#writing first draft

POV: point of view, the narrator's position in relation to a story being told (according to google)

The types of POVs:

first person point of view

Uses first person pronouns - ex: “I / me”, etc.

second person point of view

Uses the second person pronouns - ex: “you, you (plural)”

third person point of view, limited (limited means the narrative is focused on a single character and the narrative is only aware of that one character’s thoughts, feelings, etc. - you can switch to another character though!! there needs to be a break when you do it, you can’t randomly switch during a paragraph.)

third person point of view, omniscient (omniscient means the narrative is all-knowing and is aware of all the characters and their thoughts and feelings)

Both use third person pronouns - ex: “she/her”, etc.

Advantages of each POV

First person:

the good - it’s extremely personal, the readers get an exact look into the character’s thoughts and feelings and the way they see the world, there’s an intimacy with the character

what you need to remember - create a unique voice for your character, the narrative is subjective (is your character reliable? do they have a bias?)

Second person:

the good - intimacy, sense of participation for the readers, gives the narrator a specific person to address (second person is typically left for short stories, poems, letters, etc.)

Third person:

the good - there’s a broader perspective, it can be more objective, easier to jump in time, there’s a certain distance between the characters, can allow insight into multiple characters

what you need to remember - it’s typically more difficult to create intimacy, there’s generally always a certain amount of reliability

Dear Struggling Writer,

How beautiful is it that we get to create, that we, as writers, get to make worlds and characters and stories? That we get to weave and string together words into any way we wish?

I hope you remember that.

So, I heard you’re struggling. It’s okay. I think we all do a little bit, always. Read on for what I hope will spark a little motivation in that heart of yours.

I’m going to tell it to you straight.

The only way to write is to write. I know… shocking, isn’t it? I want you get whatever it is you use to write, a laptop, a piece of paper, a notebook, whatever, and I want you to open your document. Go ahead. I’m waiting.

Your characters are waiting for you, too.

While I wait, I’m going to give you a few reminders because you’re here for a reason and I want to help.

STOP COMPARING YOUR FIRST DRAFT TO FINISHED WORK!!!! This, I think, is probably one of the most important things to remember when writing. Your work isn’t going to perfect the first draft, so stop comparing it to that book on your shelf. You’re in the very beginning stages of your novel (the first draft or two). You’re still getting your story out, and you haven’t had the chance to polish it and edit it. Please, no comparing.

Just start. I know it’s hard. I know. Trust me. START WRITING. How else will you tell your story? I know it’s difficult to continue. Maybe your story isn’t everything you wanted it to be. Maybe you’ve been struck with a new shiny idea. It’s hard to stay focused. It’s hard to stay motivated, especially when this story that you’re writing, that story that you’re becoming familiar with, isn’t so new, isn’t so mysterious. Really, all we can do it write.

Create a writing schedule. Write everyday. Write as much as you can. Treat it like it’s your job. When you get into the rhythm of something, it’s easier to keep with it. But, don’t forget to take care of yourself. You can take breaks.

Change something up. You usually write at night? Try waking up early to write. You usually write at your desk? Write outside.

You have to believe in yourself.

Writing is hard. Neil Gaiman says it best: “This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until it’s done. It’s that easy and that hard.”

I really suggest taking a look at V. E. Schwab’s YouTube video “On Shiny New Ideas.” This really helped me a lot. It changed my mindset completely.

Quick Writing Messages:

your characters are waiting for you

you create entire worlds and complex characters. that’s so cool. be proud of yourself.

one day, you will be someone’s favorite author.

only you can tell the story you’re writing. it’s your story. it’s being told with your unique ability to write with your personal take on it.

there’s no right way to write.

it’s okay to feel unmotivated. it’s okay to take breaks.

writing is a long, tedious process. be kind to yourself.

write because you love it. write because you get to be and see and experience hundreds and hundreds of different things. we are royalty and thieves and teenagers and mentors and teachers and lovers and haters and masterminds and heroes. writing is the coolest thing ever. enjoy it.

you can do it.

I really hoped this help. Now, go write that story of yours. It won’t be perfect, nothing really is, and it will take a lot of work, but at least you’ll be doing it. It doesn’t matter how much you write—one word or a thousand—go do it. GO WRITE!

Signed,

Another struggling writer

P. S. Here’s a quote. “You fail only if you stop writing.” - Ray Bradbury

I read the most fantastic book the other day. It made me laugh out loud and made tears prick my eyes and made my heart ache. And I highlighted all of my favorite lines that simply, quietly blew me away. I was mesmerized and reverent, like holding the softest baby chicken in the cup of my hands for the first time.

Then I sat in something like a post-coital trance, replaying the favorite parts in my head and mentally snuggling into my love for this great storytelling. I run to my laptop, dust off an old WIP, and proceed to write All The Things.

This is a dangerous thing to do.

As you get a fresh slew of motivation and ideas for your own writing, buoyed by the afterglow of a book, you might or might not get the sense of something breaking—like a snapped harness before you fall.

Your hands on the keyboard cramp and falter, words ending mid-sentence in some incoherent, cliched babble. And you think…

I’m never gonna be as good of a writer.

You’re basically spiraling into a dark depression overnight, waking up with drool on your chin, only to sigh gustily with woe over your morning coffee.

Before you know it, you’re thinking about throwing yourself down the basement stairs because you’ll never write again.

As Anne Lamott said, this is one of those occupational hazards for writers. In Bird by Bird, she has a chapter about jealousy when your writer friends find success and you’re still a lump of undiscovered laundry.

"You are going to feel awful beyond words. You are going to have a number of days in a row where you hate everyone and don’t believe in anything."

It’s true. Whether you know the successful author or not, you can’t help but compare yourself. See new flaws in yourself. Give yourself a once-over with distorted crazy eyes, feeling disgusted by your own hand.

We fight these tendencies all the time because unlike other competitive fields of study, we’re in an inclusive, supportive community and the good side of us genuinely wants others to find success. We want this while simultaneously feeling guilty about stabs of resentment. Deep down, we want success too.

Somehow, you need to find your way back to quirky contentment rather than the empty husk you’ve turned into, the bedraggled monster who doesn’t feed the cat anymore. 

Getting a grip and digging oneself out of the "poor me" hole means finding some kind of healthy mental state again (as healthy as anyone who argues with their characters can find). It unfortunately takes time and effort and incremental work among all of these writing pressures. It takes minutes, hours, days. Like building words to sentences to paragraphs to scenes to chapters to books.

No great thing happens overnight. Unless you’re in an 80s movie montage.

The secret to finding your way back is to fully think to yourself that ugly thoughts are okay. I'TS OKAY TO FEEL. It's okay to hate every word you write in one day. It's okay to think you're lame. It's okay to ditch a writing session and take a walk. 

Because in that moment of giving yourself a break, showing compassion for who you are, you start to like yourself again. Like seeing the beauty of a sparkling dew drop on some debris after a hurricane. The peaceful silence can be deafening. The better to hear the wise voice in your mind. “Hey, I’m never going to write like that. But I like what’s in me and I’m going to put it on the page.”

That doesn’t mean you have to get up in the middle of the night! I rarely do. (Only right now, while my book is deep on my mind and I have the goal of finishing it by Thanksgiving weekend. And … I am on schedule!)