Almost exactly one month ago I finished my NaNoWriMo titled "Out of Tune".
It's been one month since closed it.
One month since I even looked at it.
With January 2012 quickly approaching, I'm realizing that it might be time for me to read my NaNo. Knowing full well that it will probably (read: most likely) be the worst piece of fiction that I've ever read. Mostly because, I ended it terribly. I knew that when I wrote it.
I'm sure every writer goes through this. Every writer has the moment when they've finished their first draft and think "Crap... now I have to read this." It's a bit like that moment in Tangled where Rapunzel finally escapes then has a major mood swing about leaving.
You know, this scene:
You go from that amazing feeling of finishing your book to that terrible nervous feeling of figuring out that you're kind of a terrible writer. While I realize that most writer's first drafts are crap (as most writers say, "A novel isn't a novel until the revision process."), this being my first novel I've ever finished (hell, this is my first novel I've ever spent this much time on), it's an incredibly scary task to take on.
It's also a task that can only be put off for so long before I need to bite the bullet and just go for it. After all, Walt Disney once said:
"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."
Curse you Walt Disney for having good advice that I can't deny! *shakes fist*
Time for me to quit talking about revising, and just start.
"Zoinks!"
Anna, you can NOT (accurately) judge whether or not you are a good writer by your first draft NaNo! Seriously. If it even crosses your mind that what you are reading proves anything (besides that you GOT IT DONE) then stop yourself right then and there and re-frame. I'm sure there are exceptions, but NaNoWriMo practically requires a cruddy first draft. Quantity Over Quality. It's even in the book! Give yourself a break. And congratulations on finishing. Prepared to be addicted forever now. ;)
ReplyDeleteOooh, revisions. Yeah. Those are fun. If you ever need any revision advice, you know who to turn to. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd remember - not only is Out of Tune a first draft, you wrote it in 30 days. It's definitely going to be a hot mess. But it's YOUR hot mess and that's what matters. :)