The subject, the passion, and the hard work will all become clear with the more time you pour into it. It might seem unclear too, but the second time and third time youвЂ™re working on the next version of your book the focus will become clearer. Go ahead and write that rough draft in whatever way you can best convey your ideas. It might seem blurry and unclear the first time. New characters, a stronger plot, perhaps even a total twist (that you didnвЂ™t see coming ). It might not be in there the first time around, but once you read it through greatness can come from it. Oddly enough rough drafts even have the potential to bring out the best of your story.

ItвЂ™s something that writers later on love to share glimpses of because we canвЂ™t believe we actually wrote that the first time around. This is eventually something youвЂ™ll look back on once you have the final version of your book and laugh (and maybe gasp too). So donвЂ™t be comparing yourself, worrying about the end product, or stressing about the future while you are working on this. This is the first time your book is being written, and I cannot stress enough that youвЂ™re the only one equipped to write the story in your mind. ThatвЂ™s what you should expect and be okay with as you write through it.

contradictions, spelling errors, confusion, unanswered questionsДЄnd that just lists just a few of whatвЂ™s completely ordinary to have in your rough draft.

lines or paragraphs for names/places/scenes you havenвЂ™t determined yet.

The honest truth about rough drafts is that they are rough in every way. You might share it with others to allow them to see where the book has started, but overall this first step of bringing the book to life is only a step in the right direction. The rough draft is simply for you, the writer, and no one else. Rough draft material has no place amongst book shelves, bookstores, and within readerвЂ™s hands. This is a part of our craft, and itвЂ™s necessary for our book to survive. And sometimes itвЂ™s hard to see that this is normal. Sometimes that rough draft gets rewritten three, four, etc more times. ItвЂ™s not meant to be easy, and if we go back to the metaphor about photographs, itвЂ™s going to take several attempts. The first moments your book comes to life is when you write the rough draft. Last time I spoke about what it takes to begin writing your next story, but now I want to dive deeper into when youвЂ™re writing the rough draft. They shape the story, characters, and without you realizing it, they also shape you (the author). Rough drafts are the most crucial parts of our craft. ItвЂ™s never perfect the first time you do it, and itвЂ™s not meant to be. A rough draft in a way is like a picture.