First Draft Magic

This weekend, I had a rare Saturday to myself; my boys and my husband were at a Cub Scout camp out, and I was able to write all day long. It was wonderful! I am working on a new book, and the uninterrupted day allowed me to focus on my opening chapters and work through some issues I have had in the planning stages.

With all of this accomplished, I’m now enjoying my very favorite part of the writing process—what I call “First Draft Magic.” To me, the experience of creating a solid story from gossamer threads of ideas is an astonishing thing. At this stage, whenever I have a quiet stretch of time, I can sit down to write and immediately get sucked into the world I am creating and into my characters’ heads. Time often plays tricks on me at this point—minutes can turn into hours in the blink of an eye. And there are moments when I’m truly surprised at what flows out of my fingertips and onto the computer screen. I am not saying that this is all stellar, pristine writing—trust me, it’s not!—but what is so “magical” is how the story takes on a life of its own. And that is so much FUN!

I’ve talked to many writers who understand this, and I’ve talked to others who don’t. For some, the editing stage is where the “magic” happens. For others, the entire writing process is difficult and sometimes painful, but the end result makes up for this a thousand fold. I have had rough writing days in the past, and I’m sure there will be more in my future. But for now, I am in my “happy place,” and enjoying every minute of it!   

Happy writing, everyone!