What must be included in your first draft?
What should be included in your first draft? Writing the first draft of a book is incredibly difficult. So much so that many authors are not yet finalizing their first draft. Why is this? And how can we prevent this from preventing us from writing our first drafts?
Every author who has ever written a book has written a first draft for this story – and it is highly unlikely that the first draft was the final draft.
Of course, you have a hard time remembering this when reading a published book. Authors don't often see the first or even second (maybe more!) Drafts of a book. Just the end product.
However, behind every great story there is a beginning – and in every beginning there are elements that we as writers need to achieve. There are also elements that just hold us back.
In this post, I'm going to cover the three elements that you need to include in your first draft and the three elements that will only slow down or stop your writing process.
A story is ugly before it is made beautiful
Writers are all perfectionists among them.
Have you ever sat at your desk to start a book and dreamed of the perfect final project? See it shiny and bound on the shelves of your favorite bookstore? You have probably envisioned bringing this book to life and writing it in all its glory. I'm sure you dreamed it would hit stores.
I have news for you – this is the perfect book Not the book you are going to write.
Not yet.
You see, there is a misconception, especially among new writers, that the book of your hopes and dreams is the one that will materialize as you write.
Often times, this dream is quickly dashed when a writer starts putting pen to paper (or finger on keyboard) and realizes that the story is not going quite the way he imagined. Maybe these dramatic scenes come out dry and boring. Perhaps the beautiful language that came to them in the shower turns out to be stilted and uncomfortable.
This, as you can imagine, can be quite daunting.
However, this does not have to be the case. Many new writers have said goodbye to promising books because that first draft didn't magically become the perfect bestseller they wanted. But the truth is that the first draft was never meant to be a final project.
The first draft is just that – a first Design. The first attempt, the ugly before the beautiful.
The stepping stone that brings you closer to this luminous manuscript.
In this post, we're going to look at three things to expect in your first draft – and three things not to do. All of this will help you get your first draft done quickly so you can work on the revisions that will make it what it needs to be before it burns out.
What is a first draft? A visual example
Before we start, I want to show you something. A few years ago I attended a Studio Ghibli themed art exhibition in a small art shop / gallery. It was a lot of work, but it was great fun. Here they hang on the gallery wall:
I was very proud of how these pieces turned out. They looked great and received some compliments. I even sold three of the four pieces at the fair.
While this wasn't a significant gain, I was happy to say I was an artist who sold art. What you see here, however, is the end product, which is the equivalent of a shiny new book on the shelf. A few weeks before the show, they looked like this:
As you can see, there is nothing here but general shapes and ideas. The arrangement of the four pieces wasn't even in the order I filed them because I originally thought the large shapes could sit in a diamond formation.
Two of them were eventually flipped over to mirror-image versions. I had no idea what the color scheme would look like at the time and wasn't even sure if these were the four designs I would stick with.
You can use this rough picture to get an idea of what the final product is could be intact, but with only the basic essential elements. It provides a glimpse into the final version, but at the end of the process it could look completely different.
This, my friends, is a first draft of a manuscript.
You may have a plan – but that original idea could change even if the framework of the story remains the same.
But how do you know when you've written a solid first draft? What should a first draft do and what should be in a first draft to do it? These three elements.
3 items to include in your first draft
Now that we understand what a first draft should be, let's take a look at what you should really accomplish in writing a draft. To do this, we can reduce your first draft goals to three basic elements.
1. Tell the story
The most important achievement for your first draft is that it tells your story. A story should have a clear beginning, a clear middle, and a clear ending.
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The most important achievement for a first draft is getting it completed and having a whole story told. One that has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
Three main ideas that illustrate an actionable beginning, a middle middle, and an actionable end are:
- Beginning: You know how and why the protagonist is called on to an adventure (or there is a stimulating incident at the beginning of the book).
- Middle: There are conflicts that challenge the protagonist in the middle of the book (and that increase the stake of the story).
- End: There is a climatic moment at the end of the book that shows how the protagonist receives or does not receive their object of desire – or their desires and needs – until the end of the book
To put it simply: take you from point A to point B.
Structure is more important than beautiful language. Even if you've written your first draft entirely in short, simple sentences like “See Jane run,” completing a first draft is postponing a beginning, middle, and end with storyline events that cause a character to make decisions – which increase the stakes – a success.
An easy way to do this is to create one Event list for each of your books. Start with one major event at a time and then distill into smaller events. For example, the first round could be as simple as:
Start: Hero, who thought she was always a farmer, finds out that she was indeed a hidden queen.
Middle: Hero goes through the difficult process of proving their kingship to the rest of the royal family in order to gain power and improve lives for the poor.
End: With a brilliant move she can prove her identity and the queen accepts her as the true queen.
Note that this list does not contain any details. There is nothing about how the heroine rounds off her identity, what challenges she faces, or how she ultimately proves herself. However, this is sufficient as a first step.
Once you've made a basic plot list like this, you can go back and add the events in each section. For example:
Start: Hero is a farmer. Her parents' friends, other farmers, often complain about taxes. Hero notes that her parents don't seem to be complaining.
One day she overhears her parents talking about being thankful for not paying taxes. The hero is confused. Hero continues digging.
Hero finds out that someone in the royal family is exempting their parents from taxes as a reward for their parents who are raising them in secret.
Now you have a more detailed list of events.
You can dig deeper into these tasks, and we'll cover this process in more detail in the future when we talk about planning the first stage. For now, think of this as the “rough sketch” that lies beneath your finished book. It's just a simple list, but without it there is no way you can move forward.
There is no getting around a first rough draft. It's okay if you don't already know all of the “perfect” details.
2. Adjust the sound
Clay is something that is difficult to plan. You can create any scene lists (a topic we'll cover later) and character biographies you want. However, once you start writing, the story often takes on a life of its own.
Perhaps what began as melancholy turns into irony, tragedy into comedy, light and wit becomes dark and moody, and a cowardly character suddenly finds the strength to become courageous.
A great way to determine the tone of your book is to observe how your characters react to tense situations and challenges. For example, let's say our main character's love interest has found a new lover. How does your MC react to this message?
If your instinct is to go home, lock yourself up, cry, and stare at the rain, the tone of your book could be dramatic and tragic.
In contrast, if their instinct is to take revenge and dye their hair a fun color that they then try to pass on with feigned confidence, your tone could be comedic.
Without the physical act of writing the book down, you will never fully understand what the tone will be like. This is a major reason why it is unreasonable and unrealistic to write a first draft that is perfect for publication.
Similar to a topic, simply telling your story from start to finish will help you find the tone you want to hit in future designs.
3. Get to know your characters
There's no better way to know your character than with this first draft.
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There's no better way to know your character than writing your first draft.
Trying to get to know your character through a pre-written bio sheet versus writing the first draft is like trying to know someone by looking at their Facebook profile rather than going on a long, adventurous journey with them. The only way to get to know someone so often is by looking at a list of facts.
However, when you travel with a friend – even one you don't really know before you travel (especially this type of friend) – you will learn how they live, what they eat, how they celebrate their successes, and how they around Mourn their loss, how reliable they are and how they react in times of danger.
The same goes for learning more about your characters as you write your first draft.
I learned that lesson when I was creating Donna “Astra” Ching, the protagonist of my upcoming novel Headspace.
I went into the first draft with a picture of her as a competent, independent young professional who bears full responsibility for her life. She had bought and furnished a beautiful new home, was doing well in her workspace, and was looking forward to starting her new life.
The story began in her living room, which she had just cleaned and decorated.
But as I continued to write, I realized that this wasn't quite who Astra was. She was definitely competent and independent, but this neat, neat lifestyle wasn't her. She enjoyed privacy and comfort, and her comfort did not necessarily come from a Martha Stewart-style home.
By the end of the book, Astra had become a slightly different person.
She became someone comfortable with her messy home, who prioritized her library decor while the rest of her house was neglected in the chaos of the move, and kept well-meaning to-do lists in her head, most of which she still had has not yet reached the end of the book.
Would you like to get to know Astra and its organized chaos? Headspace will be released in July 2021, but you can read it for free right now if you join my launch team! Send an email to admin@thewritepractice.com to let me know of your participation.
In retrospect, Astra's characterization in the first draft was quite different. But without writing the first draft, I would never have gotten to know her well enough to tell her story properly.
The more time you spend with your characters, the more you learn about them. This means you probably don't need to take your time describing every detail of your entire cast before you write. Even if you do, some of these details may change as you write your book.
As you write, try to ask yourself the following questions:
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Is the way these characters behave realistic? In my case, it seemed like some 20 year olds could neatly build a new house once they moved in, but most are probably okay with messing it up for a while.
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Is the way this character behaves relatable? Just like the answer above – Astra is a more reliable young woman by giving herself some leeway for her organization.
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Is this character acting out of instinct or out of a social or perceived obligation? The well-kept home felt more like an unrealistic expectation, and Astra wasn't one that lived up to expectations.
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Does it make me happy to write the character like this? I was much happier to see Astra rearranging their pretty little library while the rest of the house was in a mess, like it's something I and a number of people around me would do.
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Does this behavior match how the character makes decisions for the rest of the story? Astra doesn't care about other people's expectations and did what it thought was right. This continues in the rest of the book.
It can be scary to dive into the story and hope that it will unfold your characters, but this could be exactly the conversation starter you need to really get to know them.
3 things not to worry about in your first draft
Believe it or not, understanding the elements that you have is just as important should not Focus on this in your first draft. Trying to achieve these elements will only frustrate you and make you believe that your story will never be as good as you imagined it to be. You will outdo yourself at writing and may suffer from low self-esteem or burnout.
Let's take a look at what Not to make you do that to do Finish your first draft.
This mainly involves letting go of three "perfect" elements in your story:
1. Language and detail
The first draft is Not where to try to train your inner Shakespeare. This is not the time or place to write beautiful sentences, use big words, or experiment with flowery language.
Remember, the goal of the first draft is to tell your story, and excessive attention to pretty words will only distract and frustrate you, especially since much of it is likely to get truncated as you edit and rewrite.
If you struggle with a sentence while writing, ask yourself: does that sentence advance the story or develop character?
If so, write it down as simply as you can.
For example:
John lost his father's watch, which was the only thing left when his father was at war.
This is enough to explain what the watch means without going into detail about what type of watch it is, what war his father fought in, or how he lost it. These details can be explored in vivid scenes and beautiful details in the future.
If you find yourself trying to fill in a complicated detail, such as: For example, what type of watch soldiers used when writing a first draft during WWII, you probably don't need to write it.
2. Character development
This may sound strange because I just said that the first draft is the place to get to know your character, but listen to me: you need to get to know your characters. you Not have to force their development.
In order not to get obsessed with it, write the story and let go of it where it likes. That way, you'll develop your characters based on your instincts, rather than ticking boxes that you think should be filled in.
Don't try to force your characters to develop in a certain way or to force certain personality traits or backstories. For example, let's return to your character's love interest in finding a new lover to understand why.
Given this example, you may originally have wanted them to have a lonely episode of grief with a bottle of vodka, but as they neared the liquor store you felt like there is a nightclub next door that they would rather go to. Follow this instinct and see where it takes you.
If the scene doesn't work, you can always come back to the Liqour Store later.
Overall, the first draft is where your characters should be free to guide. Allow yourself to be free and explore where your characters are taking you.
Instead of trying to cram your characters in a box, write the story you want to write – even if some of the details turn out to be wild and indulgent.
Don't be afraid to ask a character what they really want.
And if they give you an answer, don't be afraid to listen.
3. Fix the plot holes
Why not focus on fixing plot holes in the first draft? Because clogging action holes can be frustrating, and the effort that goes into them can derail a train of thought when you're on a reel.
Imagine you're writing a big, action-packed scene. Your heroes are running from their enemies towards their ship, when suddenly a huge chasm appears in the ground. They run and run – but how do they come across?
How?
You are not sure.
You pause to think about it. Now everyone stands around on the scene waiting for you to make a decision. Jump? Can you find a bridge? Does one of the heroes have a secret device?
How did you even get this device?
But you've never mentioned the gadget, and now it's going to sound like it came out of the blue. To avoid this, you need to go back and add the gadget elsewhere in history before you forget it exists. Now all the heroes and villains are turning their thumbs in front of this abyss and waiting for you to finish the scene.
You need setups that pay off big in your story, but sometimes the best are discovered in draft two instead of draft one. You may know some of your attitudes before the story begins, and you will likely incorporate these into your first draft of the plot.
But there will likely also be times when you spot a plot hole and just have to let go of it – until the second draft. Stopping to fix them takes too much time and this distracts your creative process.
You do not want that.
Instead of focusing on plot holes, make a note in a light color or bold type. "You are bridging this gap.Or put a note in brackets (see above).
You can also add it to your revision list (which we'll discuss in a future post) for later. In fact, I encourage this. Make a note of it, then move on to the story. Finish the scene. You will likely feel better solving this problem in a place where it will not be forgotten – but also so that you can now forget about it and get on with your design.
You will thank them for it later.
Plot holes can be filled in future designs. Better yet, if you continue to develop your story to find better solutions to these problems.
This will likely save you time too, as your plot (and other details) will likely change as your story changes. If you're wasting your time on a plot hole that may not even exist in the long run, it's not worth fixing until later in your writing process.
Your first draft won't be perfect
Your first draft is likely to come out ugly. It's imperfect, it's messy, and there is a chance that it is full of spelling and grammatical errors and that any script "doesn't" exist.
But that's fine, because that's what a first draft should look like. Even better, no one has to see your first draft unless you ask them to read it. There's nothing to be ashamed of if it's not your best design.
It won't be your best design, but it will is Your first step in constructing your future polished design.
In truth, I've never let anyone see my first drafts. If I can help, the first draft of Headspace will never see the light of day.
However, if you can accept that this is the nature of the first draft, then you have overcome your first block. Instead of focusing on perfection, you now know that all you have to do is focus on what lies ahead: the story, the tone and getting to know your characters.
Once you have overcome this hurdle, you will be able to use the tools that I will provide you with in this series more efficiently. And all of these steps get easier the more you practice applying them to your first design process.
In the next post in this series, we'll take a first look at these tools and prepare to plan that ugly first draft.
Planning is a great next step – now that you understand what to look for in your first draft and what to avoid (yet).
Which of the three elements are you struggling to achieve in your first draft? Why do you think you're struggling with this? Let us know in the comments.
WORK OUT
Today it's all about quick planning.
For fifteen minutes, write the big ideas for the beginning, middle, and ending of the story idea you worked on with this series (How to Write Faster). That way, you can come up with a small plan for your first draft and set a goal to work with until you have completed it.
When you finish your first draft, you can also focus on the other two elements that will be needed in your first draft. However, these are best discovered while writing your manuscript – tone and characters.
When you're done, don't forget to include your beginning, middle, and ending in the comments for feedback. And if you could, comment on someone else's post too!
