There is no “right” approach to writing a first draft, in the sense that you need to do all of the things we will describe below to do it right. No, what we mean by approaching your first draft the right way is doing so in a manner that will make it easier for you to write it. Once you’ve made the decision to start writing a book without stopping until you’ve actually finished it, a decision that’s kind of necessary in this situation, you will discover just how much work it actually is. You will need tons of research. You will write and need to describe a building, or know the exact distance from the Earth to the Sun, and you will discover there are so many things you don’t actually know but need, that it might get discouraging. But, we have presented below several tips to help you formulate an approach that will work best for you.

1. Isolated writing

No, we do not mean go out into a cabin in the woods and write, without internet connection and distractions. What we mean is isolating the act of writing from all other activities related to your book, especially research. If you stop writing to research a detail you need or a piece of information, then you will make it more difficult to start writing anew during the same day. Separate the writing from the research and make sure you do not stop writing with the intent of doing a small task, be it research or something else, and think that you’d be able to pick up where you left off.

2. Plotting and outlining

Not every writer is a fan of plotting or outlining a novel. Some prefer to just write it out. What they don’t realize it is they have plotted it out in their mind, but not on paper. Plotting and outlining does not mean writing by a formula. In fact, it can be very helpful, especially if you’re writing a first draft. First drafts are always mutable. Most books do not resemble their first drafts when they are published. The purpose of outlining is to make it easier for you to navigate as you write, to know how much you’ve written and how much you’ve got left. It’s easier to write scene after scene after scene when you’ve already outlined them, or have outlined the chapter they belong in. That’s another positive thing from outlining – you do not need to outline your whole novel. Every day, before you start writing, try outlining the scenes you wish to write that day, or outline every chapter in advance, and discover whether planning this way makes it easier for you to write.

3. Researching at the right time

We previously mentioned that researching should be isolated from writing. If you plot or outline your novel, you might think you know everything in advance and have already fully researched everything you needed, but as every writer knows, small details and necessary information pop up during writing, and you feel compelled to stop to get it right. However, we advise not to research until you’ve finished the chapter, maybe even your first draft. If you’ve researched beforehand, you can do additional research after you’ve finished and look for every detail and piece of information you needed. In the meantime, use placeholder words to indicate there is missing information and go on. On the other hand, if the unravelling of your plot depends on the missing information, then you need the information, because you will not be able to finish your story. In that case, you need to pause and do a thorough research of the major details you need before you continue writing your story.

4. No editing or proofreading

You might think that once you’ve written, for example, 50,000 words that you need to stop and edit what you’ve written. If you do that, it means you did not finish your first draft but moved on directly to the second. You will lose precious time in finishing your story first, after which you’d be able to edit it, polish it and make it perfect. But once you start editing, you might start doubting yourself, your story, and your writing. You may even get discouraged, because you did not get to finish your first draft, and now you’re faced with half of a first draft that needs a lot of editing in order to look good. So, don’t stop writing to edit your story. Do not spend time thinking about how you might edit a scene you dislike or feel is not good enough. Just write until you have finished the story. The editing will come later.

5. Create small goals and milestones

Writing a first draft can be made easier by employing some small steps and milestones. Generate a daily writing schedule and keep to it. Write nonstop for five days and discover how many words per day you can write. How many words do you write on good days, how many on bad days? Answer those questions and develop a daily word count you’re comfortable with, and every day, try beating it. For example, if you wish to write 500 words per day, every day, strive to write more words. Or, create milestones in terms of reaching certain parts of the story while you write that day. It’s all about creating small goals that will be easy for you to achieve every day. You will create a writing habit that will not be a source of stress, because you are not striving for miracles. You’re not trying to write a book in a week, just a couple of hundred words, maybe a little more per day.

Georgina Roy wants to live in a world filled with magic. As an art student, she’s moonlighting as a writer and is content to fill notebooks and sketchbooks with magical creatures and amazing new worlds. When she is not at school, or scribbling away in a notebook, you can usually find her curled up, reading a good urban fantasy novel, or writing on her laptop, trying to create her own.