For me, drafting a book always starts with a question or two or three? There are always a few unshakable things floating around in my mind that puzzle me. They are like splinters–thought splinters. They get beneath my skin and won’t leave me alone.
All my books start with these sharp slivers and I love that. But thought splinters are not a plot. They are not a handful of developed characters with well rounded arcs. They are certainly not a book. No wonder drafting is not my favorite part of the process. It is very far away from the finish line and so undefined.
But at the same time, drafting is the most organic, uncensored part of my writing. If I’m doing it correctly, I get to create without a filter.
My thought splinters may be small, but they are relentless irritants that inflame deep thoughts. They are my beginning.
How do your drafts begin?
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Interesting analogy, Kim. My first thoughts about a novel are messier than slivers or splinters. More like muddy water. 🙂 I usually start with a character or a setting, not both. Then I spend a lot of daydreaming time, wondering why that particular character or setting (or even an image) came to me in the first place. I start to “see” more and more, to the point (and it might be weeks or months) where I have sentences or phrases in mind and start writing them down. Story arc, conflict, other characters: all that comes much later (and yeah, I hate first drafts. I adore revision). My WIP started with the image of a water tower in a small town.
I am so with you! I like the internal (day dreaming) part of drafting but not the capturing it on paper. It’s like trying to net smoke some days LOL!
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