Jaye Marie and Anita Dawes

Greetings, Storytellers. Diana here with NaNoWriMo looming on the horizon. Whether you’re participating in the writing marathon or not, I thought I’d give you a bit of a pep talk about writing first drafts. Gather around, and I’ll try not to scare you!

Just imagine…

Your fingertips rest on the keyboard. Your creative vision has taken shape: an outline, a storyboard, scribbles on a notepad, or a series of scenes thumping around inside your head.

The terrain of a new world sprawls before you, rife with civilization. Characters chatter, love, and battle. They vie for your attention, eager to tell their stories and shape their lives. That first draft is a molten caldron of mystery, uncontainable, and ready to erupt. It’s a flawed, untamed, tainted, wonderful, intense piece of art.

A first draft has nothing to do with perfection.

It’s about the story. It isn’t the time to edit…