I Finished a First Draft (For the First time!)

I Did It!

On August 21st of 2024, I sat down and began a project. A project that hat was enticing, I admit, but I had no intention of actually finishing it. At first. 

But after I took it to my writing coach (The Wonderful Rachel Giffin) everything changed. Rachel insisted this was the project I needed to focus on, and that this project would be my debut novel. And she was right.

I should slow down. The book isn't published yet, HOWEVER, the story has captivated both my mind and heart. So much so that, even when I was at my very worst, I couldn't stop writing. Aside from that one time Rachel put me on a writing ban for a week, but I digress. There hasn't been a single day, since August 21st, that I haven't thought about this story. There hasn't been a single day that I haven't worked on this novel in some way, shape, or form. Even if it was just exploring ideas in my head. And then lo and behold, on November 21st (exactly three months later, coincidentally) I finished my draft. Which is impeccable timing, if I do say so myself.

I never, in a millions years, saw myself where I am today. And while I'm still not finished smashing through my goals I have set for myself, I need to give myself a hefty pat on the back and take the time to acknowledge one thing:

I did it.

Something I had only ever fantasized about before in silly little daydreams came to life. Because I made it happen. And while I certainly didn't do it alone, I want to talk about my process with my work. The rest will come later.

The big question:

"Mars, how did you do it?"

This question has about a thousand answers. But I'll highlight the basics for you.

I found the tools and resources that were helpful and worked for me.

I paid attention to what I needed, what my writing needed, what helped my process, and what hurt it.

I kicked perfectionism, premature closure, and imposture syndrome to the curb - for good.

I set goals - even if they were bonkers and crazy - and I made progress. No matter how big or small, I kept going.

I let myself be inspired and nurtured my creativity.

I found a support system and connected with other writers. I put myself out there, even when I was scared. I did not let fear stop or consume me.

I listened to what my body, my creative mind, my writing, my friends, and my coach had to say about my project and process. I utilized the tools that I had to work with.

Then, before I knew it, I had a messy, yet beautiful, first draft. Because guess what? That's what first drafts are supposed to look like! That alone took me years to accept.

I owe all the credit in the world, not only to myself for doing it and writing the draft, but to the people who carried me through this journey. The people who saw everything firsthand. The good, bad, and the ugly. Because they were such a huge part of this, I'll be posting another blog soon all about it tomorrow. It will post at 3pm, EST on Thanksgiving. A collaborative piece with my brilliant, very best friend, Amy. Until then, let's better discuss everything else I mentioned.

One thing that my coach taught me that helped me come out on top of all of this was identifying my process and learning how to warp my negative headspace into a safe one. One that allowed me to make mistakes while channeling the good emotions that kept me excited and motivated to work on my draft. Highlighting how starting a new project and embracing new ideas felt helped me later during the times I wanted to give up. When I hated every idea that crossed my mind. Or when the idea of writing my story became a not-so-good thing. We've all been there. Understanding my emotions toward my work, figuring out why I felt the way I did, discovering and addressing the issue, then working toward a solution and getting myself back in that mindset I had when I first started writing the book is how I pushed through.

I used and purchased tools that helped me reform my writing for the better. This, as well as 1 on 1 support from Rachel and my friends, opened countless doors for me. It's crazy how much we already know about of craft that we don't realize we know- and that we aren't digging into and exploring enough. I was informed as I drafted for this novel that I was doing things that I didn't realize were actual writing techniques. After I started listening to my intuition, and opened myself up to learn about these things, I had newfound determination. Desire to see this book through to the end. And all of a sudden, my natural instincts with my draft became skills and tools that I had learned. I used these tools and skills to build amazing pieces of work. (One toolkit that helped me drastically, and continues to do so, is Rachel's Complete Novelist Kit. It is a paid product, but a one-time, affordable purchase. And the first 10 pages of the workbook can be downloaded for free! She also has a character workbook similar to this to help you develop your characters. You can view the products she offers here! Even if you'd just like to see if it's for you or not. If purchasing these tools is not an option for you, Rachel also has tons of free resources on her website that assisted me in this drafting journey!)

With my tools in hand, new skills acquired, and a better understanding of what I was doing, I had to learn to pay attention to my process. I had to learn when it was time to push on, to take a break, to dismiss something, to address something, and what my book needed. I had to figure out how to accept my first draft as just that, in it's raw state and messy glory. I had to learn how to keep myself creative and feed my mind what it wanted. Cycling through different tasks helped with this. To specify, when I felt stuck in one area, I would switch my focus. If I felt I couldn't write, I would plot and outline for a while. If I felt like my project was impossible altogether, I would fuel my creative tank by reading, watching movies or shows, or playing video games. Because not only does this welcome inspiration, the truth is, sometimes we just need a break! Knowing when was vital for my writing routine.

Speaking of routine, I never really stuck to a strict schedule. Granted, I am blessed enough that most of my days are free at any given time. Therefore I can write whenever I please. But namely what helped me make progress was setting more obtainable goals with my timeframe for writing. Rather than setting a goal to write from 6am-10am before starting my day, I would set a goal to instead write for 25 minutes at a time. Rather than setting a huge word count goal, I would set a goal to write 500 words a day. The easier the goals the seemed, the more I thought, "Huh, that won't be hard! I can do that no problem!"

And so I made progress. Consistent progress that added up overtime. Often times even adjusting and surpassing these goals. The thing is, the more you accomplish the little goals, the more your brain trusts you to accomplish goals in general. Therefore, you doubt yourself less. Then, those big goals that you set become possible. They become easier to envision. And you crush them. One of the first goals I set with Rachel was to become a New York Times bestselling author! A year ago, if that idea crossed my mind, I would have thought of how silly it sounded. I would have thought it was a nice daydream, but nothing beyond that. But today, I think of how I'm a thousand steps closer to that list than I was last year. I have another goal to publish this book by the end of 2025. And while that sounds nuts, I have made much more progress working toward that goal than I would have without it. Goals are not always designed to be achieved when you want them to be. But they do set you up and prepare you for success if you let them. Not accomplishing a goal might be disappointing, but if you get caught up in that disappointment, you lose sight of the bigger picture. Something I constantly tell myself is "I can't be a bestselling author without finishing a first draft."

You can't clean up a room that's spotless. You can't edit a draft if there if no mess. You have to give yourself a break, and embrace the bad before you can make it good. You have to keep yourself in good spirits, thoroughly express yourself and ideas, work with yourself and your story, and just create. After you've done that, you can decide that an idea doesn't work the way you thought it would or how you wanted. But shutting down your ideas before you've given them a chance is setting yourself up to come up with less and less of them. Just like shutting yourself before you've had the chance to start will hinder your progress.

It can be terrifying. More often than not, I have felt like a fraud while writing. I thought I wasn't educated enough to do it. I felt that I would never be smart enough to write the book I wanted to write. I would never be a real author without a degree. Nobody would ever think I was smart enough to write books. I wasn't really a writer, I just did it in my free time, strictly for fun, occasionally. There was nothing else to it. I couldn't have new or good ideas. My writing was not worth exploring.

These thoughts were not me. And they certainly were not the truth. Writing (and especially sharing your work) is a lot like handing someone a comically large pair of tweezers, lying on your back, and asking, "Hey, wanna play operation?"

It is no wonder writing comes with so many hoops, hurdles, emotions, breakdowns, doubt - you name it! It is personal. It is precious. But it is worth it! 

What if one person reads your book? What if it changes that one person's life? What if lots of people read you book? What if they all love it?

I learned how to do all of this the hard way - as most of us have or will. It took some tears, it took some helping hands, and a lot of pep talks. But eventually, I figured how to accept my work, my ideas, and most importantly, myself as a writer. I still don't have all the answers. Honestly, I don't think I will ever have all the answers. Because there will always be more to learn. But I have learned that every question has an answer, and every problem, a solution.

Moreover, every book has a reader.

Nobody else can write that book for you. Nobody can tell that story like you can. Not a single person has the same brain as you. Nobody has the same talent, the same skills, the same thoughts, or the same voice. So don't give up. Especially when your journey has only just begun. These methods, skills, techniques, structures - whatever. It can all be taught. Creativity cannot. This was my coach's response when I told her I was inexperienced, a beginner, doubtful, and when I was scared to let myself do what I love doing. Just writing. If you have that spark, stoke your flames and tend to your fire.

I cannot wait to read your book someday soon.