Reflecting On My First Draft
Reflecting On My First Draft
Intro
On July 1, 2021 I started the first draft of my YA fantasy Of Souls and Swords. A little more than two months later, on September 3, 2021, I finished it. I made this post because writing one book makes me qualified to give people advice on how to write theirs.
Okay, no, actually, this is going to be a short overview of what I experienced, what I learned, and what I’m going to do next!
Outlining
I did not do enough of this before the drafting stage. I’m a plantser, so I don’t need to plot everything in great detail, but I should have given more thought to major scenes. Draft 2 will also have a bulletpoint outline, which gives me more freedom to do what I want, but also lets me know what comes next. I’m definitely going to spend more time on outlining this time! The storyline is going to be completely different, too, with much more action and stakes.
Characters
The pantser side of me really went off with this one. For example, I had a character who was initially planned to be a villain, but I impulsively ended up changing her arc and making her part of the found family. I also spontaneously created a bunch of minor characters to support the MC.
One mistake I made was focusing too much on my main character and neglecting the rest of my cast and their arcs. I’m planning on including dual POVs in draft 2, so I’ll definitely have to work on that. I need to improve on fleshing out my characters, but overall I’m pretty happy with my cast and their dynamics, and definitely their banter!
From draft 1 to draft 2, quite a bit is going to change in the characters’ relationships. For one, I’m replacing the friends to lovers trope with the rivals to lovers trope. I’m also going to pepper in some tropes I love (aka “hurt her and you die,” knife-to-throat, and “who did this to you”) because it’s my book and I pick my coping mechanisms (/hj, /lh).
Worldbuilding
I really regret not putting more effort into the worldbuilding stage. When I was writing, I didn’t know basic things about my fantasy world, like the climate, common building materials, and the sophistication of technology. I’ve learned my lesson this time! Plus, the worldbuilding is going to change drastically from draft 1 to draft 2.
Motivation
Writing daily or almost daily kept me accountable because I normally don't do that (of course, this doesn't work for everyone)! It also helped me get into a writing habit. Making playlists for my OCs also helped me get in the mood when I was about to write my book.
Goals also kept me motivated. When I reached my original word count goal, at 35,000 words, I was happy. When I surpassed it and ended at nearly 50,000 words, I was completely shocked! I’m not saying to underestimate yourself, but it helps to make a goal you know you can meet because it helps you to keep going.
The biggest motivator for me, though, was other people. I’m so thankful to every person who ever expressed interest in what I was doing and I can safely say that without you guys, I wouldn’t be here!
Takeaway
I know I criticized myself a lot in this post, but I’m really proud of myself for writing a book (!!). Maybe I’m being a little dramatic, but I didn’t know when I would get to this point, if I ever did. It’s the first novel I’ve ever written. Is it presentable? Definitely not. But can I make it better? Absolutely!
I’m already excited to start thinking about the changes that are going to happen in draft 2! This entire process has given me a lot of insight into my capabilities and I’m so grateful to have such a supportive community that has my back!
More Posts from The-writer-muse and Others
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Quotes From My WIP
These are some of my favorite (non-spoilery) quotes from my WIP, Of Souls and Swords! Please be kind, and please do not plagiarize my work :)
Sword fighting looked great and all until you actually had to learn it.
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“I’m sorry I fought her.”
Bian raised her brows knowingly. “No, you’re not. You’re just sorry you got caught.”
I laughed. “You know me too well."
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“Where. Were. You?” The last word was punctuated by a pillow in my face.
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“Remind me why I tolerate you?”
“My entertainment value. Why else?”
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“Not another word from you. I have a deadly weapon and I’m not afraid to use it.”
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“My mother had a lot to say about you.”
“Only good things, I hope?”
"She called you immature, irresponsible, a practitioner of evil magic, and a poor excuse for a soldier.”
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Maybe my true home wasn’t in places, but in people.
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“Revenge is a concept for the living.”
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If we were a storm, I was thunder and she was rain—perfectly matched, perfectly balanced, perfectly opposite.
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I’d never thought about it before, but I saw with sudden clarity just how young I was to be experiencing any of this helplessness and fear.
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If they wanted me to fight, I would show them battle.
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I wasn’t born to respect. I was born to rebel.
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“Trust me as I have trusted you."
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I looked away from him, studying the high iron gates that guarded the camps. From here they looked like living things, like snakes rising up on stakes, ready to strike.
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"But even the hardest stone weathers over time."
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“Every fortress has a weakness.”
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This must have been what it was like to be a phoenix, rising high and higher on wings of flame. This was what it was like to live and die in the same breath.
So what's the point of living if you don't dance in the rain, if you don't take yourself on dates or sit silently in your room binge watching or reading or literally doing anything you love. Remember, no one other than you can heal and love and complete yourself
fuck it. be creative even if you never really *make* anything. write out plot synopses of stories and then move on. design OCs you'll never use. make mood boards and concept art and don't do anything with them. life's too short to forget everything that inspired you and creation doesn't have to be "complete" to be worth the time you put into it.
me, sternly, to a blank google doc: i have written hundreds of thousands of words over the course of my life. you won’t defeat me.
the cursor, blinking: |
this is your daily reminder not to correct other people’s grammar if they’re not asking you to, especially if it’s something they can’t help :)
{Juansen Dizon, I Am The Architect of My Own Destruction page 24/ Anaïs Nin, The Diary of Anaïs Nin, Vol. 6: 1955-1966/ Alice Hoffman, The Red Garden/ Anaïs Nin, from The Diary of Anaïs Nin, Vol. 5: 1947-1955/ Haruki Murakami: Norwegian Wood, page 276/ Michael Ondaatje/ Catherynne M. Valente, The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden/ D.H. Lawrence, from The Complete Works; The Plumbed Serpent/ Jean-Paul Sartre, from No Exit/ Alice Notley, from In The Pines: Poems; "In The Pines,"}
Don't you sometimes get an absolutely extrodinary, mind blowing, such an awesome idea for a story, but you just don't have enough skill level to pull it off?
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