After the First Draft
Finishing a first draft, whether it's a short story, novel, or script, is always a triumphant experience. You've set out to create something - to populate a blank sheet of paper with words - and you overcome so many obstacles to get there. Lack of time. Creative roadblocks. Doubt. And so many more that are personal to each writer.
Getting through all of those things is a triumph. Having a first draft feels incredible. Every writer that reaches this level should feel proud. It's an accomplishment and many people that set out be become writers never finish a draft. Having a first draft is a big deal.
It is, however, only the beginning.
The transformation from first draft to published work is dramatic. The real, nitty gritty work happens once the first draft is submitted. It doesn't matter how carefully planned and plotted your piece was in the pre-writing phase and how closely the first draft aligns to the initial idea, a tremendous amount of work still remains.
This shouldn't be daunting at all. This is where the fun begins. First of all, you get to share the first draft with others. These others should be talented and honest, because your first draft needs honest feedback. If you're lucky enough to have an editor on it, be prepared to have your first draft returned to you in a very wounded state. Don't worry. It's supposed to be. Secondly, you really discover what your work is in the editing and rewriting stages. What do you want to say? What's important about the characters? Who are the characters? Do the story beats work? How can this piece of literature best reflect you as a writer?
All of these questions, and many more, are answered after you complete the first draft.
I'm about to begin the editing/rewriting phase of my next project, which means I just finished the first draft. It feels incredible to be done, but the real work is about to start. The script, for an original graphic novel, is something I'm very proud of, though I'm not fooling myself to believe that it's anywhere close to being "done". It will need a few more passes before the artist will read it. But that's what's exciting.
The first draft is complete. The story it will become, however, is just getting started.
Getting through all of those things is a triumph. Having a first draft feels incredible. Every writer that reaches this level should feel proud. It's an accomplishment and many people that set out be become writers never finish a draft. Having a first draft is a big deal.
It is, however, only the beginning.
The transformation from first draft to published work is dramatic. The real, nitty gritty work happens once the first draft is submitted. It doesn't matter how carefully planned and plotted your piece was in the pre-writing phase and how closely the first draft aligns to the initial idea, a tremendous amount of work still remains.
This shouldn't be daunting at all. This is where the fun begins. First of all, you get to share the first draft with others. These others should be talented and honest, because your first draft needs honest feedback. If you're lucky enough to have an editor on it, be prepared to have your first draft returned to you in a very wounded state. Don't worry. It's supposed to be. Secondly, you really discover what your work is in the editing and rewriting stages. What do you want to say? What's important about the characters? Who are the characters? Do the story beats work? How can this piece of literature best reflect you as a writer?
All of these questions, and many more, are answered after you complete the first draft.
I'm about to begin the editing/rewriting phase of my next project, which means I just finished the first draft. It feels incredible to be done, but the real work is about to start. The script, for an original graphic novel, is something I'm very proud of, though I'm not fooling myself to believe that it's anywhere close to being "done". It will need a few more passes before the artist will read it. But that's what's exciting.
The first draft is complete. The story it will become, however, is just getting started.
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