Dumping Brains

You have a plan, and are eager to get going with a new writing project, but are intimidated by the work ahead of you. Will your ideas really hold up an entire story? How will you manage your desire to both write and edit while trying to just get out a passable first draft? How to schedule first draft writing to avoid burnout and stay inspired? Of course, as with just about any part of the writing process, there are no definitive answers to these questions, but draft writing allows for easily among the more widely agreed upon advice for beginning authors. I would argue that this is actually among the most straightforward parts of the craft, when the goal of the author should be entirely on producing work on a semi-regular schedule and little else. This is not a time for editing, though it can often feel that way, and the brain-dump method of writing for extended periods of time without stopping to breathe or reread work is certainly my preferred way to go. Yes, there are certainly those that feel differently, and advocate for extremely methodical draft writing, in which practically every line is reread and perfected as one goes. While understandable, this way of writing personally makes little sense to me, as revisions will almost always result in not simply grammar and style editing but also large-scale content changes as well, so attempting to create flawless works of art on the first go-around will just mean time wasted when any significant story aspects are changed later. There also tends to be a pretty general school of thought among successful authors that sticking to a regular writing schedule of several hours during a specific part of the day, especially when in the process of writing a novel, is ideal. Here I must confess: I have never actually been able to do this. I simply do not have the kind of time to allow for such dedication day in and day out, so I cannot comment on how well this works for me, only that it tends to be the consensus idea. However, when I find myself with greater stretches of time, for example during school breaks, I do find that trying to produce at least a page of writing a day is a good way to stay motivated and progressing. Creating a first draft mostly just comes down to will, discipline, and the ability to focus, making it easily the most understandable and, subsequently, masterable parts of the writer's experience.