Go ahead, write that first draft with a feather. It’s all good.
by Anne R. Allen
Recently I’ve been looking at comment threads on old posts. Five years ago, people were leaving a lot more comments. But commenting on blogs has faded along with the popularity of blogging, which a lot of people see as soooo last decade. These days, a lot of authors prefer Substack, which is new and shiny.
For now, I’m hanging onto this blog, although it does have a lot of problems, including a weird number of “brute force attacks”— where hackers use bots to try 1000s of passwords a minute to try to break in. Generally the server has to take the blog offline to protect it.
Why these hackers want to break into a non-monetized author blog is beyond me, but then I don’t know why I still get dozens of requests every week from people who want to regale our audience of writers with articles about buying real estate in Dubai, making cat food in an air fryer, or what to wear to a Taylor Swift concert.
But as I perused the old comments, I saw that a lot of them were spectacularly clueless. Often 30% of them showed the commenter hadn’t read a word of the post. So commenting in the old days didn’t actually mean a lot more people were reading the blog.
On a post offering tips for writing your first chapter, I got a whole string of comments saying I was stifling creativity by making up rules and forcing authors obsess about their first chapters.
My first tip? “#1 Don’t obsess about your first chapter.”
Yup.
So I’m going to repeat it now, for visitors who still read the actual blogposts.
Don’t Obsess About That First Chapter
One of the comments came from a beginning writer who was putting a lot more energy into obsessing than actually writing. They were obviously Googling like mad trying to find out all the rules so they wouldn’t break any, poor dear. They had written 1000 whole words and were worried about how long a first chapter needs to be.
The real answer: as many words as it takes. And you won’t know how many that is until you write the whole book. I didn’t say that to this fledgling writer, because I knew they were unlikely to finish their novel if I said anything discouraging. Why? Because they were spending so much energy obsessing about chapter one, I feared they’d never get past it.
So if you’re a first-time novelist, stop agonizing. Sketch out the first chapter and get on with putting your story onto the page.
Here’s the thing: you’re probably going to end up with an opening chapter that’s very different from the one you started with. Your entire first chapter may end up being one of those darlings you have to kill. (Or move to another spot in the book.)
When you edit, you can decide where the story really starts (Some writing teachers say the average student novel starts at chapter three.)
As for backstory — yes, you need it, but you can sneak bits of it into several chapters so it doesn’t choke the flow of the narrative.
The Secret to Actually Finishing a First Draft
They say 97% of people who start novels never finish them.
So if you want to belong to that 3% who finish, please, stop worrying about “rules.” Just write.
I’m going to say it again: there is no right way to write a first draft. You can put butt in chair, hands on keyboard and aim for a strict wordcount, or handwrite with a sharpie on a pile of paper napkins at your local watering hole — or hey, make your own ink and write with a feather on parchment.
Nobody cares. There are no rules for a first draft. That’s the key to going the distance. (And letting the creativity in.) Maybe when you finally write “the end” on that first draft, you will hate what you’ve written. You may declare it what Anne Lamott called a “sh**ty first draft.” Or maybe you will swell with pride at your completed masterpiece.
Either way, what you need to do now is close the file or put those napkins in a drawer and let the whole project rest for a couple of weeks. Go out and celebrate. You made it to the 3%!
Writing for YOU
When you’re writing that first draft, you’re writing for yourself. Later, you’ll edit for your reader. That’s when “the rules” are important.
But when writing the first draft, you’re telling yourself the story and getting to know your characters. You may have a bunch of false starts, meandering subplots, and indigestible chunks of backstory. That’s normal. And probably necessary.
That ten-page chapter you wrote with a flashback to the summer when your protagonist’s great aunt made him drink a glass of spoiled milk might bore your reader to tears. But it tells you, the author, what makes your hero have such an irrational fear of dairy products.
If you wait a week or two to read your completed opus, you’ll be able to read while wearing a reader hat, instead of an author hat. The reader will tell you where you’ve got a rip-roaring narrative, and where you’ve wandered too far away from the story.
When You Put on Your “Reader Hat,” You are the Alpha Reader
There’s a lot of talk in writing circles about “alpha” and “beta” readers. Some of the talk is just silly. Some people have even confused “alpha reader” with the term “alpha male,” meaning the “leader of the pack.” (Or in incel-speak, a misogynist rapist “influencer” with the insight and intelligence of a rhinoceros in heat.) Please disabuse yourself of this. It means “alpha” in the sense of the first letter of the Greek alphabet. “Beta” is simply the second reader, named for the second letter of the Greek alphabet — not in any way “less than.”
The terms “alpha” and “beta” reader originally came from the gaming industry. Early game developers would ask certain customers to test games before they went on the market. These were not the “alpha” users who worked on actually developing the game, but “betas” who tested the game when it was about to go into the marketplace. They helped find glitches and could give marketers an idea of their target audience.
So as the “alpha” reader, it’s now time for you to read your opus with a critical eye. Oh, woops, did you leave little cousin Ginny out in the woods with the werewolves without ever wrapping up her storyline? Did you repeat the word “wolverine” seven times on page 86? Did Gwendolyn turn into Garrison halfway through chapter five?
Your first read-through is when you fix those glaring glitches. That’s what writing the second draft is about.
When you write a second draft, you can worry about “the rules” all you want. (Just make sure they are real rules and not stupid ones.)
And you still want to avoid obsessing about that first chapter. Leave the obsessing for the final draft — after the betas have had their say.
***
by Anne R. Allen (@annerallen, @annerallen.bsky.social) July 6, 2025
What about you, scriveners? Do you obsess about your first chapter before you go on to write the whole book? Did you do that once and get over it? Have you given up on “stupid writing rules”?
BOOK OF THE WEEK
On this holiday weekend, I don’t feel like celebrating what my country has become, but I can celebrate the pioneers, immigrants, and indigenous people who built it. One was my great, great, grandmother, Roxanna Britton.
Roxanna Britton: A Biographical Novel
by Shirley S. Allen (Anne’s mom.)
“Jane Austen meets Laura Ingalls Wilder”
The ebook is available at Amazon, Kobo & Nook.
The paperback is available at Amazon
This novel, by my mother, the late Dr. Shirley S. Allen, is a rip-roaring tale of how the west was won. It also happens to be all true. It’s the story of my great, great grandmother, Roxanna Britton, who pioneered the Old West as a young widow with two small children.
It’s got romance, action, cowboys (not always the good guys) Indians (some very helpful ones) the real Buffalo Bill Cody, and a whole lot more!
Widowed as a young mother in 1855, Roxanna breaks through traditional barriers by finding a husband of her own choice, developing her own small business, and in 1865, becoming one of the first married women to own property. We follow her through the hard times of the Civil War to the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 to a homestead in Nebraska to her final home in Elsinore, California
Such good advice, Anne. I like that you say the first draft is for you to discover the story. I think many new writers think they know the story already. I know I did. Then, when the characters refuse to comply with what you ‘know,’ they are surprised, and sometimes think they’re doing it wrong.
I think that’s where many give up. The story won’t be written in the way they envisage, so they think they can’t write.
Vivienne–I so relate to this! In my first novel, my characters were so stubborn I eliminated several of them. Then I realized I liked the eliminated ones better, so I started a new story with the eliminated characters and bam! The story took off.
Roy Peter Clark wrote a book called “Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer” in which he refuses to refer to these tips and strategies as “rules.” It is a gentle book that encourages, rather than discourages, the writer, whether new or experienced.
It is quite true that what we first conceive as an opening chapter often 1) is no more than “throat-clearing,” as we find our way (usually blindly) into the story, or 2) ends up being relocated elsewhere in the story. In my second novel, what started as Chapter 1 ended up as Chapter 9.
Another thing to remember is that those “darlings” that don’t make the cut should always be reserved in a separate file. Their concepts may be useful in another story. Even if they never again see the light of day, their very writing served to improve the writer’s work – none of us writes well until we have written badly and learned from it.
Sally–This is super-important advice: save the outtakes! Never delete that sh**y first draft. It can be a gold mine! Yes, I agree with Mr. Clark. Don’t call them rules. We can call them guidelines or tips or “strategies,” but there are no hard and fast rules for writing fiction. (Although there are hard and fast rules for grammar. I’ve become the apostrophe police. 🙂 )
Glad I don’t get bots trying to hack into my blog.
I’ve never obsessed about the first chapter. I plan out the story and then just right it. Fixing it up is what editing is for.
Alex–That’s interesting. You have a high-profile blog, but you’ve never had a brute force attack. I wonder why they choose me? 🙁
Hi Anne,
I find I need to spend enough time on the first few chapters to feel as though I have a sturdy “diving board” off which to jump into the story. I’m fully aware the first chapters may change a heap, but they’re also what allows me to meet my character(s), wallow around a bit in voice, & know which way to jump.
Thanks for another fine post.
CS–“Wallowing” around in voice is so important. Especially for first time novelists. They usually don’t even know what their voice will sound like. It takes a lot of playing around to get the right tone.
I usually don’t overly obsess over the first chapter beyond making sure it actually makes sense. I do obsess just a tiny bit over chapter length, as I’m always looking at what I write from a reader’s perspective, because as a reader, there’s a lot of things that authors do that bug me, and one of them is chapter length.
GB–Chapter length expectations have changed in the past 20 years. Thank James Patterson. Turns out that readers really like to read “one more chapter” if that chapter is short and snappy. Those long chapters aren’t inviting.
There is no right way to write a first draft; therefore, every way is wrong.
My writing process involves a lot thinking, planning, and mind mapping (I love making mind maps to collect and arrange my ideas). That initial phase is what I consider as my first draft even if no one else would recognize it as a draft. It’s where I use up all my obsessing so I can write the second draft in peace.
Lester–Plotters do get a lot of the work done before they write a word of the actual book. Sounds like you’re one of those. I’m a pantser, so all my mistakes go into the actual book. 🙂 I often wish I could do that mind-map stuff, but my creativity doesn’t open up until I’m actually writing.
Anne, I know writers who keep tinkering with the first chapter, first page, first sentence until it’s exactly perfect. Except it isn’t cuz the rest of the story never gets written.
Writing is never wasted. You may fumble around, getting to know characters, relationships, conflicts, setting, conflicts, themes, etc. That’s the discovery draft. You may use none of it or you may only use one little line.
Words are unlimited. A writer never runs out of them. If you discover you should cut 300 pages, you can always write more words.
Funny side effect: the more words you write, the better you get.
Debbie–I’ve been in workshops with that kind of writer. They bring in the same chapter for critique over and over. It’s usually beautifully written, but who cares? First chapter of nothing is nothing. 🙂 You’re so right that the more you write, the better you get. Words don’t get used up.
We look forward to your guest post next week! Best of luck on your book launch.
I think people like that need to take writing classes like I do. Not saying at a university but from people who actually write. There’s a lot of online programs for them. They can even take one class at a time if they want.
Traci–Yes! A writing class can cure a lot of ills and help a writer jump into their next stage. Some of the best classes are taught by working writers who teach online or in person–not as part of an MFA program or in an academic setting. Academic classes tend to teach literary writing, which can be lovely, but doesn’t sell.
Yes! Fifteen years ago, after 100% rejections of everything I submitted (all short stories), I was ready to give up. I took one last chance. I went to Longridge Writers Group (now Institute for Writers) and was tutored by Mary Rosenblum. Within a year after the class, I’d sold several stories.
What great advice, Anne! I remember hearing a writing instructor say even great writers turn out lousy first drafts, so don’t get obsessed.
I was fortunate that someone convinced me of this early on. Otherwise, I might still be working on the first novel.
Kay–Yes. We might all be stuck on that first novel. I’ve met people at writers conferences who have been working and reworking one novel for a decade. They need a writing teacher like yours.
I really like the observation that the writer won’t know the word count of the first chapter until the whole book is written. In my second published fantasy novel, the first two and a half pages were the last ones finalized. The whole novel glided along pretty well, but introducing the horrific incident that sets the protagonist on her way was the hardest part to get right.
Fred–I always write my first page last, so we’ve both found that works. The inciting incident can be tough to put in the right place. In a classic mystery, it can be on page one, but in other genres, it’s tricky.
Here I am, commenting on your blog! First I just want to say that I’m glad you’re still doing a traditional blog. I have a couple of book blogs myself (among others) and I’m just really not enamored of Substack. Not sure if I will ever jump on that bandwagon. Just yesterday I muttered to myself, “I’m going to unsubscribe from some of these” when I came to “Become a paid subscriber to keep reading.” Anyway, I digress. I just want to say thank you for this post. I’m starting my first novel and I really needed to read this right now. My plan is to start writing mid-month and I’m going to do it no matter what. No more stalling!
P.S. I read your reply up there about short chapters. I completely agree. As an avid reader, I much prefer the shorter chapters.
Michelle–Best of luck with the novel! I agree about the Substack thing of endlessly trying to push us to pay. Blogs welcome anybody and we don’t hold back “the good stuff” for a wealthy elite.
Brute force attacks from hackers? Oh, Anne, that sounds terrible! But I guess it’s a (back-handed) compliment: It means your blog is IMPORTANT! For example, I’ve stopped blogging because the comments petered out and I felt that what I said was of no interest to anyone, no need to bother anymore! Indeed, no hacker ever tried to brute force his way into my blog, haha! And (in my humble opinion) your blog is really interesting and useful for writers: I always read it with pleasure and learn something!
So well done, don’t be discouraged, keep going, even if there are fewer comments than in the past, they are all interestiing comments (I just read them and enjoyed them too), well worth reading.
As to obsessing over the first chapter, yes, I think everything you say is spot on. One should just finish that damn first draft before even considering the first chapter! And if you allow yourself to be free from any rules, as you so wisely advise, then it’s actually FUN TO WRITE that first draft!
And once it’s done, again you’re right about letting it sit for a few days (even a few weeks would be good but it’s hard to stat away from it that long!) But then, quite frankly, as I don my “alpha reader” hat and go through it, comes the cold shower. That first draft stinks!
That’s when you need to become an editor. At first, I hated editing but I realized I had no choice. Had to go through it or else there would be nothing there! And you know what? Over time, I learned to LOVE EDITING! Yeah, amazing! The more you edit, the more you love doing it. At least, that’s how it worked for me. Now I even like to edit more than writing that first draft! That’s the world upside down! Now I could stay years on the same book, and keep “sculpting” it with new words, better formulations, cuts, additions, restructuring – hey, I even re-write my own books in other languages (usually Italian, a language I love, but I’ve also re-written them in French, my mother tongue). And I mean: re-write, not translate! Don’t get me started on that aspect, I could go on and on to explain how some scenes work well in one language and don’t in another…
Anyway, I stop here: Just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your blog!at sounds terr
Claude–Those brute force attacks are pretty devastating. I couldn’t even get into the blog to write a post for a while. For most of the month of April, they attacked every day for hours. I’ve been getting the same thing from robocallers. Every half hour all night, night after night. I had to turn the ringers off all my landline phones. I think they just attack older women because they think we’re easy marks. Or maybe they hate their grandmas for suggesting they clean their rooms.
I agree that editing can be fun. I’m so much in awe of people like you who can write in several languages.
Thanks for your kind words.
Grateful for the opportunity, Anne!
Thanks for reposting this — just do it…and then filter what you did. I’m there now! And wow…you have writers hanging from your family tree. Not surprised…must have been in her jeans!!
Judy–I wouldn’t be a writer if it weren’t for my mom. She taught creative writing as well as English literature at U.Conn. My dad was a writer too–mostly academic stuff. He was a professor of Latin and Greek at Yale. I’m the family black sheep because all I have is a B.A. 🙂 Everybody else is a lawyer or a professor.
Wow, several DAYS of hacking and robocalls at NIGHT? What a torture! This is terrible, I feel for you! Hope things are back to normal by now….But do hang on in there, we all love you!
Claude–It’s been more like months, and it’s not the first time I’ve been a target. Scammers are a plague in this country, and law enforcement says they can’t do a thing.
I don’t intend to give up my blog, Anne, but I’m decreasing the frequency of posts. I blame most traffic degradation on AI: slurping content, regurgitating it, and keeping potential users from visiting your site.
*sigh*
Good advice re first chapters, but it never hurts to keep the rules in mind.
Thanks for sharing your valuable insight!
Kathy–Blogs were already becoming “old school” and then AI came along. I agree. It’s destroying the whole idea of SEO and nobody is getting seen.