Finished my first draft ever = anxiety

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JacobS.Tucker

A Wannabe F. Scott Fitzgerald
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This strikes me as simplistic and bordering on disrespectful of other writers' processes. My first drafts are rough not because I'm lazy and/or have bought into some Evil Myth of the Bad First Draft, but because for me, it takes writing a complete draft to figure out what I'm really writing about. I always wind up making a lot of changes to characters, plot points, story arcs, etc. in my second draft, so for me laboring over my rough draft to make it a thing of beauty is a waste of time, since I don't know yet what parts of the story are staying.

I agree with this. A first draft is going to be bad, whether you think it will be or not, and the comment seems a little disrespectful to the processes of writers.
 

Fantomas

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So I managed to write my first draft for the novel i've planned on writing for a while. I wrote 70k words in 2 months, and three days ago I finished.

I really felt like this piece was my baby. I loved writing it, loved hanging out with the characters and have the every day writing routine become part of my life.

So yesterday I read the whole thing from beginning to end. It felt short and I felt like there was something missing. Maybe more descriptions, maybe more dialogue etc. Some parts I loved, some parts I disliked.

I feel terrible and worried about how to proceed... Any tips? How was your first drafts ever?

First off, congrats!

And as many others have said, yes, your manuscript will need work. Lots of work. I wrote and rewrote the first four chapters of my novel over and over again before I could even move on. Since then I've lost how many times I've rewritten and tweaks the overall manuscript.

My only advice is don't be afraid to change your novel, even if it's not what you originally intended. Sometimes, an idea looks better in your head than on paper, so take other people's advice, even if it requires a lot of editing. Never be afraid of change if it makes for a better story.
 

Coconut

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I also want to congratulate you...they say 30% of people are "writing" a novel, but none of them ever make it to a first draft, so you've done a big thing. And remember, the process gets easier/faster as you get more familiar with it.
 

JRBrule

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Makube, first of all, congratulations on finishing your first novel. That's a huge accomplishment!

As to your feelings on what's missing . . . I'm afraid only you can determine that, and only after you've scoured thousands of books to pick what you like and don't like about them. If you want proof of why this is so, think of your favorite book EVER and how PERFECT it is on all fronts. Now go on Amazon and read the 1-star reviews. My point is there is no one way to write, and certainly no way to please everyone. What some books lack can be considered their strength or their weakness. A book is more than just description and dialogue and character--a book should ask some sort of question, or explore a part of humanity without ever directly stating so.

How should you proceed? I suggest with an open mind, as well as with your eyes averted from the public. Write the story you would want to read and write it the best you can.

And as far as first drafts go . . . pfft, they're more similar to piles of turd than published books. I wouldn't consider a book of mine ready for reading until I've read it over at least 100 times, and changed it 1000 times. But then again, I want my novels to read exactly as I've imagined them in my head . . . even a comma placed one word too early is too amateur for me.

Good luck!
 
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