Welcome to my brand new monthly post From Rachael's Desk! This month it's all about what to do once you've written your first draft.
Congratulations! You’ve written a
book and added those magical words ‘the end’ and that achievement alone
deserves celebration. Whether you have just taken part in NaNoWriMo or have
been writing for many months, the fact that you have finished the first draft
is amazing.
So, go celebrate. Then come back – because even though you’ve
written ‘the end’ you’re not finished yet!
Before I became published, this
is something it took me a long time to accept. That, and the fact that first
drafts are not perfect. I would tie myself in knots, deleting words I’d typed
because they were not good enough instead of moving forward with the story. I was
convinced I was a rubbish writer because I couldn’t create the perfect
paragraph, let alone the perfect story, first time. My first drafts were a
garbled mess.
Now I know better. I know and accept
that first drafts aren’t meant to brilliantly crafted pieces of writing. They
are simply the process of getting everything from within you, the writer, onto
the page. The first draft is merely an assembly of words with which you will
create your story later, during the editing and revising process ahead of
submission.
Once you’ve accepted that a first
draft is not carved in stone, that the words within it can be changed, deleted,
added to or moved, it’s time to look at how to deal with that jumble of
ramblings which make up your first draft. Here are my tips for turning that
first draft into a submission ready piece of writing. All of them apply to
whatever genre you write and no matter how long or short.
1.
The first thing you need to do is to step away
from the manuscript. Yes, that’s right. Step away. Walk away and don’t look at
it. I would suggest at least two weeks, more if you have the time.
Why? Doing this gives you space from the story, from the
words that are drafted on you page. It
will give you thinking time. When you return to your first draft your mind will
be refreshed and the story will appear either new to you.
The time you have given yourself to create distance from
the jumble of words that poured on the page will also allow you to see those
glaring plot holes you happily skipped over in the first draft.
Whatever you think of it now, good or bad, you must
remind yourself it’s still a first draft, or a dirty draft as it’s sometimes
called.
2.
Once you’ve taken time away from your story, print
out the manuscript. This is something I find really useful as reading the story
on the computer screen is so very different to reading it on a printed page. It’s
amazing how you can read something on the screen, yet it appears completely
different when it’s on a piece of paper. For me it also allows anything from
silly spelling mistakes to massive continuity issues to show up.
For best results ensure your printed copy is double
spaced so there is plenty of room for notes. It’s also a good idea to have a
note book for exploring things you will need to include in the story. If you
are anything like me, that note book will have to meet specific criteria! If
you have made notes whilst writing your first draft, like time lines, character
studies, gather these up. Arm yourself with coloured pens, sticky notes and
anything else which will help you pull together the threads within the first
draft. This is a time when my desk becomes strewn, even very messy, with
colourful sticky notes and pens!
3.
Armed with your printed copy, start reading.
Read the full manuscript, jotting down any issues you stumble across either in
your notebook or in the margin of the manuscript. Once this is done you can go
back and read scene by scene, chapter by chapter, using your earlier notes as
reference.
Here are some of the things you need to ask yourself.
Does each scene move the story forward? Do your characters achieve their goal?
Are there any glaring plot holes – major inconsistency in the story which is totally
out of place? Is it possible that you have not made the most of a scene or even
missed it out completely? Are there moments when you’ve told the story, now
shown it to the reader?
All of these are things to consider when you are reading
the manuscript and a notebook comes in very useful.
4.
All those notes made, either on the manuscript
or in a notebook will now offer you all the prompts you need as you begin to
work on that manuscript. Take it a scene at a time. Ensure that scene counts
and above all, moves the story forward.
Do this stage as many times as you feel necessary.
Starting each time with a revised print out of the manuscript. There isn’t a
right or wrong number of times required to do this. It will depend on you and your story.
5.
Once you are happy you have made the necessary
revisions to the manuscript it’s time to read it again. For this stage I find
it useful to send the manuscript to my kindle, offering me a new reading
experience for the story. Whilst reading it I will check for smaller
inconsistencies.
Inconsistencies such as your character suddenly having a
change of eye colour. Or a minor character finding themselves with a new name.
They sound silly things, but they are so easy to do when you are in the throes
of creating your first draft!
Also look again for spelling and grammar errors. They
really are the hardest things to find!
One final thing to watch for as you read the end of this
reading session, is that all minor threads are stitched up neatly. For
instance, the reader will want to know what happened to that minor character
which flitted into one of your scenes. You know, the one you had completely forgotten
about by the time you reached the end of your story!
6.
Now it’s time to send your manuscript to your
critique partner or beta reader if you are lucky enough to have one. Collate
your reader’s notes so that you can make any final changes as you once more
revise the manuscript.
By now, you will have a
well-polished story. A submission that is ready to go to land on an editor’s
desk. An editor’s job is to be that magical fresh pair of eyes who will help
you make your words into the very best story they can be – which means yet more
revisions! This isn’t bad at all. If you are striving for publication and get
any kind of feedback from an editor, it is like striking gold. And if you are
published, it’s the invaluable advice to ensure your readers will enjoy your
new book as much, or even more, than the last book.
It’s also worth remembering that
there is not a right or wrong way to revise your first draft, just as there is
not a correct number of times to do it. Each writer is different and certain
techniques work for some and not for others. This is the way I approach turning
my first draft into a manuscript ready for submission, but I always love to
hear how other do it!
I’ll be back early in January with another
post From Rachael’s Desk, so if there is a writing craft you want advice on,
let me in the comments and I will schedule it for 2019.
Rachael
xx
