Drafts Galore

     You've done it! You've finally completed the first draft of your debut novel, so now what? Are you sending it to a publishing company? Or an editor? Maybe having a few family members read it first? Finding an agent? 

    No. No. Sure. Maybe.

    You've just finished your first draft, but that doesn't mean you're done writing. Surprise, surprise, your first draft is not going to be a masterpiece. Now that you've finished, you've gotta start it all over again on a completely new document. 

    Think of it this way: your first draft you're telling yourself the story. It's not going to be perfect because you're still working out all the kinks. The first draft is for you. If you want to share it with your family and friends, go ahead, but nobody else is ever gonna see it. This draft is just the skeleton of what your story will soon become. 

    Your second draft is where you're telling the story to your readers. Now that you know what happens, you can add more detail, focus more on the craft. The second draft might be longer than your first draft, but it might also be shorter. In the second draft, you'll take out what you realize is not quite as important as your thought and adding things that you realize might be relevant to the story. It probably wont take you as long to do as the first draft will, but it will require more thought.

    Once your second draft is finally done, that's when you reach out to an agent. Once an agent is involved, they'll have you create a third and maybe fourth draft. Than they'll find an editor who might have you create a fifth and a sixth draft. Then the publisher might have an eight or a ninth draft before finally, the manuscript worth publishing is perfected.

    Moral of the story: be prepared to write your story at least three times over. You're gonna have written it so much that you're gonna hate it, but the end result will be worth it.