Comments on: Sloppy Firsts

By: lunch hour links for writers – 1/6/10 « helluo librorum

lunch hour links for writers – 1/6/10 « helluo librorum — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:25:20 +0000

[...] Beginning any novel is a terrifying first step for some writers, so we’ll lead this week’s links with Anna Elliott’s post where she talks about beginnings with Sloppy Firsts. [...]

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By: Writer Unboxed » Blog Archive » Dating Your Characters

Writer Unboxed » Blog Archive » Dating Your Characters — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:02:12 +0000

[...] in October, I blogged about sloppy firsts: how terrifying it is to begin that clumsy first draft of a book. And now I’m there: in the [...]

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By: Kathleen Irene Paterka

Kathleen Irene Paterka — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:41:47 +0000

Hi Anna,

I’m currently working on the rough draft of my seventh manuscript, which is proving just as difficult as the first. It doesn’t get any easier, does it? Makes me cringe to think about it. But you could have been reading my mind with your comment about “loving my characters … spending time with them every day … hearing them talk to me, tell me their stories … love them too much to give up on them before they’ve reached the ending … they’ve decided on.”

And you’re SO right about how scary it is, pushing on into uncharted territory with that first draft. But as writers, we have no choice, do we? No matter how many rewrites, no matter how many edits, ultimately it’s what the characters deserve that continues to drive us, to getting it down right and telling the truth.

Sloppy first draft to polished completion.

Hard work. So worth it.

Thanks for the post!

-Kathleen Irene Paterka

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By: Edie

Edie — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:39:12 +0000

Your characters are counting on you to tell their story. Because no one else but you can.

I love that! It’s putting it in my quotes.

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By: Drafting a Pan of Lasagna « Darksculptures Thinks and Writes

Drafting a Pan of Lasagna « Darksculptures Thinks and Writes — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 09:44:56 +0000

[...] after reading Sloppy Firsts, by Anna Elliott on the writerunboxed blog page, I began thinking about the travails of that [...]

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By: Anna

Anna — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 02:12:11 +0000

Michael– “The worse the first draft is, the easier it is to revise”–I think in many ways that’s true. I always tell myself as I’m typing that clumsy first draft, You can always make this better. You can re-write it as many times as it takes, just get it down.

Debra–huge congratulations on the interests from agents! That’s a huge accomplishment right there.

Jessica–I’m just the same! my first drafts–and especially the first chapters of my first drafts–usually get thrown out, too. It makes starting a new project kind of daunting when I KNOW a fair bit of what I agonize over will only end up in the trash. And yet it’s all a step on the way to the actual final version.

Dwayne–I think the first 30 pages are the absolute hardest to write. So that’s fantastic if you’re pushing through them and are enjoying the writing journey. It definitely will feel great when you get to the end of the process–and it does get easier, I promise!

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By: Dwayne

Dwayne — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:42:21 +0000

Wow.

Great post! And so, so true.

While many here are talking about finishing their first draft, I’ve just begun mine.

And the re-reads are painful. The prose is bland, the characters don’t sparkle like they did in my mind; who stole my plot?; etc., etc.

But I’m willing to push through it.

And even though I haven’t even completed 30 manuscript pages, I know in my heart it will feel good once I get to the end of this process.

For now, I’m just enjoying the journey.

Dwayne

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By: Jessica Scott

Jessica Scott — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:29:31 +0000

More often than not, my first drafts end up getting thrown out, if not completely than almost completely. I think I’m making progress in that the last two revisions I’ve done, I’ve gotten to keep about 1/4 of the book. Prior to that, though, the last two books were completely trashed but for a paragraph.
First drafts are daunting but the real task for me isn’t even rewriting. The hard part is digging in and finding the way to smooth out all the pieces and make the story flow.
It’s a real challenge but its worth it in the end to have a shiny finished product that’s worthwhile to send out.
Great post and one I really needed today as I get ready to dig back into revisions once more…

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By: Debra Schubert

Debra Schubert — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 04:16:14 +0000

Wonderful post! The process of writing a first draft vs revising are such different beasts. I’m 2/3 of the way through my current YA wip while editing a women’s fiction novel I have three agents waiting to read. I’m sure I feel like most writers do. If only I could clone myself…! Welcome to WU – I’m looking forward to reading more of your post. ;-)
.-= Debra Schubert´s last blog ..I Have Nothing More to Say…. BWAHAHAHAH!!!! and A Certifiable Dream Come True =-.

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By: Michael McGinnis

Michael McGinnis — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:37:08 +0000

The worse the first draft is, the easier it is to revise – assuming it makes any sense at all. When someone asks me for my opinion on polished work, I often don’t have an opinion.
.-= Michael McGinnis´s last blog ..Writing Blogs =-.

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