My 2nd 1st draft

I finished my rough draft!
Technically.

I filled in the gaps, and all I have to do is type them up. There are some parts I love and that I can't believe that I wrote.
There are some parts I hate and yet they are so crucial to the plot. *sigh*

The good news is that this rough draft is definitely not dead, since I'm already planning draft number two.

It feels good to have something accomplished. It makes the 10 months it took to write and plan it completely worth it.

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Reading While Writing

Usually if your a writer, you're also a reader. You don't have to be a Fanatical-Barnes-&-Nobles-Coffee-shop-person to be a reader.

But I've found that sometimes reading can change the tone of your book.

For example, I once was reading Pride & Predjudice. I would alternately put down the book to write some of my story. What came out was diologue along the lines of, "And how are you on this blissfully beautiful morn?", and a character that suspiciously resembled Mr. Darcy.

What you read affects what you write. It can turn the story in a whole new direction (not necessarily bad) or can affect your voice as a writer.

What so often happens is that you want your story to be as masterfully brilliant as that writer's book.

I'm not saying abandon all books, but be careful that your writer's voice isn't being compromised or that you're only adding something because it worked out in someone else's story.

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2010

A new decade. I feel excited and hopeful.

Wishing everyone a happy New Year.

May this be the year everything changes for the better.

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The Length of Rough Drafts

Sorry for not being able to post yesterday as promised, but I have a valid excuse; I did not have access to a computer. Great, moving on.

I found out something the other day. (As usual, this knowledge seems obvious but it's something I've only recently hammered into my thick head.)

I figured out that the rough draft does not have to be 200 pages.

I've been dissatisfied because my rough draft, my suposedly brilliant beginning, is turning out to be around 30 pages long.

But I finally figured out that it's only a rough draft. It doesn't have to be Leo Toltsky on the first try. This is only the backbone, the skeletal structure. The next drafts will add to it. Karen Cushman put it rather well. She said something to the extent of 'the rough draft is the bullion cube of a book' that she stretches into a full-fledged novel.

So don't worry if the Rough draft isn't the masterpiece you imagined.
They seldom are.

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Merry Christmas

I know every other blogger is doing the same post practically but, hey, who cares.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa...you know what, When I say "Merry Christmas," I'm wishing you good times.

Oh, and just to you writers, it's winter break so tackle those rough drafts of yours while you've got time.:)

Merry Christmas.

Picture by Ginsui-rin

 

Picture by Dream-traveler

 Picture by StudioQube

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