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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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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