6 Steps to Start Your Novel’s Next Draft

6 Steps to Start Your Next Novel Draft, and Some Encouragement

The first draft of a novel is an exploration of what you want your story to be. It is the foundation of your finished book, and every draft after is working towards becoming that complete, final text. 

For my novel The New Dawn (working title) I’ve just started the third draft. For me, it’s a draft of finalizing plot, characters, and settings. It’s eliminating the unnecessary, emphasizing the important, and getting ready for the next stage—sending my novel to beta-readers. 

It’s a beautiful stage. The idea for the story is more solid than ever, yet there is plenty of room for creativity and shaping. It’s the draft where the story starts really coming together. 

Everyone and every project has different amounts of drafts and stages, but there is always some movement and progression with each draft. One thing is sure, every draft is riddled with challenges waiting to be conquered—challenges with great rewards waiting for the writer committed enough to finish. 

Take Three—Draft! 

I don’t want to sound like my third draft is coming along easily. Before the edits began there were challenges. There has been doubt in my capability, and bucket loads of fear coming into this third draft. 

Questions regarding research are popping up. My choices on POV, relevant scenes, and cutting and combining characters are filling my todo list. Being afraid to make a bad decision, I have procrastinated quite a bit. 

The biggest challenge in this draft I believe is my fear of failing. I fear committing to the draft, because I’m scared I won’t be able to finish.

Drafting and editing have not been easy for me in the past. It took me over three years to write the first draft, and almost another two years to finish the second draft. Its been roughly four months since I finished draft two, and my concern for a repeat performance is high. 

I’m asking myself, how do I commit myself in a way there is no room for not finishing? How can I be sure I will succeed? 

I’m a Writing Succeeder

Even though it did take years to finish my drafts, I’m taking hope in that I did finish them. There was a lot of time involved, but with each draft the time got shorter. There’s no reason why I can’t finish this draft just as I finished the others. 

Waiting to commit until I feel ready will cause me to never start. There is always something more I could learn, research, or plan before I dig into the scenes and chapters. Deciding to commit and finish no matter what is my only choice if I want to get this book published. 

To help me to this end, I’ve created a reward system that I think is pretty great. For every three days I work on editing my novel, I get to watch a TV episode or movie I am itching to watch. Watching shows and movies is one of my favorite entertainment activities, so it is a fabulous motivator for me on the days I would rather check out than focus on editing. 

With each novel editing session I complete, the greater my momentum and confidence grows. The process can be overwhelming, but stepping back and looking at the facts instead of the fears helps me replace the fear with excitement. 

With every piece of me I want to share The New Dawn with the world. To do that I have to get it finished, and because I love the story I need to do it well. I want others to read the story I began creating 6 years ago. I want to finish it, and start writing the many stories filling my pipeline. 

Is It Time to Finish Your Novel Draft? 

Is there a draft of your novel that you have been struggling to finish? What I’ve been working to get across from my above story is that if I can commit and finish the third draft of The New Dawn, you can finish your novel’s draft. 

Perhaps you can take hope from your past accomplishments like me, or set up a reward system for fun motivation. In any case, let’s not wait any longer to start—it won’t get easier until the first words are written. Once momentum from continuous writing sessions is gained the process will start to flow, and it will be fun.

If the words seem awkward when you start, don’t stop, but pick up a novel or short story from a great writer and start reading. The more I read another writer’s fictitious work, the more my words start to flow. 

If the starting is still hard, reach out to a writing friend or to me through email. It’s easier to write big projects with writers around you to support you. 

Six Steps to Starting the Next Novel Draft

I would love for you to start writing your draft with me. If you want to commit today, here are six steps to get you started. 

1. Decide you will commit and finish no matter what.

2. Plan what you need to get done.

3. Find a good time to carve out for writing (even if you can only find ten minutes some days. Consistency is key for building momentum)

4. Set up a reward system (Discern what will really, really motivate you to commit to your writing sessions—something you even get addicted to—and use it to your writing advantage).

5. Start writing consistently, even when words only come in drips or seem like gibberish.

6. Send me an email to let me know how your draft is getting on!

Imagine the ecstasy at finishing your next draft…it will feel amazing. Let’s promise ourselves and each other right now to get our drafts done. There is no better time than the present to write. 

Let’s do what we love and succeed. 

Featured photo by Nikita Vantorin on Unsplash