5 Tips for Finishing Your First Draft

by Stephanie Morrill

Stephanie writes young adult contemporary novels and is the creator of GoTeenWriters.com. Her novels include The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series (Revell) and the Ellie Sweet books (Playlist). You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and check out samples of her work on her author website including the free novella, Throwing Stones.

I've had several writers email me in the last few weeks who say they struggle to finish first drafts. I can relate. I was such a flighty writer in my early days, only wanting to work on stories for a few chapters before switching to another, that buckling down and writing a full-length manuscript was hard for me.

And with the quote I posted on Tuesday from James Scott Bell and then Jill's fabulous post on Wednesday inspired by the book Do Hard Things, today seemed like a good day to address this question.

I don't know your individual struggles. Maybe you're having a tough time getting words on the page because you're battling health problems, or because it's the season for finals and graduations. Maybe your family is in a time of crisis or a strained friendship is weighing you down. Please remember that there's a time to have grace with yourself. In seasons when life is hard, you need to give yourself permission to not write.

Or maybe life is full of great, non-writing things. You're graduating or going on a mission trip or backpacking through Europe. Writing isn't all about racking up words.

But sometimes it's not a busy life season, and you still struggle. Each word feels hard. Or you've lost your passion for the story. Or you're discouraged because you lost a contest/had a rough rejection/read an amazing book.

If you're in that place, here are 5 suggestions I have to get you back on track for finishing your book:

1. Pinpoint where you struggle and brainstorm how to solve it.

When my husband and I were newly married, instead of finding a part-time job, Ben encouraged me to write books instead. I worked an awesome freelance gig that took me out of town a few weeks a year, but otherwise my time was my own.

And I couldn't seem to finish a first draft.

I was working on a story idea that I loved, that I was desperate to write, and still I couldn't seem to crack the halfway point before I would realize something that needed to be changed. Or I would have an idea for how to open the book better and set to work re-writing my first few chapters.

My husband, who's a mechanical engineer and had never read a single writing craft book, diagnosed my problem with ease. He suggested I try writing my first draft without editing. He based this suggestion on some engineering principle that I would butcher if I tried to explain, but basically the idea was that I was nit-picking instead of using the first draft for what it's mean tot be—a rough draft. Not a perfect draft or a complete draft, but a rough draft. I was trying to take the "rough" out of it, and in doing so, I was preventing myself from finishing the draft and moving on to the next part of the process.

This seemed brilliant to me. I took his advice, and I finish my rough draft within the month. And I've used the "write a bad first draft" principle ever since.

What is that you are struggling with? Maybe it's not perfectionism like it was for me. Maybe your idea is so good that you're not sure how to go about writing it. Or sometimes an idea is so personal, you don't feel satisfied that you're doing it justice. Or maybe you've struggled to find an idea that feels big enough, good enough, to be a real book. Maybe you're plagued with self-doubt.

Us writers are incredibly skilled at finding reasons not to write. What's yours?

2. Kill squirrels.

Squirrel!

We all have shiny objects in our lives that distract us from our goals. Let me be perfectly clear that I'm in NO WAY talking about homework or siblings or children or parents or any of those responsibilities we have as people. While I do sometimes have to draw back from my family for a week or two when I need to meet a deadline, that isn't the balance of life that I'm striving for.

What are my squirrels? The three biggest are Pinterest, email, and snacking. When it's writing time, those are my three main distractions.

I'm just anti-social enough that chatting with friends, texting, and lunch dates are NOT squirrels for me. I'm in the habit now of saying no to those things, but they could easily be squirrels. Chit-chatting or venting with my best friend can feel a lot more fun than struggling through a scene that's giving me trouble.

The best trick for me when I need to minimize squirrels is to set my timer. I set it for 25 minutes and the rule is that I have to write (or edit, whatever it is) until the timer goes off. Then I can have five minutes to peek at email, grab a snack, and browse Pinterest.

Have you found ways to curb your squirrel-chasing desires? Please share if you have!

3. Find someone who will hold you accountable.

I knew I had a problem, but I couldn't seem to stop myself.

We had so much candy in the house, and I was eating it all the time. Way, way more than I should have been. And, sadly, the fact that it's not healthy for me wasn't enough of a motivation to curb myself.

Finally I determined that I would be embarrassed if Ben knew how much candy I was eating every day, and that I would feel too guilty to lie about it. So I asked him to please start asking me daily about how much candy I had eaten. That did the trick. While it hasn't made me stop wanting to eat candy all the time, knowing that he will ask and I will have to tell him the turth has steered me toward better choices.

Is there a way that accountability could help you in your struggles to finish your book? What's a question that you could have someone ask you?

4. Make good (daily) choices.

"Life goals are reached by setting annual goals. Annual goals are reached by reaching daily goals. Daily goals are reached by doing things which may be uncomfortable at first but eventually become habits. Habits are powerful things. Habits turn actions into attitudes and attitudes into lifestyles."

-Charlene Armitage

from The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John Maxwell

I do it automatically now. Once Connor is down for his nap, I walk past the mess of toys, the dishes in the sink, the laundry that is waiting to be folded, and I go down to my office. I crank the baby monitor as high as it will go (in case this is the day that his seizures start back up) and I write until he wakes up or it's time to pick up McKenna from school. 

I don't feel guilty about the laundry. I don't even consider reaching for a novel and curling up for an hour of pleasure reading. The work that comes with being an author—writing, editing, blogging—has become a habit. And it became a habit because I chose it daily. 

That's the way you finish a book—you make a choice each day to work on it. Even if it doesn't feel like the thing you most want to do at that moment, if you choose it more days than not, eventually it'll become a habit. And not in a boring way—I can't remember the last day I was bored while working, because I adore my job!—just in a way that gives you mental peace. (Or as much mental peace as a writer is capable of.)

5. Celebrate your victories.

The big moments in the writing life are few and far between, even for a published author. You don't get The Call from your agent that often. Once a year if you're lucky. Twice a year if you're extremely lucky. Release days don't happen too often either.

One of the habits you should work to cultivate is to celebrate your victories along the way. Was that chapter one of the hardest you've ever written? Dish yourself a bowl of ice cream. Did you meet your writing goal for the day? Kick back and watch your favorite TV show—guilt-free. Finish a first draft? Hit the movies with your best friend.

Even as a writer who loves writing, there are days where I'm having to sweet-talk my way to my goal. Just a few more minutes and then you can get a snack. If you hit your word goal now, it means you'll be able to watch 24 tonight. 

If finishing a novel were easy, everybody would do it. Going back to Jill's post on Wednesday, you're choosing something hard. And there are rewards that come with it, but there are struggles too. Even for published writers who have finished dozens of novels. 

If you're struggling (or celebrating!) today, please share in the comments. We'd love to walk alongside you today!