First Drafts: Just Face It, They Suck

I had every intention of making a post about just what the title says…for about 10 seconds. I gave up on this idea because as I was walking, mapping out what I would say in my head I realized: nothing I would write for you could ever have the perfection or hit the mark nearly as well as the glorious little piece by Anne Lamott, so I implore you to read this piece about first drafts that I honestly don’t believe anyone can top.

I did the favor of finding it for you (actually it was the first link I came to on Google, but let’s not talk about that).

Shitty First Drafts by Anne Lamott

Details Details Details!

I hate to beat a dead horse, but I thought a post about details would be a nice way to continue on from the previous discussion about geography as they connect. If you’ve taken any classes in creative writing or English you’ve likely already heard this, in fact, you have probably heard this several times, but as I have created a blog about the ins and outs of writing fiction I can’t just ignore the topic. It’s much too important for that. So I guess that brings us to our next post…

The devil really is in the details. One of the most important things in any story is for your readers to be able to imagine what you imagine when you write. You want your readers to feel as if they are in the world you have created, whether your world is something realistic or the world on an alien planet. People don’t want to read a summary of a story, they want to feel a part of the story. The best way to do this is, of course, by using sensory details.

Sensory Details

When you are writing sensory details you don’t simply want to describe everything in the room and explain that the stove was next to the sink which was next to the bread on the counter. No one wants to read that. It’s boring and it doesn’t really tell the reader anything tangible about the place.

If you use an opportunity for description wisely you can make a scene that might otherwise be mundane into a scene that sticks in the reader’s mind. This is one of the things that separates good writing from a bad writer. Chances are, even if you weren’t aware of it, the best story or poem you’ve ever read has descriptions that are magical enough to make you keep thinking about them hours later.