Drafting

Love it or hate it, drafting is an essential step in the writing process. It’s also the point at which most writers fail to complete their novels, leading to a (literal or digital) drawer full of unfinished manuscripts.

Avoiding common first draft pitfalls is key to finishing a rough draft of your story, as is discovering a drafting process that best enables you to write with confidence and ease. Learning how to craft well-developed scenes and effective prose can also help you write a first draft that requires less revision.

For guidance in achieving each of these aims, check out the articles I’ve published on various aspects of the drafting process below.

Discovering Your Drafting Process

• Asking These Five Questions Can Help You Write Better First Drafts

• Three Alternative Drafting Techniques for Fiction Writers

• Should You Fast-Draft Your Novel?

• How to Overcome Shiny New Idea Syndrome

• How to Write With Focus & Efficiency

• Can a Drafting Cycle Help You Juggle Multiple Manuscripts?

Crafting Strong Scenes & Chapters

• How Fiction Writers Can Pen Strong Opening Lines

• How to Write Chapters That Captivate Readers

• How to Structure Compelling Scenes

• How to Craft Page-Turning Chapter Endings

• How to Frame Scenes Like a Filmmaker

• Eight Tips for Writing an Epic Fight Scene

• How to Write Effective Flashback Scenes

• How to Craft Alluring Intimate Scenes

• How to Craft Impactful Character Deaths

• Exploring Five Ways to Frame Your Story

• How to Balance “Show, Don’t Tell” in Your Writing

• Resolving Common Story Issues With “Show, Don’t Tell”

• My Top Tips for Balancing Stories With Multiple Points-of-View

• Three Lessons Learned From a ‘First Three Chapters’ Critique
  

Exploring Elements of Prose

• How to Craft Immersive Setting Descriptions

• 19 Ways to Write Better Dialogue

• Defining Your Unique Writing Style & Voice

• How to Write in Deep Point-of-View

• Three Tips for Crafting Lyrical Prose

• How Fiction Writers Can Improve the Quality of Their Prose