Posted on by Desiree S. Brown

First Drafts…Ugh!

Write-Drunk-Edit-Sober-Ernest-HemingwayWith furious keystrokes, an overload of coffee, and a bit of determination I FINISHED my April/July NaNo novel yesterday. However, the next emotion that wafted over me wasn’t elation or relief.

I didn’t get that feeling you get after running a marathon or winning a hot dog eating contest.

I actually felt like this was just the beginning.

…And it is.

First drafts are just warm up stretches for the real run. Or, as Chuck Wendig calls them, “creative vomit.”

Still, I’m happy I got through the slush pile!

Now it’s all a matter of letting the manuscript rest—and then editing it. Should be fun.

Hope you all did good on your NaNo writing this month!

12 Replies to “First Drafts…Ugh!”

    1. Desiree S. Brown – Earth, USA – I'm a fiction writer with common writer aspirations: selling/sharing my work, gaining tons of fans, world domination—strictly in that order.
      Desiree B says:

      True..maybe I’ll go stuff my face with some barbecue 🙂

      Reply
  2. booksandbark – I write. I read. I also do some other things, like attending college and sleeping and watching copious amounts of late '90s sitcoms on Netflix.
    sabrinawolfheart says:

    I actually edited for Camp NaNoWriMo, and I met my word-count today. I finished my novel in April, and I totally get what you mean. When I finished I want feeling, “I finished!” I was feeling, “Oh my God, I get to edit now!” Editing’s hard, believe me. But I think it can be so worth it 🙂

    Reply
    1. Desiree S. Brown – Earth, USA – I'm a fiction writer with common writer aspirations: selling/sharing my work, gaining tons of fans, world domination—strictly in that order.
      Desiree B says:

      I agree! I hope that in the end I’ll have a decent little gem. 🙂

      Congrats to you too btw.

      Reply
  3. Carol J Forrester – Carol J Forrester lives in Cheshire with her husband and daughter. Her poems explore mythology, feminism, family, and agriculture (sometimes simultaneously.) Individual poems have been published by 'Ink Sweat & Tears', 'Hencroft Hub', 'The Daily Drunk', 'Riverbed Review', 'Fieldstone Review' and 'The Drabble'. Her short story A Visit From The Fortune Teller was published by Ink Pantry in 2015. For The Love Of Jellyfish And Sharks was a Selected Finalist in the 2020 London Independent Story Prize. Her debut collection It's All In The Blood (2019) is available through Amazon.
    caroljforrester says:

    Work killed my writing this month, but I did get going again and I’m working on my novels more regularly so that’s a good thing. Good luck with the next stage, it’s good to hear you’re getting somewhere.

    Reply
    1. Desiree S. Brown – Earth, USA – I'm a fiction writer with common writer aspirations: selling/sharing my work, gaining tons of fans, world domination—strictly in that order.
      Desiree B says:

      Ugh life…it always seems to get in the way, right? (lol!)

      The way I see it, as long as you wrote something it counts as a win! Good luck to you to 🙂

      Reply
  4. arya0127 – California – Arya Natarajan is a biology student, journal enthusiast, and pterosaur lover from California who loves discussing and dissecting all kinds of music. Some of her favorite existences include those of her violin, leopard sharks, funnel cakes, and Ralph Ellison.
    thatnerdyartaddict says:

    Congrats!! I still have a good 5,000 words left to write, so this entire weekend is gonna be taken up in that 😛

    Reply
    1. Desiree S. Brown – Earth, USA – I'm a fiction writer with common writer aspirations: selling/sharing my work, gaining tons of fans, world domination—strictly in that order.
      Desiree B says:

      Thanks and you can do it!

      Reply
  5. D. Emery Bunn – New Mexico – D. Emery Bunn is an author, editor, and engineer, though his pile of interests keep on getting larger. He got his start on writing thanks to National Novel Writing Month, and is an avid supporter of free culture, the power of writing, and the creative arts. Darkness Concealed is his first novel, but he will be working on the sequel and a cyberpunk short story collection. He lives at his home in Clovis, New Mexico.
    D. Emery Bunn says:

    Congrats on finishing it, and I know your pain. My entire process revolves around throwing entire sections (up to and including the entire draft) out and starting over with the same idea. So knowing that what I write first draft wise is just going to get thrown out makes it hard.

    But then I see what happens when I let that process take hold. I had the delightful pleasure of someone reading the three drafts of my novel’s prologue. First draft was “eh, needs some serious help.” Second was “pretty good.” Third? “Holy #@$*!” Just pushing past that “aw man, this is slop” means you can make it a gleaming gem.

    Reply
    1. Desiree S. Brown – Earth, USA – I'm a fiction writer with common writer aspirations: selling/sharing my work, gaining tons of fans, world domination—strictly in that order.
      Desiree B says:

      You pretty much described my editing process, lol!

      I have a project (which I started in 2012 NaNoWriMo) that I’ve rewritten five times! And, like you said, with each rewrite I saw an improvement (maybe because I now understand my characters better).

      Thanks for the inspiration! Now I’m looking forward to the revision process 😀

      Reply
  6. viktoryarch – Welcome to Manuscript Tunes with variety angles in the writing, reading and listening.... Feel free to comment and connect! https://followingthegoldenquill.wordpress.com BY VIK TORY ARCH
    viktoryarch says:

    Congrats.

    Reply

  7. Congrats on finishing! 😀 You got to celebrate that achievement before moving onto the next stage.

    The first draft is always an interesting time, I generally cringe as I read back through it. But then, that’s the point, right? The first draft is just about getting it down onto paper, no matter what it reads like. You can sort it all out later!

    Reply

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