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Trash Your First Book

Writer's picture: Sara BondSara Bond

Or maybe even your first three.




So, I write books. (I also am a full-time mom, run my tiny school’s PTA, support my community, and try to have a life from time to time. But mostly I’m here to promote my writing, right?) I’ve spent a lot of time sitting in front of my laptop and just cranking out words.


Since I decided to write seriously instead of just casually, I have written about eight books. I’ve published two of them so far, one is in edits, and I’m working on three at the moment. If I had to estimate, over various drafts, I’ve written well over five million words achieving this, and only about 400,000 of those have been seen by any eyes other than mine. The number of drafts and entire manuscripts that have been consigned to the trash bin would cause (and have prompted) many people to give up the entire pursuit of publication.


That’s normal. While it might seem like a waste of millions of words, it is absolutely necessary. It’s one of the things I caution new authors to be ready for. The first book you write will almost definitely not be worth publishing. Nor will your second, or maybe even your third. I didn’t manage to get a publisher until my sixth full manuscript, and that’s not considering how many stories I started and never finished.


That is by design.


Every pursuit, every artistic, athletic, intellectual, and challenging pursuit requires sweat equity. You have to put in the hours, the work. You have to build up muscle, train your brain, and clear away the cobwebs before you can accomplish anything. That involves a lot of time spent creating crap.


When you start as a writer, you’re going to write a lot of useless drivel. Your stories won’t make sense. Your characters will be inconsistent. You will overwrite or underwrite or completely write past the mark of the story you actually intended to write.


That’s normal. No matter how many books you’ve read, you don’t know how to write yet. No more than a fan of NASCAR knows how to drive a race car or a dedicated fashionista knows how to design a garment, no one knows how to write a book until they actually do it. And the first one they write is not likely to be worth reading.


My best advice for new authors is to shelve your first book. Shelve your first three.


I’m going to tell you what too few people will tell you: You don’t know how to write yet. You don’t know how to craft a story or build a character arc or connect with a reader. You are still learning. And you’re not going to write a worthwhile book until you recognize this.


It’s okay. You don’t have to throw away your concept entirely. When you have written more and learned how to write a book, you can come back and write the book you meant to when you first had your brilliant idea. You can revisit your characters, give them the story they deserved. You can learn and you can grow and you can write a better book.


But don’t publish the first book you write.


You’ll thank me later.

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Photos from NASA Image Collection and use of these images does not imply endorsement or recognition of my work by NASA or anyone associated with NASA.

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