Cover to Cover III: Owning a First Draft

manuscriptThis is my third entry in my Cover to Cover series which follows a novel from inception to potential publication. It’s interesting to note since I started doing this, my novel has changed quite significantly. Most notable is that I completed a first draft last month.

If you’ve ever completed a long first draft, then you know how time-consuming and rewarding it can be to type “The End.” I was elated. It’s done, right? Well, no. The dreaded edit comes next. However, sometimes just getting the first draft down can be quite a slog for many writers.

So how do you get from inkling of an idea to a completed first draft? I’ll tell you how I did it and hopefully it will be of some help to others.

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Why You Should Burn Your NaNoWriMo Novel

If you’re reading this, NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is over and you have one of the following in your quivering, coffee-stained hands:

  1. A string of nonsensical words that closely resemble the ramblings of a mad centaur.
  2. 50,000 words that are mostly just alternations of “I hate this” or “Crap!”
  3. A pretty solid attempt at something that might be considered a novel someday, somewhere, somehow.
  4. Something ready to be published, by George!

I’m assuming none of your answers are #4. If your answer is #4, then you’re a more talented and braver soul than I could ever be. Good luck to you and your prodigious career as the most awesome writer who ever lived.

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