If You're Writing a Book, Here's My Advice

I'm a firm believer in the idea that if someone feels compelled to write a story, they should probably write the story. I'm an even bigger believer in the idea that if you've got enough motivation that you have started drafting your story, you CAN finish it. I also believe that finishing a first draft is the absolute hardest part of the book-creation process. 

Here's why.

Most people have had the idea at one time or another that they want to write a book. They may even have an outline or a pretty well developed idea for the plot or characters. Most of these people will play around all day with the idea of writing a book. They'll talk to people about it. They'll do hours upon hours of research for their book. They'll travel to places that they would like their book to be based on. And most of these people never write a single word for their first draft. 

Let's say that they do start drafting. Maybe they get a few paragraphs, a few pages, or even a few chapters in. Their drafting process is slow, and arduous, and eventually, self-doubt gets the better of them, and they stop writing. The idea was there, and they even started drafting. Perhaps they still even feel passionate about the story they want to tell. But the writing stops. This happens to most of the people who try writing a book.

It's not because they had a bad idea. It's not because they're a bad writer, or that they're not good enough to complete the story. It's not even because life got in the way (most of the time). 

If this sounds familiar to you, if you've wanted to write a book or have even started writing a book but are struggling to finish your first draft, here is my advice to you in this stage of the writing process. Below you'll find four tips that I have seen work for myself and for others who have tussled with the same writing troubles. Some of these tips are easier to implement than others, but ALL of them have the potential to help you get that first draft finished.

1. Write. Yes, outlining is important. Research is important. Marketing on social media is important. But if you're not writing, if you're not putting words on the page, your draft will not be finished, and all these other things will be for naught. Write your ideas down when you have them. Write often, so you can keep your momentum flowing. 

2. Make notes to yourself within your draft. You can take them out later, but they're so helpful to have so you remember where to pick up after a break, or so you don't have to go back and re-read a bunch of stuff to know where you were going. They're also very helpful to keep you from coming up against writer's block. Making notes to yourself like, "BREY, YOU NEED TO COME BACK AND WRITE THIS SCENE. HERE'S A GENERAL IDEA OF WHAT YOU WANT." or "BREY, YOU'RE STRUGGLING WITH DIALOGUE HERE. WHAT WOULD THEY SAY? COME BACK AND WRITE THIS PART LATER." Doing this allows you to put down your general ideas so you can remember what you wanted later, without getting stuck staring at a blank page and waiting for the magic to happen for a scene or a piece that's not ready yet.

I also find it tremendously helpful to write a quick sentence or two about what I want to focus on next time. It might look like, "BREY, NEXT TIME, HAVE YOUR CHARACTERS TALK ABOUT THIS, OR DO THIS THING." Sometimes I even get a whole little chapter outline this way.

Every single time I've done this, when I finish the draft and go back to look over my notes, I've been able to answer to these notes much more methodically, much more carefully, with much more detail, because I know where the story went afterward, and now I can make some really cool connections. We all have stuff we struggle with when it comes to our writing. The key is to keep going. Leave a note, and come back. DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT WHILE YOU'RE DRAFTING.

3. DO NOT EDIT OR EVEN RE-READ YOUR DRAFT WHILE YOU'RE DRAFTING IT. I mean it. I know there are a lot of people out there who say they can edit a book while they're drafting. I believe them. They can do that. I used to be one of them. But here's the difference. If you're editing while you're writing, then much of your precious writing time will be spent going back to look at stuff you've already read. This makes writing that first draft take sooooo much longer, and that initial edit you did while you were writing does not (and should not) replace the editing that will come after the draft has been completed. The reason for this is because you don't yet have all your scenes. You don't have all your dialogue. You may not even know for sure where the story will end up, or how your characters will react. If you save your editing for AFTER you've finished your first draft, you'll be able to make much more meaningful edits, and it will save you so much time. 

Another thing that happens when we edit while we're drafting is that our obnoxious companion, imposter syndrome, kicks in hard. We look at our words and hate them, or at least dislike them because they should be better. We kick ourselves for not being able to write a story perfectly from the first attempt. But... nobody writes a perfect story at the first attempt. That's why we have editors. That's why we have beta readers. The purpose of drafting is to vomit all the words on the page, to spill the story as it comes out, so that you have something complete to model and refine. 

I edited my first book as I wrote it. It took me five years to complete the first draft. When I published it, I found out it was still riddled with errors, even though I had also done some editing after my draft was complete. While you're drafting, I highly recommend that your attention be on drafting, and on leaving yourself notes for things you want to check on, research, come back and reword, etc., so you can do it later. 

4. Don't find time. MAKE time, and make it consistently. I hear this a lot. "I want to write, but I just can't find the time." or "I hope I can find time to work on my manuscript this weekend." Guess what? Time isn't hiding from you. And I know this one all too well, as I still find myself saying this in particularly busy weeks. I still find myself wishing for more time, or wishing that I could wake up in the morning before my kiddo does so I could start my day with writing. Wishing is very different from doing. I know that there are mornings I just won't be able to make it happen. I know that my son is a very light sleeper, and if he hears me getting up in the morning, he'll just be up. It's nearly impossible to find time to write. 

But. 

I do have some control over my schedule. I can make time. If I have five minutes to scroll on my phone after dinner, I have five minutes of writing time. If my son goes to bed earlier than usual, I can make time to write. And, something that I've started to do more frequently, I can set aside ten, or twenty, or thirty minutes of writing time before or after work, while I'm still in my office. This has actually been really nice, because I'm not staying up super late into the night trying to get my writing in for the day. If for any reason this doesn't work out, then I know I want to make extra time in the evening, or add some extra time in the next day. 

My challenge to you, dear writers, is to make time for it, if it's something you want, and do it consistently. Pay attention to idle times, and utilize them. Even if you only have five minutes and you only get three sentences down. That's three more sentences than you had before. Three more sentences that will build you toward the end of your first draft. Plus, if you're doing #2 already and make notes inside your draft, that five minutes can go a long way, because you won't have to sit and wonder what you're supposed to be working on next.

Remember, first drafts are supposed to be messy. The challenge is finishing it. Then you can fix it. You can do it. You can finish that draft, if you want to. Just keep going. 

​Until next time, keep writing! Stay awesome. :)