1. When it comes to the first draft, be bold and rapid. Don’t overthink it. Keep going, and only read back when you’ve written THE END. If you write too slowly, and begin to rework your first pages, overly-elaborate language and plot will begin to creep in and things will begin to feel stilted. Keep a first draft immediate and vivid. You can go back and add and refine later. Some of the stuff that seemed whimsical as you were writing it will turn out to be the heart of the book.
2. Don’t worry about going off at tangents. Don’t stop to wonder if they’re relevant to the story. Not yet. Keep going. There will always be unproductive dead ends. Some will be cut in the next draft, but others will lead to fresh ideas. And on that subject…
3. Don’t have too fixed an idea of where you’re going, when you start. A rough idea of storyline is all that’s needed. Plot will appear out of character, and as your brain gets to work on the problem of how to develop the story. You’ll start to describe someone, or something that happened to them, and you’ll realise something new is being woven in that improves the texture of the novel. Let the subconscious do its job.
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