It's Done!
Thoughts on Crossing the First Draft Finish Line
Good morning writers! This post is going up a few hours later than usual because I took the weekend off from writing anything, including this Substack. Why? Because I spent the three days before that finishing the first draft of my new project!
After weeks filled with a few hundred words typed out over the days, I took advantage of a snow day and some motivation from another author finishing her first draft too, and powered through with two, 3,000+ word days to get the thing done. I was honestly a bit annoyed. Why couldn’t I churn out 3,000 word days everyday and get this thing done sooner? I think it’s a special kind of motivation that gets you laser focused when you’re so close to the end, like seeing the finish line of your race in the distance.
I think the most surprising thing for me was the sense of accomplishment I felt while typing “End.” (Symbolic, sure, but you gotta do it, especially at the end of the first draft!) My debut novel will publish in less than three months, but finishing the first draft of a new book is still so exciting to me. It’s a tangible accomplishment, and for now, only mine. I did this big thing all by myself. A first draft is new and exciting, and full of possibility.
So what’s next? I really wanted to get this draft finished before the holidays so it wasn’t hanging over my head and I could focus on all that extra stuff I have going on this time of year (decorating, cards, gifts, baking, parties, concerts…) I also like to let a draft sit untouched for a few weeks so I can come back to it with fresh eyes, so timing it to be finished before the holidays worked out great for me! Now, in the New Year, I’ll come back to re-read it and start doing a developmental edit.
Much like drafting, every writer’s editing process looks different. I’ll probably give Matt Bell’s book, Refuse to Be Done, a re-read before I dive back int to edit, and I always like to print out these early drafts so I can highlight problems and scribble notes in the margins. I print it double spaced so I have lots of room to play.
But, back to the draft. How does it compare to all that prep work I did in the early months of the year? I took some minor deviations from the outline, but nothing that derailed it completely. The changes were also character based, which is my favorite way to stray off course. As annoying as it is in the moment, when you just want to get your words on the page, I do actually love reading through a scene synopsis and saying, “He wouldn’t do that.”
The biggest difference from my plan to my first complete draft is my word count. In the beginning, before I wrote a single word, I estimated my finished word count would be around 115,000 words, based on the number of chapters I had and my previous writing. But it’s true, every book is different. I over estimated my word count, instead finishing with a draft around 105,000 words.
In the grand scheme of things, I don’t think ending up 10,000 words short is too bad. I know my last act, the final 25% of my book is about 10,000 words less than the first three quarters. I also know that last quarter is probably lacking in descriptive elements that I will go back and layer in on my edit round. I don’t want to force my draft up to 115,000 words just to make my numbers work, and in fact I’d be happy to have the next draft land closer to that 105,000 words.
In edits, I’m not going to be focusing on the word count, just on developing what needs to be developed and trimming what needs to be trimmed. The hope is that the shape of the story shakes out into what it’s supposed to be, maybe slimming down in the first half and expanding in the second to create a more balanced pacing. I also don’t mind a story that’s a little heavier in the beginning with the setup and a little lighter when it’s speeding toward the finale.
All things considered, I’m happy with my draft. I’m happy its complete and that now, I get to improve the words I wrote. It’s an exciting next step in the writing journey, and I’m glad I’ll have a new story and new characters to focus on as the publishing of my debut grows closer.