DRAFTING:  The exciting phase

For me, starting a new book is exciting. From the onset of my first ideas for a story and characters, to mapping out plot points, scenes to include, and possible endings, I find getting down that first rough draft feels like an adventure. I focus on one scene at a time and let my imagination take flight.

Although I outline and plan to some degree, I can’t wait for my characters to take the lead and propel me on their journey, constantly surprising me with their twists and turns. I constantly ask myself, “What if…” Just when I think I know what will happen next, my story often takes me in new directions. 

So what can scare a writer from the daunting challenge of starting. I mean, write a whole book? Yikes, right?

This Stephen King quote from his book, “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft”, is one of my favorite writing gems:

“The scariest moment is always just before you start.”

Just write something…anything. This is the first draft. It doesn’t have to be good. It just has to exist. Everything can be fixed and polished in revision.

REVISING:  The satisfying phase

Usually, after I complete my first draft, I pop it into a drawer for a few days and let the dust settle. In a notebook, I scribble down any questions that I may want to address or things I might look out for when I finally face reading the story I’ve written.

This next draft still won’t be the final book, but now I can think about the book’s theme, the POV I’ve chosen, scenes I may want to add or delete, plot arcs and character arcs, and any details I need to research. This stage of revision can take a long time, longer than writing the draft, but it’s building the solid foundation on which my book will stand.

Once I feel ready, the next phase is to submit this draft to beta readers and await their feedback. It’s helpful to ask them to answer questions you have about the draft. Usually, beta readers are expected to return their feedback within 4-6 weeks.

Now it’s time to go through all the feedback and address whatever resonates with you for your book.

When that step is done, it’s time for a line edit and copy edit, focusing first on the language of the prose, and then the spelling and grammar.

Finally the draft that will be subbed out needs to be proofread.

That satisfying feeling of seeing the metamorphosis of that sloppy telling of the story in the rough draft to what now reads like a real book makes all the time and effort so worth it.