Once I organized and implemented the tools I needed to begin I embarked on a fast track to the rough draft. One thing I learned for sure and embraced was to just write and not edit. Write, without correcting, without worrying about grammar etc. Using my index cards, I created an outline on Scrivener. It was easy to skip around, choose a topic and write about that. I did not have to stick to any order. I welcomed the method because it freed me up to ride on a topic that resonated with me when I sat down to write. That is one of the main things I loved about using Scrivener. I could skip around, and I could move the chapters’ order.
During the first messy draft as some professionals call it, I didn’t bother moving chapters. In three months, I wrote 100,000 words which of course was more than I needed but I wanted to have more material than necessary to have choices during the editing process.
As smooth as the writing the first draft was, the first edit was on the other end of the spectrum-arduous and challenging. I needed to make the writing clearer. I am not talking about grammar; I am talking about creating sentences and paragraphs that made sense. The goal was not to make it perfect just good enough for my husband, Charles, whose patience was a prerequisite, to read it and give me feedback.
There were countless times he would ask, “What are you trying to say here?” I was not enjoying that process. I struggled but at the same time I took classes to help me express myself better with my writing. And it finally came together. The subsequent edits became more fluid, and I enjoyed working on improving every piece.
Months after my writing journey my friend Teddy texted, “I remembered one of the questions that I wanted to ask you..you golf..you volunteer… you socialize…you fill your life actively.. and you carefully pick and choose what to do…who you want to spend some time with and so forth… I was wondering the time you have spent writing have you enjoyed it with the same fervor, or do you force or discipline yourself to write?????”
My answer is that I enjoyed the process and especially all I learned. I did not force myself to write. Working on the rough draft was the one thing I had to tell myself, you have to do this, or it won’t go any further.
And being me, I knew I would persevere and succeed.
Come back as I share the next step in my writing journey