Your First Draft Is Garbage

[@markmaynard6218]

Whenever I get blocked, I give myself permission to write garbage. I find that it helps remove my writers block. However, temporary that may be.

[@jasondoroughauthor]

Allowing yourself that permission can really be a game changer!

[@greendragonpublishing]

For me, the first draft is scaffolding. I build the walls in the second draft, then the roof and the door/windows in the third, and the decor in the fourth.

[@jasondoroughauthor]

I like that metaphor! I’ll have to think about how the way I do it could map to that house building model.

[@greendragonpublishing]

@@jasondoroughauthor I seriously gloss over scene setting and interiority in draft one and race for the finish line. My second draft is 15-20% longer than my first.

[@BlackDoveNYC]

I think this is more true if you are a discovery/“pantser”. If you’re an outliner/plotter your first will need refining of course but it won’t be “garbage”.

[@jasondoroughauthor]

I'm almost 100% an outliner, and, while my first draft usually has a pretty solid underlying structure, the draft itself is absolutely garbage the first time through. I don't linger on the best way to word things, getting all the sensory details right, and finding the perfect lines for dialogue. I just pour the words out as fast and as sloppily as I can, so that I can get that draft finished as quickly as possible. I don't worry about making any of it actually presentable until after that initial pouring of words is finished.

[@bookcaseofdoom]

This is so hard to remember though. I've been stuck on chapter 6 of my favourite story for almost a year and I just can't keep going. I can't let myself just write whatever to move to the parts I know. Frustrating...

[@jasondoroughauthor]

I totally understand. Have you tried just skipping ahead and writing the scenes out of order so that you can get the ones you know done first? That’s how I drafted the book I’m editing now, and it worked really well for keeping me going!

[@bookcaseofdoom]

@@jasondoroughauthor i should probably try that 🙂 my brain is infested with OCD goblins.

[@jasondoroughauthor]

Let me know if you’re able to get this to work! Good luck!!

[@bookcaseofdoom]

@@jasondoroughauthor thank you! I hope i can get this story done :)

[@glacia15]

I finished my first draft and it was only 30 pages lol!! I dont know how to expand it without making it too long. Like how long should my chapters be?? any advice?

[@jasondoroughauthor]

There's no set length for scenes, chapters, or books. It can depend a lot on your genre, and it mostly depends on the story you're telling. If you've told a satisfying story with pacing, dialogue, and details you and your readers like within 30 pages, maybe what you were writing was better suited to a shorter form than a novel! But there's a lot of variability to length, so I'd recommend reading through and seeing where the story feels like it's too long or too short and evaluating based on that.

[@tkmiller_author]

I'm not convinced they exist except in the shadows. 🤔

[@jasondoroughauthor]

You make a convincing argument!