On the Road Again!

I recently started a new story adventure, and am always amazed at the perfect timing for that one. The most exciting part of story for me is getting a first draft done. I know there are those that might disagree, but getting it on the page in a fluid way is crucial for me. I rarely if ever touch dialogue after the first draft, a sense of place is there on the page, and my characters are flesh and blood. That’s what I bring to the first draft.

At first, the newbie idea is usually a whisper and something I can move alongside of and enjoy. And then, it’s a nudge from character; sometimes that urge to follow takes over. And luckily, it doesn’t stop till I sit my buns down and get on with it. Well, anyway that’s my process. I’ve discovered that I’m a writer that just needs to write.

I love when the steam has built up, and that first push takes me through those first three chapters. That’s when I’ve felt the terrain, know my character’s hearts, and have an overall vibe about it all. And I love that this one has started to seep into my dreams, which usually doesn’t happen until further down the road. Love when it’s like a song on my mind, and always close. I love when it’s the first thing to come to me in the morning and the last threads, stretching out, at the end of the day. Hmmm, guess I love the creation of story.

To celebrate being on the road again, I thought it would be fun to share writer quotes about those first drafts…enjoy!

I don’t fiddle or edit or change while I’m going through that first draft.
~Nora Roberts~

I don’t write a quick draft and then revise; instead, I work slowly page by page, revising and polishing.
~Dean Koontz~

I would advise any beginning writer to write the first drafts as if no one else will ever read them – without a thought about publication – and only in the last draft to consider how the work will look from the outside.
~Anne Tyler~

Once I’ve got the first draft down on paper then I do five or six more drafts, the last two of which will be polishing drafts. The ones in between will flesh out the characters and maybe I’ll check my research.
~Colleen McCullough~

The research is the easiest. The outline is the most fun. The first draft is the hardest, because every word of the outline has to be fleshed out. The rewrite is very satisfying.
~Ken Follett~

When I’m my own editor, there’s very little difference between the first draft and the final. I write what feels right to begin with. I rarely make any major changes.
~Len Wein~

Writing the last page of the first draft is the most enjoyable moment in writing. It’s one of the most enjoyable moments in life, period.
~Nicholas Sparks~

Do any of the quotes resound with you, and if not what’s your beginnings like?