Writing Novels

Lesson 2: Writing Your First Draft

Making Changes

What if you realize that something you've written won't work with where your story is going? Or you think of something that should have happened to make your story stronger and more meaningful? While writing the first draft, avoid slowing your momentum by going back to do heavy rewriting. For now, just go back and make a note, a summary, of the change you want to make. If you cut large portions out of your story, I highly recommend pasting those portions into a new document and saving them.

You might choose to edit each scene as you complete it, but I don't recommend editing too thoroughly at this stage because you may decide to change something later and your time is better spent moving forward with your story. If you choose to edit as you go, try to read through your scene as if you were a reader encountering it for the first time. While you read, note any ideas you have for improving it. Do you enjoy what you are reading? Make sure you've stayed in the same person and tense throughout the scene. Does each line advance the story through the development of character, plot, or theme? If words are only there because you liked the way they sounded, perhaps they should be cut. Don't hesitate to cut parts of your story that aren't doing their work, but don't throw them away. Save them for later or for another story.

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