7 top tips for writing your first draft

Writing a novel can be daunting, and writing your first novel even more so. So writing the first draft of your first novel can feel overwhelming! This post covers my top tips for writing the first draft of your first novel.

There’s really only one way to do it (“one word at a time” – to quote a certain Stephen King) regardless of whether you consider yourself a planner, a pantser or something in between. So here are some of my top tips if you’re thinking of writing your first, first draft!

Tip no.1 – Get set up

A bit of prep-work can go a long way in the early days of your first book.

I mean doing things like choosing what software you’re gonna use, as well as learning some basics in terms of formatting in your chosen program (as this will save you time later on). For example, set your line-spacing and learn about line-breaks and paragraph spacing. Format your chapter headings with the right styles/tags so that you can easily navigate through your file. Anything that’s gonna make it easier for you to edit/typeset your manuscript later on!

Also, it sounds simple, but tidy your writing area and make it a pleasant place to be in. All being well, you’re gonna be spending a lot of time there, so make it somewhere you actually want to be!

Tip no.2 – Actually start

Sounds daft, but so many people I speak to never clear this hurdle. Or, they explain how they’ve always felt like they’ve got “at least one book in them” but have just never gotten around to doing anything about it.

I appreciate starting any writing project can be daunting, but you simply have to start by putting some words down on the page. That book ain’t gonna write itself!

In truth, you don’t even need much of an idea at the beginning. I know some people like to plan, but the simple truth is that I’ve started plenty of manuscripts by jotting down a single scene and just going from there. Sometimes those projects don’t go beyond that scene, but other times they will spiral and—before you know it—you’ve got some momentum.

It can be a short story or a nine-book series, but they always have the same thing in common: they all got off the start line. One word at a time.

Tip no.3 – Take notes

Writing in just a single document works for some authors, but if you’re anything like me then you’ll have an entire folder of ’em dedicated to just one story.

For any given book I usually have the first draft document, as well as a separate file for keeping notes and a spreadsheet (yup, seriously) which works as my “living glossary”. Trust me, when you’re 400 pages deep and you suddenly need to remember what colour eyes you gave that side-character, or what the name of that place was that got mentioned once in a snippet of throwaway dialogue — that spreadsheet will be your best friend. Bonus points if you set up filters so you can easily navigate it in the future (for The Sins of Steel and Shadow, my character tab can be filtered by human characters, vampyrs and Turned – making it super easy to find the exact individual I’m looking for!)

On top of this, I also always take copies of each draft, rather than edit the original files themselves. That means all of my first drafts get preserved in their warts-and-all glory, with their clones bearing the brunt of my editing axe/scalpel. So, my usual set-up at the end of a writing project looks something like this:

• First draft doc
• Notes doc
• Universe glossary – filterable by places, lore/history, characters (and their allegiances/motivations, as well as whether or not they’re alive or dead 💀)
• Second draft doc (sometimes split out into multiple files if there are different character POVs)
• Final draft doc
• Formatted print version/s
• Formatted ebook version
• Cover artwork (epub)
• Cover artwork (paperback)
• Cover artwork (hardback)

Note: you might not have to worry about those last five, as I format my own books for print and epublishing and typically self-design my cover artwork is (I originally trained as a graphic designer, so I’ve got this in my skillset, but you might get someone else to sort all of that for you).

Tip no.4 – Don’t edit

This was my biggest Achilles heel for longer than I care to admit.

It can be so tempting to reread what you’ve already put into your first draft as you go. Perhaps you’re starting your next writing session and quickly want to remind yourself of what’s been happening, or get into the “zone” of the story – but I urge you to resist that temptation!

The problem is, you might find yourself tweaking as you read, and then—before you know it—you’re actually editing, not drafting!

I would never have finished writing anything if I hadn’t been forcibly told to “finish the damn story” when I was contemplating editing yet another half-finished draft. That particular refrain came from my wife, who was exasperated furious that I kept handing her half-finished manuscripts to feedback on. In fact, her demand advice became such a motivation that I even made it the acknowledgement in my debut novel, The Hunter’s Lament.

In short: finish your first draft. Any editing—and I mean any editing—comes later.

Tip no.5 – Go at your own pace

Writing isn’t a race, and—even if it was—everyone’s approach/situation/capability is different. Comparison is the thief of joy, etc etc.

Writing the first draft of something should feel exciting, so don’t put any unnecessary pressure on yourself and just do what you can to keep things moving.

Set yourself targets, by all means (I find this motivates me) but don’t beat yourself up if you don’t hit them. If you’re not on someone else’s schedule (such as a publisher, who has paid for a certain number of books within a specific timeframe) then you are the master of your own destiny.

I have two kids and a full-time job, so I’m more than happy to just write what I can, when I can!

Tip no.6 – Expect surprises

Some authors just sit down and write a story as they go. It flows from their mind directly onto the page, almost as though they’re a conduit for the narrative, rather than the creator.

Others, like myself, prefer to plan things out a little more. Although I might start with a random scene, I then usually build-out the basic structure of a story (written in note-form) before I start drafting in earnest. Typically, I’ll have a plan for each chapter that includes the key developments that need to happen in order to keep things moving.

However, I’m constantly surprised by how often I will then deviate from this plan.

The reason for these deviations is simple: as you write, you get a feel for your characters and for your story. And sometimes these feelings will start leading you away from your original plan. You’ll find yourself thinking “this character wouldn’t react like that” or “this doesn’t fit their experience earlier” — and you should trust those feelings. If you ignore them, you’ll end up with characters who do and say things that don’t feel natural to who they are, and that will lead you to producing a story that feels contrived, rather than told.

Don’t worry if it derails your plan. The best plans can change – and you can always tighten things up in editing.

Roll with the changes as they come and never force the story to fit a plan, readers can spot those kind of books from a mile away.

Tip no.7 – Enjoy it!

If When you find yourself getting frustrated, try to remember why you first sat down to write. If you start wheel-spinning, or banging your head against a wall, remember exactly what compelled you to start in the first place!

You’ll have good writing sessions and you’ll have bad writing sessions, but that’s just the ebb and flow of the writing process. You will need breaks—whether it’s a quick breather to several days away from the draft—but you should never sit down with the motivation of having to write. You need to want it.

I’m not saying it will always feel great, but—ultimately—if you don’t love writing it, I can almost guarantee that readers won’t love reading it.

Writing is a uniquely special craft. It can transcend all sorts of barriers, including those of time and space – I wrote this sentence on the 4th of August 2025, whilst sitting in the spare room of a house just outside Bristol, and here you are, reading it like I’m sat in front of you, right now.

There is a special kind of magic in storytelling, and you’re a fucking magician for partaking in it — so go conjure up something special!

📚✌🏻SP

---

Share this post