Your First Draft

Had this conversation recently. Sound familiar?

Book blurbs. Can’t live with them, can’t live without them. I can honestly say this is my least favorite part of the publication process. Trying to take your latest masterpiece and chisel it down to a couple of sentences that would attract the attention of someone who has no idea what your world is about…

I just finished the first draft of my current work in progress. As is typical for me, I like to become more familiar with the less filled-out characters before heading into the second draft. I usually do a sort of interview with them, where they tell me a little about themselves and fill in some…

I’ve been spending a lot of time world-building, outlining, and developing characters for my next novel. It’s easy to get lost in this process, playing with ideas and detailing minutia. But at some point, you have to put the proverbial pen to paper and actually begin crafting. I’ve already written several novels, but it’s still…

I’ve been doing some final edits on my latest WIP. There was one passage that didn’t feel exactly right, so I started trying different combinations to improve it. After spending a couple of hours, I got it to where I was satisfied, only to realize it was pretty much the same as the original. Anybody…

Some days you sit down to write, and the words just flow. But other days, it’s a struggle of epic proportions. My brain is lost in swirling mists, and my muse has abandoned me. Then that devil procrastination whispers in my ear, and I am sorely tempted to leave my post. But I fight on,…