He finishes the first draft with a vengeance. His vision of a complex story crystalizes. The characters reveal themselves. The story world captivates. Action builds to a dramatic climax. Character grow and transform. Thematic threads run deep throughout the manuscript.Â
Celebration over his accomplishment is short-lived and little acknowledged in his eagerness to keep going.Â
He rounds up his notes and begins crafting and writing draft #2 and immediately comes to a screeching halt.Â
The quality of his writing in draft #1 dismays him. Doubt sets in. Energy lags. Procrastination takes over.
Yet, another example of what I’ve addressed the last two entries.Â
Any success stories about starting out on the next draft of your project?
Frankly, I can’t wait to get there. I’m still in the first round blues, I guess–though not really blue. Thanks to your BBP book and the tips on this site, I’ve taken eight random chapters, written a new beginning that I’ve continued to revamp and tracked its scenes. I’m anxious to continue.
I have my overall story, know where I want to go basically, but I’m not sure how many bumps in the road may be created on the journey. It’s funny how these characters start to come alive through our fingertips with no preconceived notion that he or she was going to say or do that. As long as it moves my story forward and doesn’t go too far off track from my original plot line (or hope), then maybe it’s adding unforeseen interest and detail to the story.
One big hurdle for me now since I wrote the chapters out of order is to transition them well, if they’ll work at all. Thanks to the scene tracker, this task will be easier. I really can’t wait to get a finished first draft in my hands. My goal is to get there by the end of this month, but I’m not sure if that’s realistic. As long as I’m not procrastinating and at least working on the story, then I’ll cut myself some slack.
I’ve already fallen victim to what you warn about–not rereading what’s been written, but I’m afraid if I don’t reread it, then I’ll forget where I was going and have too many inconsistencies. Wouldn’t that create more work on the next draft trying to straighten out all the details that contradict each other?
So much to do! I look forward to the comments and posts on this site daily. Thanks for what you’re doing.
It’s a very different process. I think your client may be feeling overwhelmed at the thought of turning through those pages again, front to back. This may be one of those times when the stepping back and looking at big plot threads/character arcs to see the connections?
Thanks for your comments, DJ Lane. “As long as I’m not procrastinating and at least working on the story, then I’ll cut myself some slack.” I like that. Often, we set ourselves up to get there by… and when we don’t reach our goal, we give up in disgust. Giving ourselves slack is ever so important indeed…
Your enthusiasm keeps you going. I see you surging forward with energy high!
beckylevine, the writer I was referring to was in shock over the difference between the generative stage and the next one — editing, cutting, etc. From the creative to the analytical — tough transition, but he’s committed to 10 pages a day. He’ll make it, or, answer to me… oooooohhhh, so scary, I can be……