The first few days of writing were not like I had anticipated. When I prepared for the time off work to hammer out the first draft, I envisioned writing at least 4,000 words a day right out of the gate. I had the ambition of putting together a complete first draft before the end of the month, and while I continue to hold myself to that, I now know that it might not happen quite as I had hoped, and that's okay.
I spent the first few days tackling some additional tasks, including some DIY projects for myself and Christmas gifts for some of my loved ones. I only ended up writing around 1,000 words in those days. However, by the third day, when I came to terms with more realistic expectations and fretted less about the quality of the first draft (which I shouldn't be doing anyway), things became much better. Presently, I am already at 5,000 words.
One thing I have realized in putting out this first draft is I will need to do lots of additional work. There is a chance that this story will be more akin to a novella rather than an entire novel, and that's fine with me.
At this moment, I am reminded of a quote from one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman, "The whole purpose of the second draft is to make it look like you knew what you were doing all along."
I shall be taking that to heart over the next week. With luck, I'll have a firm foundation to build better upon.
Thank you for tuning in. Please be sure to check in every Friday for more updates.
Let's see what happens!
Comments