Once you’ve reached the end of the first draft of your novel manuscript, it’s time to celebrate! This is a HUGE accomplishment, one that takes some writers decades to reach. You should celebrate! At this point, you should ignore how many steps of the writing process are yet to be worked through and take a break. For now, the bulk of the writing is done, and your brain needs some rest before making the shift into edit mode.
Silly image generated using AI. (The images just kept getting sillier the harder I tried.)
I know what you’re thinking: Wait, edit mode? But you said I was done!
Today’s message is a short one after we’ve spent several weeks covering the planning stage of the novel writing process. Now that we’ve covered the basics of writing a first draft of your novel, there’s only one thing left to say: sit down and do it! Start writing, and don’t stop until the end of your story is on the page!
Image generated using AI.
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National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is an annual creative writing challenge that takes place in November. The goal of NaNoWriMo is to write a 50,000-word novel draft in just 30 days, from November 1st to November 30th. Participating in this activity is a great way to build and maintain momentum. Plus, if you can write 50,000 words of your own novel draft in one month, you will be well on your way to finishing your novel in months rather than years.
NaNoWriMo is open to anyone who wants to participate, regardless of writing experience or genre preference. Participants can register on the NaNoWriMo website and connect with other writers in their local community or online for support and encouragement. The site also offers a word count tracker that helps you see how many words you need to write each day to stay on track.
During the planning stage of the novel writing process, you probably did a lot of research into your topic while you generated ideas and plotted your story structure. But now that you’re in the drafting stage of the novel writing process, all that needs to stop.
While research was welcome during the planning stage of the writing process, it’s not a good idea to try to conduct research during the drafting stage. Image generated using artificial intelligence.
Stopping to do research during the drafting process of writing a novel can be a distraction and slow down your progress. Here are some reasons why you may want to avoid stopping to do research while drafting:
Writing and editing involve different cognitive processes that use different parts of the brain. When you write, you typically use your creative and imaginative processes, which are associated with the right side of the brain. This involves generating new ideas, making connections between concepts, and visualizing scenes and characters.
Writing a novel can be like putting a puzzle together without knowing what the final product is supposed to look like. Image generated using artificial intelligence.
On the other hand, editing involves a more analytical and critical thinking process, which is associated with the left side of the brain. This involves evaluating the structure, pacing, and clarity of your writing, checking for errors in grammar and punctuation, and refining your prose to make it more effective and engaging. Editing your work during the drafting stage of the novel writing process can be counterproductive for a few reasons:
Momentum is crucial when writing a novel because it helps you to keep going and make progress. Writing a novel is a long and challenging process, and it can be easy to get discouraged or distracted along the way. Momentum helps you stay focused and motivated so you can keep making progress toward your goal of finishing the book. And that’s what this writing series is all about, isn’t it?
Momentum in the novel writing process is all about getting into that “flow state” where the words almost write themselves! Image generated using artificial intelligence.
When you have momentum, you are in the flow of writing, and the ideas and words tend to come more easily. You may find that you are able to write more quickly and efficiently when you have momentum, and that you are able to produce higher-quality writing as well. In addition, momentum can help you overcome the obstacles and challenges that inevitably arise during the writing process. For example, if you get stuck on a particular scene or chapter, having momentum can help you push through and keep writing, rather than giving up or getting discouraged.
Writing fast when creating the first draft of a novel can be beneficial for several reasons. First, writing quickly allows you to capture ideas as they flow, preventing them from slipping away. During the creative process, inspiration can strike unexpectedly, and writing fast enables you to record those ideas in the moment, preserving their freshness and vitality.
If you stop constantly during a race to check your hair and makeup, you’ll never finish the race! Don’t worry about your novel’s appearance while writing the first draft: just run toward the finish line as fast as you can! Image generated using artificial intelligence.
Writing quickly will also help you overcome writer’s block or the fear of a blank page. When you write rapidly, you minimize self-censorship and judgment, allowing your ideas to flow freely. This can help you bypass mental barriers and unleash your creativity.
I can tell you from years of experience with drafting novels that first drafts always suck. Don’t believe me? Read what the following authors have to say about writing the first draft of a novel:
The point of the first draft is not to write a good story. The point is to get the story out of your head and onto the page. You can worry about making it “good” later. Image generated by artificial intelligence.
“Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts.” – Anne Lamott
“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” – Terry Pratchett
“The first draft is nothing more than a starting point, so be wrong, break the rules, and start over as many times as you need.” – Jonathan Franzen”
The first draft of everything is terrible. Don’t worry, it’s meant to be.” – Chloe Benjamin”
A chapter summary for a novel is a detailed plan that outlines the key events, themes, and character development for each chapter of the book. It may include subplots that will add to the richness and complexity of the original story idea. You might even begin to add bits of description and dialog if the mood strikes. Think of these as little gold nuggets that will later help you buy your way back into your story at the start of each writing session.
The chapter summary provides a road map for writing your story. Image generated using artificial intelligence.
The chapter summary can be thought of as a roadmap or guide for the author to follow as they write the novel. A chapter summary can be helpful in keeping the author focused and organized and can also help to ensure that the story flows smoothly and logically from chapter to chapter.
Each section of a chapter outline typically includes the following elements:
A novel synopsis is a summary of the plot, characters, and themes of a novel. It typically provides an overview of the story without going into too much detail. A good novel synopsis should give the reader a sense of what the book is about, including the main conflict or challenge facing the characters, the setting, and any important themes or ideas explored in the story. It should be concise and engaging and should ideally make the reader want to read the book to find out more.
Aria plays the mystical instrument she discovered hidden deep within an ancient forest. Image generated using artificial intelligence.
The novel synopsis may also be used as a marketing tool to promote your book to potential readers, agents, or publishers. However, I also find it useful to write a first draft of a synopsis as part of the novel planning process.
Writing Sample
The following is a synopsis of a novel that we’ll call The Songbird’s Echo[1]which uses the Hero’s Journey story structure to move the story forward. Notice how the single sentences used in some of the previous outlines we explored have now been expanded to a couple of sentences for each section of the story’s structure. With each new assignment you complete in the planning process, you will come a little bit closer to having written your first draft!
Write on the World 