Chapter One
I wrote the first chapter of my novel last night!! Wow, this feels big!
I told Michael I thought was ready to start writing the day before, because I had hit a wall with my outlining. I thought maybe I’d get unstuck if I just started telling the story and seeing where it went. The first chapter of the book was also the one that was most clear in my mind. I had a solid outline of how it would go. And the book kicks off with a bang, so it was a fun scene to write.
The day before yesterday when I said I was ready to write, I still wasn’t. My main character was still called “MC” in my outline. She didn’t have a name. I have been so focused on plot, I haven’t focused on character. I knew the basics; what her flaw and character arc would be, and her relationships with the other important characters. But beyond that, I didn’t have a clear idea of her voice. And since she’s the main character, her voice is a linchpin in how the story is told.
So I did what any millennial would do. I got on YouTube and watched videos about how to write characters. The video that clicked for me was from YouTuber Abbie Emmons, when she said I should take a MBTI (Myers-Briggs) personality test as if I were my main character. I used the first Google result, which was www.16personalities.com. Answering those questions about my MC gave me a better understanding of her, but reading about the results of the MBTI type she ended up being gave me a lot more insight into her character. I could see how the personality characteristics it described would play out across the plot and conflicts to come.
After that, I consulted with the spreadsheet of cool names I’ve been compiling over the last month or so, and whittled it down to one that fit. Maybe it’ll end up being a placeholder name in the end. But for now, my MC has a name, and she has a personality I can write from.
The other video that really clicked with me this week was from YouTuber Alexa Donne. She talked about creating a “Zero Draft,” which I wasn’t aware of as a concept before now. Essentially, the zero draft is somewhere between a first draft and an outline. It may not be comprehensible to anyone but the author. It may have placeholders in some areas instead of real writing. The zero draft is essentially word/idea vomit, in order to get all the ideas out there and make them start working together. It allows for flexibility and a quicker path to editing, as opposed to getting stuck in the outline as I mentioned I was a few days ago.
This idea of a zero draft really lowered the barrier to entry for me. It’s okay if I my story is a patchwork of plot points right now. It’s okay if I don’t know how chapter two will look yet. That shouldn’t stop me from writing chapter one.
So I did!
Chapter one felt like it was slow going. I agonized over my word choices. I consulted thesaurus.com a lot. I questioned why I kept using the same damn words over and over. I knew what would happen. I just had to figure out how to say it. But despite feeling slow, I think I probably averaged around 400 words per hour. I started right after dinner and finished just before midnight, and in the end I had 2,443 words. I read through it, and I am super proud! It still needed/needs a lot of editing, but it’s good! Even knowing what happens, I was on the edge of my seat.
I plugged my chapter into ProWritingAid and did some necessary grammar edits, and cut out some wordy fluff. My chapter is now hovering right around the 2,400 word mark. Michael did a read-through. He gave me some good feedback, and I made those edits as well. But most rewarding of all, when he was done, he said, “So cool! I want to keep reading!” YES. That’s the goal.
Then I did some more googling. How many words is an average chapter? Results: “Some will tell you 2,500 words is the average, while others will say that 3,000 to 5,000 word chapters are more likely to be the norm. Most agree that under 1,000 words would be rather short and that over 5,000 might be rather too long.” How many pages is 2,400 words? (My writing software doesn’t have page splits). Results: 4.8 pages, single spaced.
I fretted for a few minutes the chapter was too short, and then realized the law of averages doesn’t work unless you have more than one variable. I’ve ready plenty of two-page book chapters, and some that dragged on forever. It’s all good.
Chapter One feels like a solid First Draft. Chapter Two may hedge more into zero draft territory when I sit down to write it. The thing is, chapter one was exciting. It kicks off with action! Chapter three will be exciting. There will be conflict, and choices that have to be made! Chapter two…is a bridge between those things. It’s exposition. It’s things the readers need to know in order to move forward, but it’s not fun. And if I don’t think it’s fun to write, readers won’t think it’s fun to read. So that’s on me. I need to figure out how to make chapter two interesting. But zero drafting allows me to keep moving the story forward. I don’t have to get so hung up on making chapter two good that I am crippled from writing anything at all.
So, that’s where I’m at right now! I have more to blog about, but I doubt I’ll be doing any writing this weekend because we’re heading out to catch some whitewater. Hopefully, I’ll get some more reading done while we’re on the road.
