I'm getting really close to finishing my second draft and wanted to share what has helped me to keep up momentum and motivation at this point of the process. In today’s podcast episode I’m talking about:
- Creating a goal for each draft that is more meaningful and motivating than ‘get to the end’ or ‘finish by this date’.
- How to know when you're 'done' with a scene or section.
- Using my new draft two goal of ’reveal as much of the story as possible’ to measure the work I put in within each writing session. I’m also using it as a temperature check for if I’m done rewriting specific sections.
- My thoughts on the similarities between writing and watching a foreign language film. It’s almost like when working on a new creative project you’re watching a foreign language film without subtitles for the first time. You’ll be able to pick up on so much information even if you don’t know exactly what’s going on. But on the second or third watch (i.e. your second draft) you’ll be open to receive even more information with new context and familiarity with the story.
- Setting a timer when I write. It will reveal so much about your inner rhythms and you’ll start to notice patterns at which ‘minute’ your inner critic usually kicks in. I use 20 minute blocks because I find it to be the most motivating and achievable.
This episode was originally recorded in March 2021. You can watch the video diary here: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CMlUoc3HfZP/
You can learn more about my work on my About page or say hi and ask me a question via @emilysheehan__ on Instagram.