Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Love at First Draft

I'm at about 10,000 words right now on the WIP. And I still feel like I'm at the very, very beginning of the story. So far, the readers have only met a few characters, and it's a challenge for me to keep my yapper shut because I'm so excited about what's coming up. The whole thing is just about to explode.

So, yeah, I'm still officially in first-draft euphoria. I'm at that point when I'm still re-reading the first chapter over and over and loving it. Ha ha. The sad irony is that, of my last three books, the first chapter has survived in exactly none of them. When I do rewrites, more often than not, I start by cutting the first chapter.

But, still, this is the great part. I love this part. I love it when I'm still feeling my way through the story. And I love it when I finally get to a scene I've been imagining for ages, and then even as it's coming out, I pretty much know it'll stay intact because it's exactly what I wanted it to be. Sure, it's rare. Still great. And I'm feeling so protective of these characters -- I'm hoping it's a good sign that I want to make sure I represent them well.

Ah. First draft love. Such a sweet thing.


4 comments:

Erica Orloff said...

Ahh . . . yes. I love that phase. If only it could last. LOL!

:-)
E

Jon VanZile said...

I know. I almost finished with, "If only it could last," but then I figured, no, I'm ending on an up note. We all know the other side ... no reason to dwell on it.

Amy Sue Nathan said...

First drafts are so much akin to infatuation during dating...if it's not there in the beginning, you won't have anything left when it's gone. I think it's a great place to be because what's next is solid and strong, even though it's totally different!

Jon VanZile said...

But doesn't it suck when the initial thrill wears off?