The first draft

The first draft - surely the best part of writing?  This is where you can have all the fun; this is where you can get all those ideas down and worry about whether they're right or not later.  This has got to be the easiest part of the whole writing process, right?

Well it should be.  Of course it doesn't always work out that way. In a previous post I mentioned how I deliberated over a particular chapter and whether or not it should be included in the book, now when I look back I realise I should have ditched all the deliberation and just gone with it.  There would be plenty of time during the re-writing and editing process to decide whether it should stay or not.  Sometimes, also you've got to see it in print before you really get to feel whether it's right for the story and you can't do that unless you write it!
The first draft should all be about getting the bones of the story down, getting a feel for the basic outline.  Adding the flesh comes later!  Too much pondering at this stage is a bit of a waste of time.  Just get that first draft done and then you can pontificate all you like!  After all, the first draft is never, ever, ever, ever the final edit, so go for it, write from the heart and let it all come out.

I suppose you could argue that the more time you spend on the first draft, the less time you'll need in the editing, and as some writers seem to find this the worst part  this may be a good thing.  Personally I quite enjoy the fleshing out and fine tuning part.  I find it quite satisfying somehow, although I am still guilty of spending too much time worrying about the first draft.  It's hard not to sometimes.  This is your little creation, you want it to be perfect!
 The thing to remember is that there are lot's of parts of the self publishing process that are really difficult and not a lot of fun - like marketing, still not really doing all that I should here - so we need to make the most of the fun bits.  Enjoy your first draft; no one is going to see it but you; no one is going to judge it but you and you will know best whether you have achieved what you set out to do.

Happy writing!

Kim