The one thing I have to accomplish—or I won’t be able to live with myself—is to be a traditionally published author. I know. It makes no sense in so many ways. Yet this is the rainbow bridge of my dreams.
Because life isn’t always about making sense. It’s about living without regrets.
I came close to my goal with the book I queried late last year. But close isn’t good enough. I realized a little (?) too late that the story, while good, wasn’t unique enough for a debut author. No worries. I’ve heard of a number of now-published authors who didn’t make it out of the gate with their first book. Then when they sold their second book, the first was sold too. That’s the success scenario I choose to believe in.
So… Now it’s time to kick up my game with a new project that has a unique concept. It’s time to dig in and get serious with the infamous First Draft.
First Draft ~ Fact and Fiction
Pounding out a first draft is different for every author. For some, the words flow out of their fingers like milk and honey in the promised land. Yeah, right. So. Not. Me.
For me, a first draft is all-consuming. It’s when the characters blossom to life in my head, transforming into three-dimensional people. Usually with a healthy dose of attitude. Story wrinkles slap me in the face—plot pits big enough to swallow a T-Rex whole—I didn’t foresee in the initial planning phase. It’s a fictional wrestling match and dance party rolled into one, an oxymoronic medely of inspiration, frustration, and a high flying creative dopamine rush.
Yes, folks. The writer’s high is real. And it’s free for anyone crazy enough to venture down this path.
I’d like you to think that my First Draft Dash is as fluid as an Olympian going for the gold. But let’s be real. My first draft process looks a lot more like this…
In the race to keep the momentum flowing, real-life stuff falls off the truck, only to be trampled beneath the hooves of those bulls.
Dust, dishes, and laundry be damned… and the better part of social media too.
Ready…Set…Go!
The good new is, first drafts don’t last forever. In fact, this is going to be a relatively short sprint.
Head down and fingers to the keyboard on March 21st.
Crossing the deadline finish line on June 21st.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Yeah… about this blog…
During the first draft dash, I won’t have the bandwidth to come up with thought-provoking posts on a regular basis. In February, when I was plotting out the new project, I did Zip. Zero. Zilch blog posts.
I didn’t want this blog to go dark for the next three months, so I’m bringing out a series I’ve been thinking about for some time. It will be based on a series of letters written to me by legendary Disney animator Frank Thomas over a number of years. The correspondence originated out of my love of animation and computer graphics, but ultimately brought me to the path of writing fiction for young readers.
Coming up next:
“Letters from Frank ~ Insights on Animation, Computers, and Elephants”
Elizabeth Fais 