Hope everyone had a great 4th. Happy 250th birthday America!

I want to talk about forgiveness. To be exact, forgiving yourself for producing a bad first draft of a novel. Or better stated: Embracing the suck.

After many years of writing novels, I’ve come to terms with the fact that the first draft of a novel is not going to produce The Great Gatsby of War and Peace. And you know what! That’s perfectly okay. It’s part of the process. Expect that it’s going to happen and don’t be afraid of a bad first draft. Because if you’re looking for perfection the first time out, you’re always going to be disappointed.

And you know what else? It’s all in the editing.

Writing the first draft of a novel is hard work. Brutal work, to be honest. That’s why Hemingway said “Write drunk, edit sober.” Facing that blank page day after day pushes you to the brink of creative exhaustion. It’s why I can only write a few hours a day but edit for much longer. Developing a story from nothing might be the hardest thing you will ever do. Don’t believe me. Ask God.

Now I celebrate when I finish a first draft. It’s kind of like finishing a marathon with a lot of steep hills. What’s beautiful about completing one is that now you have a finished story on record. You’ve created the story; now all you have to do is refine it. It’s why I stopped outlining my novels; I view the first draft as both my first draft and a chapter by chapter synopsis.

I just finished a first draft with a crappy ending.

BUT NOW I CAN GET TO THE REAL WORK!

What to expect in my shitty first drafts.

-repetition of themes and facts

-different names for the same characters as I try to wrestle with appropriate titles.

-bad grammar

-spelling errors

-cringeworthy sentences

-different tenses

-problematic timelines

-geographical mistakes.

-horrid dialogue

I could go on and on.

These are just a few of the issues I will have to deal with when going back to edit my novel. But it’s okay. Step back and take a deep breath. You did it. While embarrassing at times, accept all this as part of the process. In fact, embrace the suck while you’re writing that first draft. Because it will get better and better with each successive pass.

Here’s the thing; the real beauty comes from the editing. Characters develop into themselves and reveal their true character. Themes blossom and help generate interesting and relevant subplots. The passive language gets more muscular. Humor and wit blossom in places you would never expect. Dialogue sharpens and characters develop their own unique voice. Endings appear organically. Your mind starts whirring, now freed from the conventions of creating. Before you know it that ugly duckling of a manuscript has turned into a beautiful swan ready to send out.

My advice here is to embrace the suck of writing a bad first manuscript. We all do it. Even the best writers do it. The Pulitzer Prize winners and bestsellers. Just know that you’ll do much better in the rewrite.

Peace out, everyone!