| When I first sat down to write my debut novel, I | | | | within a framework, you can do that. |
| had none of these ideas that I'm about to give | | | | The point is that you use the first draft as a |
| you. I was twelve years old at the time--I had a | | | | place to vomit a story that's been burning your |
| movie idea that I was going to make with some | | | | stomach with its altogether wonderful acids that |
| friends, but unfortunately (in retrospect, it was | | | | just don't work very well inside of you. Once you |
| actually fortunate for my writing career) they | | | | have the story out, you can use months of |
| backed out on me. But this story was just | | | | practice and work to form it into something |
| burning in my bones, and I had to let it out before | | | | astounding and engaging, but that's for later. |
| either a) I lost the story, or b) I lost interest in | | | | What I like to do is I get my first draft down as |
| the story. So in a moment of reckless decision, I | | | | ONLY the main plot and nothing else and just |
| decided to pen a novel. | | | | pound it out in a month or less, writing thousands |
| I had no clue what I was getting into. And being a | | | | of words a day and not caring that that last page |
| nerdy nose-in-a-book twelve-year-old, I scoured | | | | was the worst piece of fiction I've ever written. I |
| the writing section in the library. All I found was a | | | | do this by setting a goal, both timewise and |
| lot of abstract stuff about what you should do in | | | | wordwise. My usual word goal is anywhere |
| the MIDDLE of writing your book and I found | | | | between 40k-60k words (for National Novel |
| almost nothing about how to start off, especially | | | | Writing Month in November, I aim for 50k), and |
| being as young as I was. | | | | my usual time goal is a month or less. I find these |
| My search ended with a book that totally changed | | | | goals to be feasible and actually quite easy since |
| my perspective on writing, forever. It's called No | | | | you're only doing a first draft. |
| Plot? No Problem! and it's written by one of the | | | | "But Dawson," you say, "what about prewriting?" |
| funniest men on the planet (of course he's | | | | I usually just wing it, which is perfectly viable, as is |
| funny...he's a writer), Chris Baty. What I learned | | | | prewriting. I don't have a lot of advice to give on |
| from that book was invaluable, and that's what | | | | that because the book I did the most prewriting |
| I'm going to share with you today. | | | | on is the worst book of my 4 and will probably |
| What I learned was that you don't have to have | | | | never see the light of day. But usually, if you're |
| a perfect, heck, even a GOOD first draft. All my | | | | going to have to vomit a story, you already have |
| first drafts can testify to that (except my most | | | | had the story in your mind, so all the details will |
| recent one--I think that one was better than the | | | | probably come to you as you go. |
| others). What you need to do for your first draft | | | | I wish you the best of luck, teen writers, and I |
| for your first novel is to explore what your story | | | | encourage you to check out No Plot? No Problem! |
| could be, to take the brush and make broad, | | | | by Chris Baty. Have a great day. |
| experimental strokes. And if you want to keep it | | | | |