That pretty well summarizes how I feel about writing first drafts. And it feels like writing first drafts is all that I've been doing for the last couple of weeks. Don't get me wrong, creating something out of nothing can be a magical process. But it can also be a maddening, make you want to pull your hair out sort of process. I'm not sure how others deal with the frustration, but there's a few things I've found that seem to work pretty well to alleviate some of the stress. So, primarily for my own benefit, I'm going to write down my rules for writing, bearing in mind that I tend to break them.
1. Make time to write. This has been a hard one for me, with work and school in the mix. I've recently changed my work schedule to accommodate my writing. I get up at the same time, but once I'm ready for work, I sit down and write for an hour rather than heading straight to the office. I then stay later at work. Having this uninterrupted time for writing helps immensely.
2. Turn off the internet. For the love of God, just turn it off. Facebook is never more appealing than when you're trying to reach a seemingly unreachable word count. The articles on Wikipedia were never more fascinating. Just...turn it off.
3. Turn off the music. I've gone back and forth on this one. Sometimes, I will listen to more ambient/drone type music, and I find that's OK. However, I use Spotify and Youtube for most of my music these days, which takes us right back to rule 2. So...I usually turn off the music.
4. Set a goal. For me, it's word count. You can check the word count on any word processor with ease. My standard goal for an hour of writing is 1000 words. Sometimes it's easy and I get it done in twenty five minutes. Other times....well, just read the quote at the top of this post. But having a goal gives me something to strive for, and I tell myself that I can't stop until I've hit said goal. I (almost) always make it.
5. Know the next step. In most cases, I'm writing something that won't be finished in one sitting. I try to stop at a point where I know more or less what will happen next. That way, the next time I set down to type, I'll be able to get right into it, thus sparing myself from the frustration of staring at the screen wondering what to type.
6. Maintain momentum. I try to follow all of these rules as best I can, and if I do, I tend to write quite a bit. Once I start, I don't let myself stop. It really helps.
7. When all else fails/I'm feeling completely at a loss, I watch this video, because Neil Gaiman is my favorite author and this video is incredibly inspiring:
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