4 Tips for Writing a Quick First Draft

NanowrimoNational Novel Writing Month starts in three weeks! For those who don’t know what this is, you can go to the NaNoWriMo site here and learn all about it. The point is to write a 50,000 word novel between Nov. 1 and Nov. 30. I think it’s great for discipline and for getting that first draft out. A terrific way to stop procrastinating and just do it!

Of course, in many cases, 50,000 words isn’t going to be an entire novel. If you’re planning a longer book, it’s okay. You can write the skeleton of a novel, then fill it out later, or write roughly half of your novel by the end of November, whatever 50k words turns out to be. You have to get to 50k, though — that’s the point.

So let’s talk about writing a first draft. Today I want to address a couple of things I think are pretty important when you’re sitting down to a blank screen. Keep in mind we’re all different and we have unique strategies that work for us; these are general tips meant to be helpful. If they don’t work for you, throw them out.

Click to the Books & Such blog to read the entire post.

 

Rachelle Gardner

Literary agent at Gardner Literary. Coffee & wine enthusiast (not at the same time) and dark chocolate connoisseur. I've worked in publishing since 1995 and I love talking about books!

3 Comments

  1. Industrial packing visakhapatnam on November 20, 2012 at 2:31 AM

    You can write the skeleton of a novel, then fill it out later, or write roughly half of your novel by the end of November, whatever 50k words turns out to be.



  2. R. Jaylan Phoenix on October 18, 2012 at 5:30 PM

    Wow!It’s utterly inconceivable to me to write that much in that time. In an unrelated question, is directly publishing a work to ebook (ie Kindle) shooting yourself in the foot for later efforts to market it to traditional publishing?



  3. The List List #28 | BOOK RIOT on October 12, 2012 at 10:15 AM

    […] at Rachelle Gardner’s Blog, 4 Tips for Writing a Quick First Draft […]