Last month, I wrote about how it might take me close to an hour to write the first page of a new story, because of how crucial it is to get an idea off on the right foot. The importance of being successful here ripples through the rest of the first draft.
Once I’ve gotten myself acclimated to my writing process, something truly amazing starts to happen. The time it takes me to write a page begins to drop dramatically. If it took me an hour to write that first page, the average time it takes me to type a page when I hit my stride is halved.
There are numerous reasons my efficiency shifts so mightily. By taking the time during page one to set the tone for how the story should read and feel, for each subsequent page, I only have to make sure I’m adhering to what I already decided. The characters I spent time fleshing out in the outlining stage really come to life to me at this point when I finally allow them to talk and interact with the world I’ve created. It’s at this point that I truly understand them, and the decisions I had them make when I was fleshing out the idea start to make sense and fit who they are.
Not every page is written quickly. There are still times where as I’m writing, I realize I’ve gotten off track from the tone and path I’ve established all the way back on page one. But because I took the time to lay that foundation, I recognize when I’ve strayed right away. Instances where I feel “Nope, that character wouldn’t do that,” stick out immediately, allowing me to hone my focus on correcting this. Once I’ve remedied this, it’s back to following the notes I plotted out months ago, fleshing out what’s between each bulleted point.
It’s a beautiful thing each time you’ve written a page you’re satisfied with for the current draft. The cherry on top is seeing how naturally it’s coming to you as you plod along. Maybe it still takes you longer to write. Maybe you can craft a page quicker than I ever could. But for me, my pace is generally around a half hour. And sometimes, when I’m really in the swing of things, that number shrinks even more.