Monday, October 27

Anything goes! Let's talk first drafts!

Yesterday, I finished the first draft of Behind the Bit, the third book in my Canterwood Crest series. When I hit the PRINT button, a happy nerd dance began! Sure, the draft is messy, there are INSERT WITTY DIALOGUE HERE in place of actual conversation in some spots and the final scene needs more work.

But...

It's a draft and it's down! With this draft, I did my own sort of NaNoWriMo but in half the time. I started this draft with a 25 page outline on October 10 and finished it yesterday. It flowed so well and there were times when I couldn't stop writing.

Now, it's onto paper editing for a few weeks. I'll be glad not to be starting at my computer screen for most of the day.

How do you celebrate when you finish a first draft?

7 comments:

Lauren Baratz-Logsted said...

Yea for finishing your draft! I didn't used to celebrate at all. Mostly I'd just clean my office which gets impossibly chaotic while I'm writing a book. But back when my daughter was in kindergarten her class wrote me a letter on the completion of their own books. They said they planned to have popcorn and dance, and wanted to know what I did. I wrote back to them saying that from then on, thanks to them, I'd *dance.*

Alyson Noel said...

Um, I hate to admit this- but I clean my house. Sad and extremely unglamorous I know.

But for now on, I will dance as I clean- that way it will feel a little more celebratory!

BIG CONGRATS on finishing the first draft- that's always such a good feeling!

Sara Z. said...

One of my goals for my writing life is to learn how to celebrate. I'm so bad! I finish a draft and am happy for about three minutes then immediately begin the anxiety about why it probably sucks.

Melissa Walker said...

I'm the same as Sara, but I am going to try to be better. Right now, I have a bottle of champagne in the fridge and it's waiting for me to finish a proposal draft... it's calling my name!

PS-Jess, you are FAST!

Sara Hantz said...

Congrats on finishing your first draft. I don't tend to do anything to celebrate!!

Wendy Toliver said...

Like Sara, I have a huge dose of "This Sucks" anxiety, but I do tend to celebrate. My favorite things to do are go out to dinner, veg in front of the TV and not feel one bit guilty, and perhaps indulge in chocolate.

Congrat's on finishing draft one, my dear!

Gerb said...

I haven't really celebrated a first draft before, but after reading these comments, I think maybe I should! What usually happens is I clean my house and catch up on everything else I let go while pushing to get the draft done. I'll still do that out of necessity, but I think I'll take a moment for myself first from now on!

Congrats on your amazingly fast draft, Jessica!