THE EARLY DRAFTS
• Because early drafts are messy and experimental, they can be frustrating. There are moments, as I’m writing, where I wonder if it will ever come into focus. Keeping the faith, therefore, that it will eventually work out is essential.• I have a voice in my head that I call my Negative Editor. It is a critical voice and one that I banish during the early drafts of a piece. It is• Dissatisfaction is what drives revision, and there is a lot of dissatisfaction for me during these early drafts. It helps to remember that being irritated and unhappy with the piece during this stage is a natural part of the process and that the piece will improve as I continue to work on it. It also helps to remember that no one but me will see it, so I play around, try to have fun, and I don’t edit out potentially good ideas during this part of the process.• Pay attention to your characters. If a scene isn’t working, rather than force the character into that plot point, try putting them somewhere else and see if that works better.• I do not share my work during the Early Draft stage. I don’t even talk about it with anyone. These early stages of creativity are quite delicate, and showing a draft to people too early can make me want to quit.• These first drafts tend to get long. That’s OK. As I get to know my characters and uncover the pulse of the story, I am adding things in. The early drafting phase is one where my story is expanding.
