READ IN 2017 Shades Of Magic By V. E. Schwab

READ IN 2017 → Shades of Magic by V. E. Schwab

“I’m not going to die,” she said. “Not till I’ve seen it.” “Seen what?” Her smile widened. “Everything.”

Trying to be a little more artistic 😜

Good activities to help make your “shitty first draft” less shitty:

Having a detailed outline.

Knowing your characters well.

Keeping a record of your character’s growth and goals.

Keeping a record of foreshadowing and plot developments.

Taking short breaks.

Coming back from short breaks.

Forgiving yourself for being an imperfect writer.

Bad, horrible, awful activities which will not make your “shitty first draft” any less shitty, but will absolutely make you sad and frustrated:

Being a perfectionist.

Perfectionism.

Trying to fix all your mistakes.

Not forgiving yourself for making mistakes.

Being a perfectionist.

Moral of the story: Don’t beat yourself up for having less then perfect writing skills. We all have much room to grow and we all need feedback from others before our story can become the best version of itself. A good story can take many, many drafts to get right, and while there are tricks to help you achieve this quicker, no one will ever have it perfect right away.

Keep trying to write better first drafts, but don’t fault yourself when they won’t turn out the way you want them too. 

Your first draft does not define your skill as a writer. 

storyville coffee, seattle | it was lit.

the illuminae files: girls 

Part of being alive is having life change us. The people around us, the events we live through, all of them shape us. And that’s what I think you’re afraid of. Maybe not of dying. But of this you, the you you’ve become, ceasing to exist.