7 Tips for Finishing Your First Draft

Starting a book is easy. Finishing a book, not so much. Trust me. I have two unfinished drafts right now and both of them are actually pretty close to being complete. By complete, I mean first draft complete.

BUT, that is the hardest part. Filling blank pages. It is all down hill from there.

I am still developing my own process and it is based, in part, on the following tips that I have accumulated from experience as well as some web reading.

Use them. They work.

Accountability

This Blog is my first line of accountability. How can I keep blogging about writing my first book without actually writing anything?
I can't.
So this will be my last post...
Kidding.
Your options vary, but writing a blog or making a YouTube channel can help to keep you on track and motivated.
My second is people. You need people. Tell them that you are writing a book and they will inevitably ask you how your book writing is going. If you have not written anything since you first told them about it and when they asked you will feel guilt.
I do.
I feel like I need to have something to tell those that I hyped up. Otherwise they will think "this dude isn't ever going to actually write a book." They might decry your poor work ethic and consider you a failure, despite not knowing the effort that goes into writing a book.
Nobody likes to feel shitty about themselves.
Join a writing group. People will expect updates on there, especially if you are trading chapter between one another. Plus you can get advice when you are stuck.

Time Management

This one is a g-damn doozy with all the convenient and generally useless distractions we have in life.
Honestly, who gives a shit if your friends are posting pictures of their crappy dinners on Facebook?
There is a time and a place for that, I guess...BUT not if you have work to do!
Decide how long you want to write versus how much time you will have to write.
Schedule your writing time in a planner or digital calendar. Hell, use a bar napkin. Just schedule.
Set reminders.
Pretend like you will get shit-canned if you don't meet your own deadlines.

Having a Plan

A plan. Any plan. Even if you are writing without and outline, you probably have a plan. It may be a general one, but you will have one.
It is mission essential.
The plan may change as you write and discover new things about your plot and characters.
That is ok. Outlines can be fluid and they almost have to be, because things will change as you write. One of your original ideas might not seem so great after you spell it out in narrative form.
Your first draft, the one you wrote by the seat of your pants, may indeed function as your outline. Sometimes Draft 1 is more of a Draft Zero.

Money Money Money

If you are serious about writing and eventually publishing then you may need some money.
I do not know much about publishing, yet, but I do know that shit isn't free.
Don't skimp (too much) on an editor or cover designer.
You might also consider paying for someone to format you book, which can also be covered by the cover designer in some cases.
Then you might want to market your work. Spread the good word of your brilliance. Pay for ads.
Costs for these services vary and are usually in the hundreds to low thousands of dollars. So start clipping coupons! In the end it should be worth it.

Set Those Goals

Be real about them. Don't say something stupid like "I will have my first draft done in a week." But in actuality you have a wife and a life that require some attention.
You won't. Not unless you are a superhuman freak sucking down a bottle of Adderall.
You will make time that works for you. If you put your kids in their cages at 8 and usually go to bed at 10, there are 2 solid hours for writing.
Make the most of the time you are given.

Be Resilient

Take the hit and keep on rolling. Just keep writing and resist the urge to edit. Editing while writing your first draft is the devil. That's what ma...mam...mamma always said.
Draft one is always shit, buy you need to keep your momentum up. Finish the draft while all your brilliant ideas are rolling about in your grey matter. Otherwise, some new idea will overtake the old and your thoughts will turn to the new shiny object. We like new.
Do not beat yourself up too bad if you make first draft writing mistakes. Only beat yourself up a little.

Writer's Block Burnout

Take a step back and breathe.
Write something else. It can be a different chapter in the same work or something entirely different. Free write on a notepad or hop on theProse and write something to share with others. The positive feedback on your writing will do a lot for your confidence.
Read.
Access the variety of opinions on the interwebs. Ask a question on Quora. Ask for advice in your writing group that I suggested you join...do it...
Keep your goal in mind. Remember that you undertook this project because you like writing and you want to tell a story.
Return to the source of your inspiration. I re-watch the Indiana Jones movies to remember the kind of story I want to tell.
Break free of you conscious self. Use the Force.

via GI