Scrappy Rough Draft Exercises

 1. What are some qualities of your genre?

• Rich and brooding 
• Forbidden
• Seductive
• Titillating
• Scrappy
• Educational
• Gritty

2. What are the qualities of your protagonist?

• Feisty 
• Angsty
• Stubborn
• Soft

3. What words would you love to have reviewers use when describing your book?

• It was so hot I wanted to throw the book across the room.
• I couldn't stop reading.

"Fearless First Draft"

Rules I've Been Told Make a "Real Writer":

1. You need to write every day and consistently.
2. You need a traditional publisher.
3. You have to have a rich vocabulary and strong use of language.
4. Your words have to be like poetry.
5. You have to outline completely and know everything about your characters.
6. You have to work on it for years and years until you publish.
7. You have to keep writing, no matter what.

The only rules I need to follow or habits I need to develop, to finish my Fearless First Draft are...

1. You will make progress on your work-in-progress, every single day. 
2. Progress isn't necessarily writing, but it's doing something in relation to writing.

Monday at 6am, work on book for one sprint session. Record feelings afterward.

• When you think about the kind of writer you want to be, what pops into mind?

I want to be a writer who writes every day. I want to be a successful author with a good following and who can make a living off of writing. I want to improve with my books, but not beat myself up if one book is different than another book. I want to be able to try different genres and be brave. 

• What does it take to be a writer?

Perseverance, showing up every day, grit, courage, being vulnerable and willing to try new things. 

• What do you need to do to be a writer?

Show up every day. Do whatever you need to do to get things done. Don't be hard on yourself or try to be a perfectionist all the time. 

• What do you believe about writers in general? What words come to mind?

They're brave. They're perseverant. They're artists. They love to tell stories. They like to entertain others and make people happy or feel different emotions. They're strong and gritty. They show up. 

• How good should a first draft be?

I want it to be pretty good the first time around so it's less editing later, but sometimes I think you should just keep going and get the words out and then worry about editing later. I feel like this answer is different for everyone and it depends, but you shouldn't be a perfectionist.

• What do you believe about authors who make a living from their writing?

They're good business people. They know how to show up and get their work done. They understand what it means to succeed. They understand their audience and their genre. They did the work and the research and stayed with it long enough to persevere. 

• What traits do successful writers have in common?

Gritty, brave, strong, show up, know how to do their research, know about the business, knowledgeable, willing to learn and try new things. 

I feel like my writing isn't as good as it could be. I feel like I am just an average or even maybe slightly below average writer. I feel like I don't have business-savvy. I feel like I don't show up and I quit a lot because I don't think I'm good enough or deserving enough to write.

You need to keep going! Show up every day, write even when you don't think you're good enough (because you are), and try not to worry about other people. You are what matters in this scenario, not other people. You need to try to keep learning about business stuff, and keep trying new things. You need to develop more grit, and not back down anymore. You need to remember that you are deserving to write and that everyone is deserving to tell their story, if they want to.

You are a writer who has become gritty. You show up every day, sit your butt down in the chair and you work and always accomplish something on your book. You don't look at other peoples work and compare it to your own, you know that your work is good enough and you are deserving enough to be here. You are brave and try new things, and are always eager to learn from your mistakes. You don't back down from a challenge, because challenges are how you grow and become better. You are brave.

How have I been pulled away from my writing time? 

• Helping Thomas or someone else
• Yes, and I can do that just as soon as I get finished with this sprint.
• Playing games
• Yes, I can reward myself for doing my sprint writing with playing a game.
• Taking care of the animals
• Yes, and I can take care of the animals before I write and then if I'm writing and they need something, they can wait for 20 minutes until my sprint is over to be taken care of. I can give them my 5 minutes break of attention.
• Getting distracted thinking I need to take care of other things
• Yes, and I can make a list of everything I need to get done or things I want to do before I start writing, and I can attend to those things as soon as I'm finished.
• Feeling sick or off and not like working
• Yes, and I can go easier on myself and figure out ways to get through it at a lesser pace, but I can still sit down and do sprints at least for a bit.

Productive Procrastination (Process Time):

• Morning Pages/Journaling
• Practice musical instrument
• Do some exercising (like Qi Gong or Yoga or Zumba)
• Go for a walk with the dogs or just outside by yourself
• Color something
• Make origami
• Play with clay and mold something 

If I could wake up tomorrow morning with my writer habit already a regular part of my routine, what would that habit look like on a daily or weekly basis?

I would be writing from 5-7am, so four 25-minute sprints. I would have a large cup of coffee on my coffee warmer to drink (I'd prepare the coffee the night before so it was ready at 5am). I would spend 10 minutes doing something random before I start writing, whatever that might be to warm up. I would get completely dressed and ready like I was going to work, so I felt official. Including a cardigan and socks in case I get cold. I would put some essential oils on so I had a nice smell. 

What opportunities, for you and/or your readers, will open up once you're sharing your story or book?

The ability to have a flexible, full-time job again where I can work how I need to work and control my life the way I need to. I would be able to work when I needed, on the schedule I needed. I would be able to do what I enjoy doing and do it successfully. I will see whether or not people like what I am writing and if I improve and can get good enough to be successful. I'll be able to finish a book again and get back in the groove of writing.

What are you willing to give up to finish writing your draft?

I'll give up watching TV and playing video gams. I'll give up my animals. I'll give up coffee and going out to eat. I'll give up sweets.

Why am I writing this book?

Because I came up with this idea about aerialists and doing another professor/student romance, and it's stuck with me since I came up with it, which has been a few years now.

Why?

Because I really loved writing Forbidden Melody, I really love the dynamic of student/teacher romances, I really like the "forbidden" aspect of it and all the angst and tension.

Why?

Because I really like writing romances and I love seeing the emotions in the characters and the relationships develop.

Why?

Because I like to live vicariously through my characters and get to experience things that I don't experience in my real life.

The purpose of my being a writer is to get wrapped up in characters, feel their pain, live their story and share all ups and downs it brings for women who are like me who enjoy reading romances, who love the emotions and the feelings it brings, and want escapism and something to devour.

• Re-read what I have so far
• Look at my outline and make sure it still fits what I want to do
• Brainstorm any adjustments to the outline
• Write my Fearless First Draft

Day 1: It will bring me joy to dive back into my book again and re-read what I've done so far. 

Day 2: It will bring me joy to read through my outline and see what the journey was for Cassie and Chandler, and if they need their journey tweaked at all.

Week 1: It will bring me joy to continue writing the introduction to Chandler, the Meet Cute scene, and the first No Way #1 scene, where they are starting to realize they are stuck with one another, and there's something very deep and real between them.

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