AcolyteI've got a story that I'm dying to finish, however I am at the point where I'm looking back at it and seeing the bits that I don't like and I am already thinking of ways to change it. Common wisdom says I finish what I started and then go back to make the changes I want but I have to admit I've lost interest in finishing this draft. Do I power through or just start over at this point?
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How Do You Handle First Draft Boredom?
- Thread starter wyrmfoe
- Start date
Scribble
Archmage
As a guy who has multiple unfinished drafts - I say power through. Set deadlines, set quotas, find that trick to push yourself.
I've been working as a software developer for almost 20 years. Some projects take 2 weeks to complete. They are very fun, there's no time to get bored. Some take 6 months. There are stretches where I feel exactly like I do with writing, except since I have nobody expecting anything, I can let it lie. The toughest project I worked on was a 3 year system implementation. There were days where I wanted to cry into my keyboard, I felt physical agony at the very thought of going to a meeting where people were arguing over the same 3 issues, month after month. I didn't quit, I kept at it.
The first version released was buggy, lots of problems. Over the months to come I made improvements, I met with people, understood what they needed, went back and worked on it. Eventually, things ran smoothly.
This is the only parallel I have in my life to make sense of the effort that goes into writing. I am new to it, but I am seeing some of the same patterns I found leading software development projects.
The first version will suck.
The first draft will be a lumpy, awkward, trite, pile of clay that re-writing will transform into something readable. If you abandon it now, you may never come back to it.
Finish it and reward yourself with a vacation from it.
Once it is done don't even look at it for weeks. That will give you the distance you need to be objective about it.
Good luck!
I've been working as a software developer for almost 20 years. Some projects take 2 weeks to complete. They are very fun, there's no time to get bored. Some take 6 months. There are stretches where I feel exactly like I do with writing, except since I have nobody expecting anything, I can let it lie. The toughest project I worked on was a 3 year system implementation. There were days where I wanted to cry into my keyboard, I felt physical agony at the very thought of going to a meeting where people were arguing over the same 3 issues, month after month. I didn't quit, I kept at it.
The first version released was buggy, lots of problems. Over the months to come I made improvements, I met with people, understood what they needed, went back and worked on it. Eventually, things ran smoothly.
This is the only parallel I have in my life to make sense of the effort that goes into writing. I am new to it, but I am seeing some of the same patterns I found leading software development projects.
The first version will suck.
The first draft will be a lumpy, awkward, trite, pile of clay that re-writing will transform into something readable. If you abandon it now, you may never come back to it.
Finish it and reward yourself with a vacation from it.
Once it is done don't even look at it for weeks. That will give you the distance you need to be objective about it.
Good luck!
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Scribble
Archmage
I suggest you make notes about things you want to change, but don't go back and change them now! You may find other things down the road you want to change that will change what you already changed! Then, you'll have rewritten the same 7 chapters a number of times, and they'll still be changed later.
Just keep going. If you decide that character X would be better as a wizard than a ranger, make a note, and start using them as a wizard in chapter 8. Just keep weaving the story, fix that later. If you start fixing now, you'll never stop. That's what I think, for what it's worth.
Just keep going. If you decide that character X would be better as a wizard than a ranger, make a note, and start using them as a wizard in chapter 8. Just keep weaving the story, fix that later. If you start fixing now, you'll never stop. That's what I think, for what it's worth.
Scribble is absolutely right. It's very easy to fall into the trap of re-writing the first few chapters, and it is an oubliette that many new writers never escape. Power through, make extensive notes, and when you make major changes proceed with the changes while making notes to go back and revise to fit later.
Great books are not written - they are re-written!
Great books are not written - they are re-written!
ecdavis
Troubadour
I agree with the others, power through it and I suspect you'll feel better once you've done this. I made the mistake of changing the first 3 chapters of my first book while I was about halfway through it. Then, after doing this, I began to think that the rest of the book didn't fit the 'new' first 3 chapters. So I ended up basically rewriting the whole thing (though it was easier because now I had an outline of where I wanted to go and I did use some of the material from the original write).
Another idea is to finish your current draft, then open a new document and put the changes there, so you can have a side-by-side comparison of both drafts.
Another idea is to finish your current draft, then open a new document and put the changes there, so you can have a side-by-side comparison of both drafts.
Sheriff Woody
Troubadour
If you are not excited about what you still have to write, that is a story problem, not a first act problem.
- Thread starter
- #7
Thanks for the comments. It's given me a boost and I think that's what I needed. I also think that Scribble nailed something in that I am doing this largely for myself so I have no really hard deadline and that makes it easy to just let the problem lie and move on to other things. But that doesn't get me to the finish line and that's the real thing I think I have to power through. Getting to done on that first draft so I can go back and make it match what I'm picturing in my head better. So far I've gone back and kept going on the project. I've also included an SO as a first reader to have an external deadline to get the first draft finished and get some input before I implement my own changes to the story. We'll see how it goes.
Addison
Auror
To paraphrase everyone's favorite forgetful fish; "Just keep writing, just keep writing, just keep writing-writing-writing. What do we do? We write, write."
Another non-disney quote is, "To write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write (ad infinitum)."
The best way to beat writing boredom is to write.
Another non-disney quote is, "To write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write (ad infinitum)."
The best way to beat writing boredom is to write.
pskelding
Troubadour
Daily goals work well for me... 500 to 1000 words a day is a managable task that I can do in under 30 minutes discovery writing or following an outline (my preferred method). I think this works and is recommended by so many writers because it's measurable progress and doable even while working a full time job, raising family etc...
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