I can’t think of a better picture to sum up the difference between the ideas spiraling around in my head and the idea when it finally comes out on paper, can you?
Rough drafts are part fun and part frustration. On one hand you’re able to finally get all of your ideas spewed out onto the page. They tumble out in a wave of sheer joy as you create. On the other hand, as you’re writing down your story you know that it’s not where you want it to be. And that can be very frustrating. So often writers can get bogged down in rough drafts to the point where they never finish their story.
My kids and I will participate in NaNoWriMo again this year. Hopefully it will be an exercise in fun and not futility. As I always tell my kids: just get the story on the page. You can always revise it later.
What is your favorite part about writing rough drafts?