Any advice on writing?

Posted on by Galit G. Balli

Advice2

A friend of mine asked me if I have any writing advice, she said it might help her continue on with her writing.
At first, I was thinking “Omg, that’s so cool…”
A second later I answered, only calmer.

The very first thing that was on my mind was “Just write”,
She looked very disappointed.

We all want more, that magic wand that will make a published book with our name on it or a magic pill that will fix everything. So when I said to her just write, it was understandable she will be disappointed.
Sadly there is no fast fix to this.

If you want to be a writer, then write! It’s that simple.

My friend started to pour her heart out about her struggles, such as:

  • She is very messy.
  • She writes too fast and the writing is not what she wanted it to be.
  • She has too many ideas in one plot.
  • She will never be an author.

While she said all these things it hit me that I used to think the same way. So I calmed her down and shared my story, with a high hope it will help her somehow.

“Writers need to write,” I said.

No matter if you write dreams, stories, lines, thoughts or blogs. If you want to be more professional with your writing, you need to write and write some more. Enjoy the craft.
It’s ok, and even more than ok, to let the first draft be messy and “shitty”. It means you never stopped your creative flow and you wrote all that you could write about that story.

The important thing to know is that your story will not be a publishable work at your first draft. If you do think this way then you are living in a fairytale, sorry.

If you let yourself be in the “zone” of writing and write freely then you did do what was needed of you. The revision will be next, but when it comes to writing and jotting down those ideas and plots on paper (or keyboard) it’s best to allow yourself this freedom of writing.

If you feel that what you wrote makes no sense, leave it as it is. You can go back later, but now… it’s writing time. We all want perfection in our craft, only there can’t be perfection. I told her that I am a very messy writer. I have notes all over and even in the document itself.

I want to enjoy the writing or there is no point to it. I enjoy my craft more when I write freely and sadly when you write freely mistakes come soon after. I have spelling mistakes, my plot will suddenly turn into something else and if this happens I just write a note in the brackets, that way I know something changed and I will deal with it later.

Finally, I told her that she can relax because of a lot of other authors when I read about their creative process, say that they are very messy in their writing, after all, it’s only the first draft.

I love this saying so much, “It’s only the first draft.”

Finally, my friend understood what I was saying, but I saw she still wanted the fast fix and with that, I couldn’t help her.

Sorry for the long post and I hope you enjoyed my ramblings 🙂

Side note…

I think I will reach 130,000 – 150,000-word count which is far beyond what is needed, but I don’t want any limitations at this point in my writing. The editing will come later.

What are your thoughts of a first draft manuscript, should it be perfect for publishing? Can a first draft be just a first draft?

As always, thank you so much for reading ❤

Galit

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56 thoughts on “Any advice on writing?”

  3. Super awesome! Writers really must just write! Sometimes that seems so hard though! I definitely love, “It is just a first draft.” Even though I only write for fun in my spare time.Or even blogging, I don’t think anything is ever perfect, but it all works out one way or another!

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  4. Good writing advice usually through doing a comparison. Between your work with others. Recheck what you could improve better. Get a second perception if you have to.

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  5. A first draft is always a mess. That’s why it’s called the “first” draft and not “the” draft. 🙂 You’re right in what you told your friend. To be a writer, you have to write. There are no shortcuts or quick fixes. Practice makes perfect, as they say.

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  6. Such great and true advice! I think the hardest thing to do is just to start writing. I tend to want everything to come out perfectly (though I know better) and it’s sometimes what stops me most of the time. But, like you said, you can always edit later. 🙂

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  7. Your friend is really lucky to have you as a friend! 🙂 Your advice is worth millions… I can’t agree with you more! It’s so basic but, I guess, the ONLY thing that a writer really needs to do to get started!
    Thanks for sharing this with us Galit… 🙂
    And the first draft is actually never perfect for publishing… cause there’s always something better you can do to make your first draft better and better…
    Have a great day dear ❤

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  8. Love your advice! If I have something stirring in my mind, then I write up a quick draft. I like to use that Quick Draft feature on my WordPress dashboard. And then I can come back to them at a later time to edit. Write, write, write. 😄

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  11. I think you offered great advice. I think everyone tends to forget that a first draft is just that- a rough draft and that revision always comes after writing. Unfortunately it’s the doubt that keeps some people from writing.

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  12. I think you gave good advice to your friend. When I finally learned to make writing a regular habit, that’s when I felt so much better about it. Unfortunately, there’s no quick fix to unlocking inspiration and allowing the wondrous writing to flow. About first drafts… I’m gonna say every first draft has something that can be polished about it. Typos or a flow in the story — whatever. So I wouldn’t publish a first draft.

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  13. There is a quote that says, write the first draft with your heart, then rewrite and edit with your head!! Her resistance just means that she is on to something, keep pushing through it and move forward. The difference between a writer and anyone else is a writer writes!! the first draft is never exceptional, thats unrealistic, Must read the Art of War. Keep writing!! Its that simple! there is no magical advice!!

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  14. I wish I could give you some advice, really. I write about what I’m passionate about and I have recently expanded that to include other fandoms, science, cool stuff I found on the net, etc. As for a first draft…I’m a perfectionist when it comes to writing. I can NOT continue on to the next word, sentence or paragraph if there is an error in the previous one! The advent of spell check being incorporated into browsers and word processors has only exacerbated my little OCD since it highlights anything it believes is wrong in RED!

    Anything I write within these forums is EXPRESSLY my property. If you wish to copy or use it else where you MUST have my EXPRESS permission to do so.

    “God gives us relatives; thank God, we can choose our friends.” Addison Mizner Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.~ Thich Nhat Hanh

    Feelings are NOT fact!

    ““If you can make a girl laugh, you can make her do anything.”” – Marilyn Monroe

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  15. I think this is great advice! Even when I write my blogs I always have to go back over and change things and I try to proof read them as much as a I can. Thanks for sharing! ❤ xo

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  17. Preach it! You speak the complete truth, the hard truth, but the complete truth. I used to struggle with this whole “just write” thing as well, which is where my reliance on “writer’s block” emerged. However, once I finally got over myself and did the work, I found it to be so freeing, and I finally understood what everyone meant. It’s a personal journey for sure, but if your friend is meant to get there, she will eventually.

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    1. What a lovely comment, thank you 🙂 I am sure as well that if she is meant to do this, she will ❤ It was hard for to learn that, but now it's pure joy to know that it's better to write and write something that you can work on, than nothing all.

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  19. I may not be a real writer but I was told by my English Teacher that to improve writing you need to keep reading novels and anything you could catch your interest in reading. When you do such thing, you’ll gain better knowledge in writing better. And gaining ideas would be much easier.

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  20. I think first drafts are meant to be messy and full of ideas that may not even make the final cut and notes of things to add or change. When I student taught elementary school some years ago my cooperating teacher would call rough drafts, “sloppy copies” so I say no, they don’t have to be perfect lol. Hard for perfectionists though!

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  21. Excellent post. You have to start with the raw paint before it can become a work of art. It’s can either be hard and tedious work or it can be an amazing adventure… it’s all in the approach. 🙂

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