The first draft is the hardest thing most writers will ever do. Not because the writing itself is difficult, but because the first draft is where you fight the loudest battle: the one against your own expectations.
Here's how to win that battle and actually finish.
Lower the Bar. No, Lower.
Your first draft is not supposed to be good. It's supposed to exist. That's its only job. A terrible first draft is infinitely more useful than a perfect blank page.
Give yourself permission to write badly. Deliberately. If a scene isn't working, write "[TODO: make this scene not suck]" and move on. You can fix anything in revision. You can't fix nothing.
Write in Order (Or Don't)
Some writers need to write Chapter 1 before Chapter 2. Others need to write the climax first because it's the scene that excites them most. Both approaches work.
If you're stuck on a scene, skip it. Write the next scene that interests you. You can fill in the gaps later. The momentum of having written something is more valuable than the order you wrote it in.
The Two-Hour Rule
Don't try to write all day. Serious, sustained creative work is exhausting. Most professional novelists write for 2-4 hours a day and spend the rest of their time thinking, reading, and living.
Set a timer for two hours. Write without stopping, without editing, without checking your phone. When the timer goes off, stop — even if you're mid-sentence. You'll come back tomorrow with momentum.
Stop Editing as You Go
The single biggest draft-killer is the urge to go back and fix what you wrote yesterday. Don't. Forward momentum is everything. If you notice a problem, make a note and keep writing.
The first draft and the edit are two completely different cognitive tasks. Trying to do both at once is like trying to accelerate and brake simultaneously — you just burn out your engine.
Know Your Next Scene
Hemingway's trick: always stop writing when you know what happens next. Don't write until you're empty. Stop when you still have fuel in the tank. Tomorrow, you'll sit down already knowing where to begin.
Track Your Progress
Word count goals work for many writers. Not because the number matters, but because it transforms an overwhelming task ("write a novel") into a manageable daily practice ("write 500 words").
- 500 words/day = a 90,000-word novel in 6 months
- 1,000 words/day = a novel in 3 months
- 1,667 words/day = NaNoWriMo pace (50K in November)
Pick a number that feels achievable on your worst day, not your best.
When You're Truly Stuck
If you can't write forward, try one of these:
- Ask "what if?" — What if the opposite of what I planned happened?
- Add a character — New characters bring new energy and conflict.
- Raise the stakes — Make the consequences of failure worse.
- Skip ahead — Write a scene you're excited about, even if it's out of order.
- Talk it out — Explain your story to someone (or something). Often the act of articulating the problem reveals the solution.
Finish
The most important writing advice ever given: finish the draft. A finished bad draft can be revised into a good book. An unfinished perfect draft is just a folder on your computer.
Don't worry about whether it's good. Worry about whether it's done.
Scriblio's Pre-Edit feature interviews you about each chapter before you write, then generates a first draft based entirely on your answers — so you never face a blank page. Try it free.