Behind the Scenes Part I: Sloppy Firsts
Since I'm actively writing Ohio Rusties Hockey #4, I thought I'd give you a peek at how my books come to be.
Some people write pretty, almost press-ready first drafts. I am not that person.
I'm a firm believer in the, uh, crappy first draft. Here's why.
My characters tell me who they are. Even if I think I know my characters when I start, they always grow and change in the first draft. With Rusties #4, I went in with not much idea about Harlan and Emma, other than that Harlan is kind of a pain in the ass (said affectionately) and Emma is a single mom and the team chef. I'm more than halfway through their first draft and I'm still learning things about them.
I let myself drive into a wall. With first drafts, I make all the mistakes. I write myself into a corner, make a note about what needs to change, and move on. I don't hyperanalyze what I've already written. I overwrite spicy scenes, which I know some of you think is impossible, but it's a thing. Typos are abundant and unchecked. I turn off all notifications and judgment, and let 'er rip.
I make notes of the beats I hit on notecards. As I'm going, I write each scene on a notecard. As the story develops, I can look at what needs more meat and what needs to go in round 2.
My first drafts are short. I get in, get the basic ideas down, go into detail where I want to, and get out. My first drafts run around 50,000 to 60,000 words. My completed books are usually 85,000 to 100,000 words. Growth from draft 1 to draft 2 is massive.
This time, I'm trying something new. I typically draft into my formatting software, Vellum. For someone who writes a crapton of text messages, it cuts out an annoying step. Now, I treated myself to a Freewrite, which is a device with no web browser, email, or trackpad, just a Kindle paperwhite-style screen and a keyboard. I usually only let myself work on one book at a time, but the Freewrite has given me the freedom to float between three different works. I've gotten a lot more words in without the bells and whistles of a regular laptop to distract me.
Are they good words? We'll find out when I get to my second draft, because that, my friends, is where the real magic happens.
Need to catch up on or revisit the Ohio Rusties series? Check out each couple below.
