When Writing Means a 1000 First Drafts

There is one thing I’ve learned in writing–its rarely linear. It’s not clean. It’s not pretty. It’s not done all at once. And that’s ok.

I’ve gone through drafts. Several. I’ve gone through ten first chapter drafts. Twenty three chapter drafts. I’ve moved chapter seven to chapter one, or vice-versa. That’s even before it reaches the editor. It’s a mix of frustration and exhilaration. Frustration when the words just can’t come, or the flow goes as gracefully as clogged plumbing. It’s exhilarating when the words finally come together, and the story merges into something resembling a cohesive piece of work.

The single most important part about writing is to simply write. There is no substitute for putting words into paper (or in today’s case, keyboard to screen). And any type of writing will do–journal, fiction, non-fiction, even letters. It all counts. Until you’re ready to write those beautiful words you want to share to the world.