Lost in Amazon 3: How to Open the Floodgates to the First Draft

Most manuscripts never even make it to the first draft stage. I find that funny. The first draft is a huge pile of steaming, stinking crap. I call it the Butt-Ugly First Draft.  

I don't know why people have trouble with it.

In the past week or so, I have had no less than 23 emails, private messages, and SMS' asking about this. People want to know the "secret sauce" in getting a book, post, or any written piece done.

Wow.

I really don't know why people have trouble with it.

This series is not a "How to Write" thing. That's been done to death. Still. . . 

I hope my fellow writers will forgive me if I share a trade secret. It's the secret known to all pros and many gifted amateurs. 

But you must first promise not to tell anyone. 

Shhhhhhhh . . .

Make sure no one else can see your screen. Close and lock your office door.

Ready?

Here it comes....

THERE IS NO F*CKING SECRET!

The only important thing about the First Butt Ugly Draft is to finish it! 

Don't edit it. Don't move stuff around. Don't obsess about a Bon Mot. Don't second-guess yourself. Don't analyze (over or otherwise).

Nothin'

Just get it done.

Writing starts after the first draft.

There's a reason why I'm discussing this in this series.

As I said, this isn't a How-to-Write series. It's a Can-We-Make-A-Decent-Living-Writing-On-Amazon-Or-Drive-Ourselves-Nuts-Trying series. 

We can't sell an eBook on Amazon if we can't even finish the freaking first draft. 

There's also something else. We have to get from idea to finished eBook in a very short period of time. Otherwise, our Creative Costs will be progressively harder to make up.

Time is of the essence.

There really is a secret to being a writer. . . There's no such animal. 
Me, right here

You read that right. The term "writer" really refers to the person who wrote the First Butt Ugly Draft. All writers know this. We get through the First Butt Ugly Draft as fast as possible to get to our true function. . . Editing.

Writers spend much more time editing their Ugly First (and second, and third) Drafts than they do actually writing the original ugly piece of poop.

Try to write a finished piece in one shot and you will fail.

Brutal, but true.

So how do we finish the First Butt Ugly Draft ASAP?

I'll give you a hint.

I'm naked as I write this. 

No, I haven't taken to writing erotica. If I ever do, I certainly won't cast myself in it, trust me on that.

I'm sitting in my bathtub with far too many lavender-scented bubbles. Now I know why my wife always smells so yummy.

Soon, I'll smell yummy too.

I digress.

I'm not a bubble bath type of guy. My first try at this was in the shower. 

It didn't work.

The bubble bath did.

Have you figured it out, yet?

Here's another hint.

I type at about 35 words a minute. I talk at about 175. I think even faster.

Don't we all?

I decided that the best way to write The First Butt Ugly Draft is not to write it at all. 

Dictate it!

I grabbed a copy of Dragon Naturally Speaking 13 Premium. I chose Premium not because I enjoy spending U$70 more than the regular version. I chose it because it can transcribe pre-recorded stuff.  

I can record on a digital recorder, my phone, or my computer. Dragon will transcribe it.

The regular version only lets you transcribe direct speech.

The single biggest reason I hear for people not finishing their Ugly First Draft is that they don't have enough time.

Now, you have tons of time. You also need less time to get the job done.

No time? Dictate during your daily commutes.

No time? Dictate during lunch.

No time? Dictate during your morning walk with the dog.

No time? Dictate during a bubble bath. You'll smell yummy too.

You now have plenty of time.

Let's look at the math

If you remember, we set an approximate book length of 20,000 words. A Butt Ugly First Draft is usually 30-50% longer than it's svelte, sexy, finished self. 

So, let's look at a 30,000 word Draft.

Typing 30,000 words at 35 words a minute takes, 857 minutes of actual typing time. That's 14.25 hours of solid typing. 

You can't really do that, and that's not all that important. First, I doubt anyone can create for 14 hours straight. Second, there's a lot of stopping, thinking, restarting, stopping again, restarting again, etc. If you can do 2 hours a day, you are doing great! 

Dictating 30,000 words at 150 words a minute (average speaking rate) takes 171 minutes or just under 3 hours. That's actually doable, but only if you know everything you want to say before you start. 

More likely, it will take 4-8 hours spread over several days. That's fine by me.

This trick just may be the solution to cutting the Creative Cost to smithereens.

In case you're curious, I "wrote" the first draft of this post in 5 minutes and 37 seconds. It took longer than that to decide on the header image.

Whatever you do, don't publish a First But Ugly Draft, EVER!

It isn't "more honest." It isn't "purer thoughts." It isn't "more authentic." 

It's crap. 

It's like rolling out of bed and heading straight to work still in your PJs, all disheveled, stinky and puffy eyed.

You owe your readers better than that. 

Since the First Draft is NEVER the final work, transcription errors aren't a major issue. Surprisingly, there weren't that many.

Still, don't expect Dragon Naturally Speaking to do all the work for you. You'll still need to trim, nip, and tuck the text into a thing of beauty.

Step one, I think, is covered. This is a good way to get that first draft put to bed in record time.

Creative Costs have been dramatically reduced. We write faster by not writing at all.

You can pick up your own copy of Dragon Naturally Speaking here. They even have a 30-day money back guarantee. I went with Premium because it can transcribe pre-recorded stuff. That's what allows "writing" while taking a bubble bath. 

That's also what would allow you to "write" on your commute, walking the pooch, or just crashed out on a lawn chair.

Very cool.

I think I found my new favorite software, well, after www.myTweetPack.com anyway.