The First Draft: Lessons learned (1)
Initial drafts are an adventure. That first gesture of catching an idea and wrapping it in language is awe inspiring. Mystery draws us forward: Why do I tremble at this memory? What will this character say next? What do I really think about this subject? Writers bring to the blank page an idea—some motivating spark—but we don’t know its form, we don’t know half the content, we often don’t know the real reason we’re writing. We certainly don’t yet know which exact sentences will emerge. We come with an agenda but also, ideally, an open heart and a willingness to be surprised. Elizabeth Jarret Andrew in Living Revision: A Writer’s Craft as Spiritual Practice Before I plunge head-on to the revision stage, I thought it would be good to look back and harvest the lessons I learned from creating the first draft. Indeed it was an adventure and just like all adventures, there was a whole range of emotions that came up: In the beginning it was exciting; but a few months into the process, it …
