As some of you may know I am currently taking part in June Novel Writing Month in a bid to get the first draft of my novel finished. I used to be a serious edit-as-you go kind of person and it was getting me absolutely no where. I understand this does work for a lot of people but I found it restrictive.
Now I am in full swing again with this new form of speed writing. Still a little bit behind target but I am catching up, I have miraculously managed to write about 15,000 words in the last few days. I never thought that was even possible.
I know what is on paper is complete waffle but just sitting down at the laptop and bashing out a few thousand words each night has become a little ritualistic. Some evenings it is like pulling teeth but the point is if you keep going, something amazing happens and you start to form a story. Like magic.
I urge you all to give it a go. Here are my top tips for starting your first draft and hopefully finishing it (from someone who is still yet to reach the end!)
Plan ahead
Some writers like to plan out the plot meticulously however for me just thinking throughout the day what I will write about in the evening works well too. If you don’t like any form of planning, just sit down and let you mind wander as you type
Do NOT edit
This is crucial. Do not look back on what you have written. Yes the temptation is great but the moment you start going back and editing it is no longer your first draft. You are a writer and you have permission to produce a shitty first draft, make it sparkle during revision phase only.
Give yourself a break
Do not bring yourself down with the ‘this is rubbish’ and ‘No publisher will ever be interested’ talk. Also if you get tired then stop and take a break, don’t be a slave to the word count.
Switch off the phone
I can’t deal with distractions. Sometimes you don’t have a choice and you have to work around them however if you can sort out a quiet place to work then it will help you get in the zone.
Ignore Twitter/Facebook/Blogs
All too tempting to have a peak and see what other people are up to instead of facing a blank page
If faced with a stand-off against a blank page…
…. then walk away, get a drink or a bite to eat, go for a walk, anything. Just don’t sit there. The words are in your head, you just need to lure them out. Another tip if you’re in this predicament is to write garbage or about your day. It limbers up your mind.
The Write Kit 
Good advice Emma! I write the first draft from start to finish and edit afterwards.
Thanks Victoria. I can’t believe I never tried this method before JuNoWriMo, been working like a charm so far!
I usually write from start to finish. If I ever go back to read what I wrote it’s generally because I stepped away from the work for too long and I need to make sure of the mood my characters were in when I stopped. Your advice on avoiding distractions is really good. Congratulations on making progress on your goal.
I’m with you on that one, if I need to get back into it then that is the only time I go back and read everything again. And thank you 🙂
Great post. That is the most important lesson I learned from junowrimo is just get the words on the page. Deal with the rest later.
Thanks so much for following my blog and good luck with the rest of junowrimo – 9 days left.
Thank you. It’s crucial and never really occured to me before. I just wanted it all to be perfect… immediately! Which isn’t realistic at all.
Wow, just nine days left – now the pressure is really on. Nothing like writing to a deadline. Best of luck for you as well! Look forward to hearing how it all goes 🙂
Thank you for this. I also have a tendency to edit as I go. Usually it’s because I’m procrastinating on figuring out what to put down next. This was a good reminder to stop worrying about what you’re going to write, and just write it.
Hi Megan, glad you found this useful. It’s so hard not to read back on anything but found once I stopped reading things back the story really got going. Thank you for commenting and good luck with your novel!