Today is Day 5 of NaNoWriMo. I’ve eaten a lot of gummy bears, drank a bit too much coffee, and written not nearly enough words. But I’ve having a ton of fun and I’m falling in love with the story I’m writing. I’m remembering why I’m a writer: I love writing.
However, there’s something I have to remember as I write a rough draft for the first time in, like, two years. (I’m not counting the half-completed, abandoned writing projects I’ve worked on since then.)
Here’s the thing: I’ve spent the last six months/ year working on EDITING a novel. And the idea with re-writing/editing a novel is that you take this horrible lump of story and make it into something that doesn’t entirely suck. You have a fairly high standard for the quality of the narrative, because it’s a SECOND or THIRD draft.
But when you write a rough draft of a story, it is supposed to suck.
So this is your reminder that you are allowed to have an awful, horrible, terrible, no-good, very bad rough draft. That’s what rough drafts are. I just re-discovered this video today by Actual Published Author, Maureen Johnson, and I thought it was a fitting sentiment for NaNo. Enjoy.
In addition, my Brit Lit professor recommended this phenomenal article for us to read. (There’s a tiny bit of language, but it’s well worth the read.)
I’m sending you all creative vibes as you write or edit or rest this month. Remember that the rough draft is just you telling yourself the story. Feel free to friend me on NaNoWriMo; my username is SharpieBeth. See you all next week!
