So, you have a story, an idea or an inspiration fresh in mind but have no clue how to even begin putting it on paper in the form of a novel...well not to worry because I have been writing for enough years to guide you through this process and help out.
From what I understand now, there's several ways to go about it when beginning a first draft, and it's up to you to see what works best for you. Writing in a single flow This method works best if you have your story completely thought through before you begin writing. It is really a simple process of just sitting down and writing everything down as you imagined it, making it as close as possible to your final product from the very beginning. If you prefer doing your best with your first draft to reduce the time you might have to give it in the future to edit, then this is your best option. On the down side, though, you might face writer's block a bit too often since you refuse to write anything but what comes next, and if you can't think of what to write on the next page, you might end up sitting there for a while. (But don't worry too much, my next blog is about fighting writer's block!) Starting with a mindmap If your work is a complicated one, then it helps a lot to start of with a kind of mind-map. Just get some paper and go crazy scribbling down everything you know you have to write. Then sort out the order of events into chapters and so on till you have everything you want to write in front of you on paper! Different writers do it in different ways; flash cards, sticky notes, bullet points, doodles, scribbles... anything is acceptable as long as it works for you. Then, once your guideline for the story in front of you, you can begin typing it out. It will make you write a lot faster if you already have notes on what to write next in front of you! Writing your favorite passages first This is a unique method I tested out recently and actually like a lot. The way I went about it was opening a blank Google/Word document and making a list of chapters of my novel and left blank space under each of the chapter names. After that I would type down my favorite scenes, ones that I couldn't wait to write and was too enthusiastic about, in whatever order I felt like. All I did was make sure each scene was under the title of its respective chapter, hence it was chronological regardless of me typing it down randomly. Finally I opened a second document and began to write the story in a flow by copy-pasting my favorite parts where needed and filling in the gaps between those scenes. If you also have moments of enthusiasm for writing certain parts first, then I recommend you try this method for sure! Beginning with a summarized version This method is like writing in a flow but faster at first. The difference is that you skip the unnecessary details in your first draft and then come back later to add them once you've finished the first draft. Basically, you just write and write without worrying about how good you are writing the first time; just get that plot on document! It's also similar to writing your favorite passages first since you might end up skipping a lot of unnecessary details the first time. I think it works best if your priority is finishing the first draft as soon as possible; you'll have to come back to edit it either way so why not leave some details for later. And so you see how there's many ways to go about it. It really about what you're most comfortable and happy with. I would suggest giving all methods a try till you find yourself working most efficiently on your future book. Best of luck! I hope this blog was helpful, do go through my other blogs for similar posts and follow to show your support. Also comment something you'd like to see me write next and I'll do my best to keep making these blogs for my fellow aspiring authors out there!
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One of the most exhausting steps in writing is rewriting. You would think your work is done after you complete your manuscript, but then you must proofread it, edit it, and sometimes go over it so often that you might have to scratch the whole thing and rewrite it. Yet perfecting is an never-ending process and every time you find yourself receiving yet another rejection for your work, like myself, it only means that you should go back and open your document again and see what you could do to make it better.
This is when I discovered the difference in editing your writing and rewriting. When I keep going over something I wrote, all I find are little mistakes to fix and perhaps a sentence here and there to improve, and then I think that there's nothing more to improve than change everything I have already written. But it occurred to me that maybe I could do better if rewrote some parts completely and just let go of some of my original text. And so I present to you an example of a text from an old manuscript that I pulled out yet again with hopes of publishing it in the near future. Though, I lost the very original text, below is what it looked like when I only edited and then when I decided to rewrite it completely. I leave it to you to analyze the difference and improvement. EDITED VERSION Amongst the crowd, walking on the sidewalk alongside the stores were two teenage girls who were doing nothing more than window shopping. They seemed to be close friends but just by appearance it could be noticed how contrasting the two were to each other. One girl talking nonstop, the other silently listening. One dressed in trendy black clothing, the other in a basic light blue dress. One alertly noticing the things around her (whilst chatting), the other distracted by her phone. The girl chatting without pause was an energetic looking teenager with dark, shoulder-length hair and excited reddish-brown eyes. She was wearing black skinny jeans under a dark blue dress-shirt with a black shrug over it. Her only accessory was a chained locket around her neck that was hidden under her shirt. Her shoes, short summer boots with holes cropped in them, seemed stylish enough though perhaps over-used. As for makeup she only had a light reddish shade of lipstick and thin eyeliner decorating her features, but her nails were coated with many colorful strokes of nail polish that barely consisted of one matching shade to go with her clothing. Her fashion sense may have been slightly on the darker side but the vibe she released was clearly that of a bright and positive personality. Her friend, on the other hand, seemed to be her polar opposite. She was a simply dressed, composed and quiet looking girl. Her thin framed rectangular glasses added to her serious and disciplined appearance. She had flat-straight, light brown hair tied into a high ponytail that fell all the way down to her waist. She wore a light blue dress with off-white sleeves and collar, and her shoes were matching flat pumps that she wore over knee length white socks. REWRITTEN VERSION She was amongst the window shoppers on the sidewalk; a noticeable set of dark brown hair bouncing through the crowds as the body that held them skipped through. She was dressed in a trendy black outfit, one that gave her style points but was a questionable choice for a sunny afternoon. She was not by herself, though, but rather accompanied by her quiet friend who politely attempted to pay attention to the never-ending chatter of the energetic dark-haired teenager. Her friend was a taller teenage girl with a high ponytail of long golden-brown hair. She contrasted against her friend not only in how she behaved but also how she dressed; a pastel blue colored dress that was less fashionable but more appropriate for the season. She also had a set of thin framed rectangular glasses over her nose that added to her slightly serious demeanor in comparison to her cheerful looking friend. |
AuthorWelcome! My name is Iman Malik and I am an aspiring novelist who is dreaming to be a bestseller one day who can be well known as writer Iman Malik. Archives
September 2021
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