After reading Page One to Done, I am so psyched to finish my fast draft. This book really speaks to writers who struggle with perfectionism and procrastination. Why? Because Jessica Brody has been there. She knows how to offer hope for writers trying to get past those hurdles and dips of just getting that rough draft done.
I took Brody’s fast-drafting course online a few years ago, and I was just about to rewatch it when she announced this book last year. Page One to Done covers many of the same concepts as her online course, but she also includes input from members of her academy in the book.
Some of the concepts I was reminded of include:
- The fastest way to finish a novel is to stop trying to make the first draft good. The first draft is for discovery, not perfection. Revision comes later.
- A major mindset shift is embracing the messy draft. Trying to draft and revise at the same time kills momentum.
- The key is to focus on how much you’ve written, not how much remains. Tracking mood also helps give perspective when the inner critic gets loud.
- Your annotations focus on one powerful principle: finish the draft by protecting momentum. Lower the pressure, embrace the mess, prepare enough to move forward, track progress, and save revisions for later.
These are only the top layers of excavating the rough draft. I talk with so many people who want to finish a manuscript but get stuck. The ideas in Page One to Done will give the mired writer new tools to carve out and dig through to a finished rough draft.
When I finished the last page of this book, I was brimming with so much motivation to write. Thanks, Jessica Brody!
Andrew M. Friday 