D is for Draft

This year for the A-Z Challenge, I'm attempting to act like I know what I'm talking about and offering advice about writing.  Let's see how I do!

Also, don't forget to stop by the Parallels blog to see more posts about the upcoming anthology, which will be available on May 3rd!

As writers, we have to accept that multiple drafts of any story or novel are going to be required.  A lot of new writers despair when they hear this, and I can understand.  Finishing your initial draft is hard and time consuming enough.  Having to go through that more than once can seem daunting.  People give up on their writing aspirations for many reasons, and the sheer size of the task of creating a story or novel is one of them.

Who among us hasn’t looked at a first draft and lamented at how badly it seemed to be going?  I have.  It’s incredibly frustrating.  Sometimes we just want to give up.  While there are certainly times when a story isn’t working out, there are also plenty of times when we’re being too hard on ourselves.

I have a suggestion.  Accept that the first draft may be no good.  It may be riddled with issues.  That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t stick with it.  If the story still calls to you, keep working at it.  Finish the first, flawed draft, then be willing to dive back in and make it work.  It’s part of the life of the writer.