How To Finish That Pesky First Draft

Writing the first draft is one of the hardest parts of the writing process. It drains you of all your energy, makes you question everything, and throws you into every nearby plot hole like nobody's business. Self-doubt creeps around every corner and it can sometimes feel like there's no end in sight.

Did you know, out of every 1,000 people who start a book, only 30 actually complete it? And out of those 1,000 people, only 6 will actually publish it.

The figures can be disheartening, sure, but you can write the book if you put your mind to it and persevere. I've listed my top tips on how you can finish that pesky first draft and set your sights on finishing your book!

1. Watch where you're walking

Neil Gaiman once said that writing a book is like driving in the dark. You can only see a metre in front of you but you can make the whole journey like that.

This is very true but... its also important to know what your destination is instead of aimlessly driving in the dark. Finishing a first draft is so much easier when you have an outline by your side. It's like a cheatsheet that you can look to for guidance at any point.

Are you ever stumped on how to finish a scene, clueless on where your story is going, or stumbling into plot holes every other page? An outline will solve that!

2. Consistency is key

I will forever be an advocate of habit over motivation. Writing is a muscle and it needs to be exercised regularly (the only exercise I regularly do, that's for sure).

Having the motivation to write is extremely rare (unless you're one of the lucky few and, if so, tell me all of your secrets)! For most of us, summoning inspiration is like trying to drag Satan from the depths of hell. It's isn't going to happen easily.

You need to make writing a habit, until it feel strange if you don't write. It takes 21 days to create a habit. Carve out some time in your day to write and stick to it. It doesn't need to be hours and hours. Even ten or twenty minutes a day will speed up your progress massively. It can be a difficult task but, once you have that habit ingrained into your schedule, writing will become so much easier.

3. Walk before you run

I've said it before and I'll say it again. If you aim to write thousands of words a day... it's unlikely you're ever going to reach that. All you're going to achieve is burnout and feeling awful about not reaching your goals.

Instead, create manageable targets. 300 words a day. You'll find that it's easier to reach and you'll end up writing more!

If a word count target doesn't work for you, try going scene by scene. When you sit down at your laptop to start your writing for the day, aim to reach a certain scene or chapter by the end of the writing session. That means, instead of watching the word count increase and clocking off the second you reach it, you'll be encouraged to finish a scene or complete a chapter and you'll find you're writing more.

Another thing that always helps me finish a first draft is tracking your progress. You've set realistic goals, great, but there's more to it than just patting yourself on the back at the end of every day. Create a spreadsheet tracker, tick of the chapters as you complete them, treat yourself after so many words. If you create little incentives (even if it's just the satisfaction of ticking off another chapter on your to-do list) it will boost your serotonin and keep you chasing for that small high!

4. It's not a pantomime. Don't look behind you.

Do not edit. I repeat. Do not edit.

How do you ever expect to make it through your first draft when you're constantly looking behind you and tweaking the scenes you've just written?

Editing whilst you write works for some people but... those people are few and far between. For the majority of us, editing will simply slow you down and make you obsessively focus on the small details that aren't important yet.

Lock away your inner editor. They'll have their time to shine eventually but your first draft is not that moment.

5. Pick any direction you want

A lot of writers draft their novels chronologically. They work through chapter by chapter and make it through the entire first draft that way. I am one of these writers. I find it so much easier to track where I am in the story and what the characters are going through when I ease through the journey with them in chronological order.

But that doesn't mean you have to write like this. Many people find it easier to jump between chapters. If you get stuck on a chapter... skip it. If you don't know how a certain scene ends, skip to the next one and fill in the blanks later.

While it isn't my preferred strategy, that doesn't mean it won't work for you. Writing is all about experimenting to find what is easiest for you. We all have a different writing process and these are usually created through trial and error and testing what other writers do.

6. Do you even care?

This one may seem harsh but hear me out.

Finishing a first draft is a huge challenge and maintaining motivation can be tricky. What has really helped me through every single book I've written is that I have a fierce passion for what I'm writing about. Whether it's meaningful representation I want to share, or a moral that is close to my heart, or social commentary that I infuse into the story, it fuels my desire to write. Whenever I'm having an off day or struggling to get the words down onto paper, I remind myself of what I want to achieve with my story, the message I want to share with the world, and it inspires me to write again.

You need to care about your book in order to finish it. There's no point writing according to trends or what you think other people want to read. Write what you care about, what you're passionate about, and I promise other people will love it as much as you do. Readers can tell if you don't care about your story and, if you don't love it, neither will they.

Finishing your first draft can be challenging but as long as you set manageable goals and don't burn yourself out, you can do it!

Do you have any tips for finishing a first draft? Let me know in the comments!