Plotting a First Draft
How do you write and finish a first draft?
I have yet to publish a book, but I have completed three first drafts. And each one was done differently than the other.
The first book took me over a year to complete the first draft.
The second took me 10 very scattered months.
The third took me three and a half months.
So I got a lot faster, which is always very nice.
I pantsed my first book until the midpoint. Then I decided I needed some help and began to learn about story structures. Save the Cat, saved my first book. Admittedly, I never read Blake Snyder’s book… sorry Blake. Instead, I read a beat breakdown of the Matrix. I’m 90% sure it was this one by Studio Binder.
This is my favorite Save the Cat beat sheet. Huge thanks to Savannah Gilbo for making it for everyone!
What I think worked for me, more than other beat sheets, was the amount of beats on this page. There are many more straightforward templates, but this one has 56 beats, divided into these moody sections like “Dark Night of the Soul” & “Fun and Games”.
Additionally, each quarter breaks nicely into sections. For me, the sections are:
Section 1A: Opening Image - Catalyst
Section 1B: Debate 1 - Break into 2
Section 2A: B Story - Fun & Games 6 (Reminder of the Stakes)
Section 2B: Fun & Games 7 -Midpoint
Section 3A: Bad Guys Close In - All is Lost
Section 3B: Dark Night of the Soul 1 - Break into 3
Section 4A: Gather the Team- High Tower Suprise 1
Section 4B: High Tower Suprise 2 - Final Image
I typically plot, write, and edit these sections as whole units. The reason they break up like this is each ends on a spike or relief of tension, which makes great resting spots for writers to recheck outlines and make sure no new questions or themes have been raised.
So, how do I use this template?
1] Starting with what you know will happen, fill out the template with one main event, scene, or idea. It can be as vague or detailed as you need. Don’t get too hung up over it.
Opening Image: Caleb is a Transman trapped in a life he does not want.
Catalyst: Caleb is bitten by a Vampire at a club.
Break into 2: Caleb accepts he is a vampire and leaves his human life behind.
2] Each beat is a scene. Take your ideas and start to fill in the details. I use a bulleted list when I do this and try to make it go in order so I can hit each bullet as I write.
Example: Beats from Stagnant Water Chapter 2
Morrigan tries to help Caleb get the change he needs
She cuts his hair
Gets him a binder
Makes him an outfit and invites him to a party
She gives him a time and place to experience himself differently and he gets a glimpse of what his life could be like. Despite himself, he is excited and happy.
Sometimes when I draft, I’ll write underneath these bullet points and delete them as I complete them. It acts as a checklist to keep you on track and gives me a sense of completion.
3] You might have trouble filling in and detailing every beat. I do. Every single time. I am an exploratory writer. All the best parts of my stories are whispered in my ear by an elf passing by. I can’t predict what that guy will say, but I can make a rickety scaffolding with enough support for us to play in.
Don’t take this process too seriously. You don’t have to know every beat on the template to start writing. Begin writing, and fill in the rest you go.
4] What is your word count? I shoot for 90k. I always overwrite, but that’s fine. Figure out your word count and break it into quarters. Then divide it up for each beat in that quarter.
I like to fit the Hero’s Journey plot sheet from Plottr over my Save the Cat Sheet. Why? Because I like to make things convoluted. Also, the Hero’s Journey has very broad points, perfect to use as section overviews/outlines. Additionally, each hero beat comes with a percentage which better helps me decide the word length of each section.
As an example, the Call to Adventure is the same as the Catalyst. This happens at the 12% mark. If your word count target is 100k, then that beat falls around the 12k mark.
As you go, try to get something, 500 words even, for each beat on your template. But if you can’t, don’t worry. You might not have needed that extra scene. In the second draft, things can be moved, deleted, condensed, or expanded.
What tools do I use?
Scrivener - For writing, plotting, world-building, and compiling drafts
Plottr - For plotting, and making timelines
Milanote - For cluttered visual planning, mood boards, and writing
Google Docs - For writing, and outlining chapters in detail.
**I bounce between tools to break writer’s block**
How do you Finish a First Draft?
Find a time every day to meet the muse. This can be in the morning before work (I get up at 5 am and write till 7:30 am), 100 words here and there while the baby is asleep, or late at night when everyone is in bed. Find time, 10 minutes is all you need to get something down.
Remember that a first draft is just you gathering up the fabric. Sure, you have to weave the fabric from nothing but gather up something- anything- enough that you can cut it all apart, and stitch it back together. Tell a bad story to yourself. Don’t edit as you go. Make notes to yourself on the page if you need to. Summarize the scene if you can’t catch the flow. You will clean all this up in the second draft.
If you hit a wall, switch up how you write. If you write in word, switch to Scrivner, milanote, plottr, or pen and paper. Switch up where you write, too.
Get words in every day, and you will eventually hit that target word count or the end of the outline. If you have overwritten and hit your target count before the end of the outline, just keep going. You can set a new target goal if you need to.
Well, I hope this helps. There are a lot of great resources out there. And no right or wrong way to write a first draft. Happy writing!