Writing Drafts: What To Expect

 

The First Two Stages

 

    I'll be perfectly honest. I have made numerous mistakes as a writer, and my first draft was one of them. Or rather, I should say my lack of a first draft. Hopefully, this post will prevent you from making the same mistakes I did as a young writer.

   Unfortunately, when you write a novel, you can't just type it out and then go over it once to check for spelling and grammatical errors.  In order to write a decent book, you need to write several drafts, or preliminary versions of your book before you can begin to consider sending it out to beta readers or to a publishing house. My mistake was that I wrote my first draft and called it quits. Only minor modifications.

    That was a mistake, because the first draft is just one of many, and it is never the actual book.

   While there are a number of drafts in the process of writing a novel, the first draft, I find, is the one that most writers seem to have trouble with. Especially if they are perfectionists like myself. You see, the first draft is never meant to be the real story. It's all your ideas, everything you have in your head, sloppily transcribed onto a Word or Google document. There are going to be plot holes, inconsistencies, missing characters, and so much more. Your first draft is the unformed lump of clay. All your ideas, good and bad, squashed together and making almost no sense.

    The second draft (the stage I am currently going through in the writing of my own novel) is where you take that lump of clay - sticking to the metaphor here - and begin to slowly shape it into something new. It's where you begin to work out all that mumbo-jumbo that you wrote in the first draft. Also, don't expect your second draft to be a slight revision of the first. A lump of clay is never the same after the potter begins to mold it. Same thing with your second draft. It will be completely different than the first. With me, only a few chapters stayed relatively the same and I ended having to redo my magic system, add a whole other world, and rewrite seventeen to twenty chapters.

    What does this mean? Well it means this: Expect your first draft to be a mess. When you are writing your first draft, don't try and get it "right" or fix something whenever your run across an inconstancy or plot hole. Just write. Write out every idea and everything on your mind. Once you've finished your first draft and move on to the second, just be prepared to do a lot of editing because that's the way it's meant to be.

    Remember: first draft is the lump of clay - all your unpolished ideas. The second, is when you start to mold that lump into something totally new and amazing.

~Lydia R. Sherren

 

Quote For the Week

 

"Success Is Not Final. Failure Is Not Fatal: It Is The Courage To Continue That Counts."

                                    - Winston Churchill 

 

Sources For Authors

 

Recommendations For Writers

 

YouTube Channels:

 

Bethany Atazadeh - Detailed and helpful videos about indie publishing from a thriving indie author. Atazadeh shares important information on marketing, publishing, book releasing, and so much more. 

 

Book Launchers - Short, helpful videos on various topics for aspiring indie authors

Krystalle Bianca - A helpful channel for getting an honest, inside-look into the life of a young writer and her process to publishing her first book. 

Heart Breathings - Great for writers who thrive in an organized environment. This is not a Christian resource, so there is the possibility of offensive language and/or questionable topics in the content. Viewer discretion is advised.

The Rebel Christian - A refreshing channel just starting up that fantasy writers would find insightful. Thus far the channel has delved into areas like magic systems, world building, and redemption arcs.

Derek Murphy - Provides a wealth of information on all sorts of topics for authors. From cover design, to publishing he has you covered. This is not a Christian resource, so there is the possibility of offensive language and/or questionable topics content. View discretion is advised. 

Books:

A Novel Idea By Angela Hunt et al. - A marvelous compilation of writing advice from numerous best-selling authors. From writing characters, to plotting, to composing your first cover letter these talented writers give their sage advice. You'll also find encouraging faith tidbits and some comic relief that makes you want to sit down and pick up your pen. This book is a wealth of information and though it might be an investment, I assure you its the best one you'll probably ever make in your writing career.

Templates:

DIY Book Formats by Derek Murphy. - These templates have been such a blessing! Great for indie authors or those who are visual and work better writing their book in a traditional format. By going to: www.diybookformats.com you can download FREE book templates for Microsoft Word. That's right, no fee is required and you can write your your novel in the typical book format. All you have to do is fill in the template with your own words. Also, cover DIY book templates are available for free, and Derek Murphy has uploaded several tutorials on his YouTube channel (see above) for how to work on both templates. However, you must have at least a solid understanding of how to use Microsoft World before trying out these templates. I thought I knew Word pretty well, and I still had to learn a lot through trial-and-error. Nevertheless, these templates are well laid out and extremely helpful. 

 

Map Builders:

Inkarnate - A great site for making realistic fantasy maps that you can use for commercial purposes. However, the free version of Inkarnate has incredibly limited resources, so I advise paying for the pro version. Depending on how long you will need to work on your map, you could pay monthly or yearly, and the prices are quite reasonable. Try the free version out first to ensure that Inkarnate will work for you. There are multiple tutorials on YouTube and if you have any questions, there is support right at hand. Inkarnate also has a Discord server where you can talk with advisors and other creators to get ideas and further assistance. 

 

Hopefully some of these resources proved helpful, and happy writing.

 

-Lydia R. Sherren

 

 

Quote For The Week

 

 

"If you write one story, it may be bad; if you write a hundred, you have the odds in your favor."

 ~ Edgar Rice Burroughs

Marketing Your Book: The Text

 

Your Text Appearance Matters 

   

  Sometimes we get so stuck on formatting the cover of our book, we forget that the internal layout of the book is also crucial. The fonts you use, design, and even artwork that goes into your book has to be carefully thought through.

 

    Generally, the font you use for the title of a chapter or subheading is tied to the font you used on the front cover - or at least, one of the fonts you used on your front cover design. With all the fonts out there, it's easy to get sidetracked and pick several pretty designs, but you need to be consistent and give yourself only a handful of fonts to work with. 

 

    The font you use for your text doesn't have to be the standard (Times New Roman), as a matter of fact, if you browse through the genres, you will find that different text fonts are used depending on the genre. The style of your text is one of the elements of your book that should immerse the reader into the world or story that you have created. For example, if you are writing a thriller novel, use body text that is unique, and maybe a little bold or chilling. This could create a sense of anticipation in your reader, which is required for a thrilling piece of literature. 

    It's totally safe to experiment with different fonts until you find one you like, and it's totally fine if you end up choosing a font in the final stages of your editing - it's one of the things that can wait till the end. Meanwhile, while you're writing, get a general feel for you novel, and that will give you ideas for the style you want your text to be in. 

    If you want to take it a step further, you might want to add some pieces of artwork or a standard design. Whether it be a pattern in the top left corner of your page or a little motif under the chapter header, you need to be careful with how you present your added elements. Don't add too many effects, or else the reader will become so sidetracked by the pretty filigree and swirls that they might find it hard to focus on the actual text of the book. 

 

    What you are essentially looking for when it comes to layout is something that reflects the book in a simple and enticing way for the reader. Limit yourself to a design or a few fonts that encourage the reader to continue reading your work and that allows them to enter into the world you have created. 

 

   ~Lydia R. Sherren 

Quote For The Week

                                                                                 

"Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way."

                                                                                              -  E. L. Doctorow