In my painful experiences, I have learned that the number 1 problem with creating a first draft of a story (more often than not) is pushing away boredom from the actual process of writing. If you’ve done all your homework correctly, then you have a pretty good idea of the scenes you want to write and have even created an outline of your story. You’ve gathered reference material and have dozens of imagined images in your head of various story scenes. You even have stories that stimulate your imagination, schedules that show you don’t have to write everything at once, and you’ve even gone the extra mile in finding a place to write where you will not be distracted.

Yet, when you sit down to write, you want to do anything but write. You check the news first, your email first, your work project first, your book reading first, your marketing work first, your workout first, your house chores first – ANYTHING – just to keep away from drafting your story. When you do start drafting, you write a little bit and then feel tired of it.

For me, the second draft is always MUCH more invigorating. That’s when the excitement really begins. The best part about the first draft is beginning the first chapter. Finding the right beginning is a thrill. Then, the slogging begins from there and only seems to worsen until the very last few pages of your story.

I wish I could give a less glaring solution to this problem, but sometimes, the most glaring solution actually is the right one.

WRITE YOUR FIRST DRAFT QUICKLY

Don’t become discouraged, and don’t edit even one sentence until it is finished. Just write it out. Let your story take whatever form it can from all the material you have gathered previously about it. Then, when you revise it, you can truly make your story better than what you originally envisioned.

Here’s the other clincher tip: Writing a first draft can be a lot like running. When you run, the goal is to think of anything else but running. Let your mind think about the finish line, about the great distance you’ve covered, about the trees or scenery around you, about the story you were reading the previous night, about the comfort of your running shoes, etc. Many times, when you are actually doing the writing, it’s best to be thinking about anything but trying to force the words. You have to think about what’s next in the story, but then let your mind think about the great number of pages you’ve written, the way the ink rolls onto the page or the way the cursor flashes (I write most of my first drafts with pen and paper), about the sounds you can here in the background, etc. Just make certain that all along, more words of your story are being written.

Your fellow writer,
Joshua Reynolds