(If you don't know what the above meme is referencing, you need to check out the film "Spaceballs" now. If you have even the vaguest of ideas of what "Star Wars" is about, you'll find this spoof film pretty funny, and if you're a die-hard "Star Wars" fan, you'll find this HILARIOUS! Now, go! But right after you finish reading this part and vote, of course.)
You have the perfect plot line, or the perfect scene, or even the perfect character that's just asking you to write about them. Great! Now what?
Your first task as a writer is to take yourself seriously. You need a place to write your book, the tools to write it with, and the time to get the job done.
But exactly how much time will it take for you to write your first draft, and how do you even get to the point of completing your first draft?
1. Preparing to Write
Do you need to prepare in any way before you write? If you have a story pretty well in mind, you are probably ready to write. But if you need story ideas to get started, you can draw upon or make use of several resources: a journal you've kept, take a try at freewriting, brainstorming, reading and reflection—or a combination of approaches.
2. Drafting
Before you begin drafting your story or novel, be sure to review basic grammar and literary elements of fiction in the first Writing section. Also look over any preliminary work you may have done: journal entries, freewriting, and brainstorming.
Now it's time to make a plan—or refine a plan you may have already come up with. You may start out with a general plan in mind, or if you're a very detail-oriented person, a detailed plan.
Consider the following points when brainstorming your plan:
• What your main character is like.
• Secondary character(s)—for the detailed plan only.
• Point-of-view.
• General plot.
• Subplot(s).
• Setting.
Now, how do you go about drafting from a plan? You let the plan, whether general or detailed, guide you in a particular direction. Meanwhile, you let your imagination have its own way.
Writing Timeframe
A short story can run anywhere from ten to twenty-five pages, double-spaced, 12-point. If it's much shorter than ten, it's flash fiction; if it's much longer, it's a long story; and if it's very much longer, it's a novella.
Writing a standard-length short story is certainly an investment of time, but a novel is a much greater investment. Whichever form you are writing, try to find time to write. Your schedule may not permit a set time, and that's okay. Work in time for your writing whenever you can, and aim for steady progress.
Short Story
As I mentioned, a short story will run from ten to twenty-five pages. To type a standard-length story of about twelve pages takes between one to three hours. If you're really on a roll, the first draft can be done in one sitting.
If you can't find time for a single-sitting first draft, or if you'd prefer to take more time to let the story evolve, it could take you one week to possibly three months to complete. Remember, this is all on average, so don't beat yourself up if your writing timeframe is different.
Novel
How much time must you invest in a novel? You can spend a few months on a novel, or ten to twenty years if you are very busy, get sidetracked, or write an especially long novel.
If you write a novel between 250 and 300 pages in length, you should be able to craft a first draft in one to three months depending on how much time you devote daily to writing.
There is value to writing the first draft of a novel in three months or less. It is more present in your mind; the material that makes up your piece is less diffuse. It's easier to return to it and to go on.
If you write a novel over the course of years, you get further away from the characters. You have to reacquaint yourself with their struggles, and you forget some details. You can still forget things in a three-month timeframe, so it's a good idea to keep notes in a writing log on where you are in your plan and reminders about characters and major aspects of your plot.
If you finish your novel in ninety days, let it simmer for a few days—take a breather—before starting the revision stage.
4. Revision
If it's important to have a plan for drafting your story or novel, it's certainly important to have a plan for revision. During the drafting stage, you should always let your imagination roam free. However, keep in mind, what you produced in that draft will certainly not be finished work—most likely, it will be inspired but uneven.
Solid revision transforms unfinished work by giving it levels or depths it didn't have before, smoothing it out, and producing a polished product.
I will be going into more detail on the areas you will need to consider very carefully as you revise in the final Editing and Revising section, but keep in mind the following points:
• Make sure your work is complete.
• Develop a more complex work in regards to range and depth of character and ideas.
• Work on overall focus of the basic plot and structure.
• Work on appropriateness and effectiveness by rethinking point-of-view and writing style.
• Make your story a lively work of the imagination.
Feedback
Part of the revision stage is receiving feedback. This is where your family, friends, teachers, and awesome Wattpaders come in. Make it clear to them that you still need to improve certain things and do some fine-tuning, but that you'd like some help on the major elements: the characters, the plot, the basic flow of the story, etc.
Feedback is important, but it's best to get feedback from several people, not just one or two, and also to make sure it comes from writers and not only family and friends.
I'll also go into more detail about receiving feedback in the last Editing and Revising section.
Lastly, author of "Write and Revise for Publication," Jack Smith, says it best: First drafts are paint splashed on the wall. Revision is the actual act of painting, the smoothing out. It's unusual for a first draft to need little revision.
Please vote if this part has made things easier for you!