I Finished the First Draft

A few years ago, I took several online writing classes. In one of my classes, my teacher told us to think of each day that we wrote as adding a link to a chain. “Don’t break the chain,” she said. She learned of this thought process from another group of writers. 


Lamesha Junior in 2019


This message helped me challenge myself to write every day for seven days. Declaring this goal publicly, added more pressure than I expected. I found myself in a negative space. What if I don’t make my goal? Will I look like I’m all talk, no action? What if I I end up rushing to finish and the quality of my work goes down?

Well, it’s been seven days and… I finished the first draft. Yay! If I could do a toe touch to show my excitement, I would. 

Three Tips to Finish a First Draft

Positive Vibes Only

After I expressed every negative thing that could happen, I moved from  that space. I told myself that I would finish the first draft. Achieving my goal was the only option.


Pacing

I paced myself. After a day, I calculated how many hours I needed to allot each day to finish my manuscript. I scheduled in those hours each day. 


Listen to Your Heart

I love writing. I love my characters. It was beyond time for their raw story to be finished. So I wrote from my heart and stayed focused on my characters.

On to the Next

I’m looking forward to starting draft two. What’s one tip you have for revising your manuscript?

xo
Lamesha


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