good. It won’t be. That’s why it’s called a FIRST draft. So save all of that correcting and changing for the revision process.
3. Have a deadline. Some people can set deadlines for themselves and be fine. Others may need some outside help. In order for me to make sure I write during the semester, I take a creative writing practicum.
4. You don’t have to write it in order. Write what you’re inspired to write. Not what’s next on your outline (if you outline).
5. Follow your own voice. Cris Freese smartly points out how difficult it is to write in a voice that’s not yours. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t write in a tense you’re not used to or give your narrator a different tone than you. But if you are trying to write a story in first person and present tense, but you keep reverting to third person past tense, you might want to rethink the voice that you’re using. http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/fruitless-first-draft-struggles
Outline. In the writing world, you’re either a planner or a pantser. You either outline or you don’t. I am not an outliner. At least not with my short stories. But that doesn’t mean I don’t spend time crafting the characters and the plot in my head before I put it on paper. This tip came from Neal Martin. He also has tons of other great tips. http://www.writepublishnow.com/make-sure-finish-first-draft-novel/
I hope these tips help. For more, you can follow the links I’ve added