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Peg Cheng

Author + Blogger + Teacher

October 22, 2016 By Peg Cheng

Lessons Learned From the First Draft of SEVEN DUDES

cheese_and_mice

This Monday, I finished the first draft of my suspense novel, SEVEN DUDES DOC AND THE SEVEN. I clocked in at a little over 51,000 words. Like a round of cheese being nibbled on by mice, my draft has some holes in it, but it’s still whole and finished.

As my friend Lewis likes to say, stick a fork in me, I’m done.

For now.

I’m taking a break from SEVEN DUDES DOC AND THE SEVEN for the rest of October and November. In November, I’m doing NaNoWriMo and writing the first draft of the sequel to The Contenders. Then, I’ll return to SEVEN DUDES DOC AND THE SEVEN in December and January.

But for now, I’m finished with my manuscript.

I’m taking a break for the rest of October to rest, read, watch movies and shows, see friends, walk, and clear my head.

I’m happy. Yes, I am. Very happy!

But mostly, I’m relieved.

Why?

Because there were so many days when I didn’t know if I could do it.

It took me nearly nine months to write this first draft. But prior to starting my draft, I’ve been rolling around the idea of SEVEN DUDES DOC AND THE SEVEN in my head, and taking notes on it, since 2005. That’s eleven years. So, to be truly accurate, it took me eleven years and nine months to write the first draft.

Crazy, I know.

Starting in February, I only wrote one chapter a week. Sometimes less.

It was incredibly disappointing.

Some days, I could only make myself write for thirty minutes.

Some days, I could not make myself write at all.

Why?

Fear.

Doubt.

Lack of habit.

I was transitioning from my business to being a full-time writer and everything felt new, strange, and just not right. As I’ve written in past posts, I thought it would feel so natural to write full time. It’s what I’ve been wanting to do for so long. But as with so many momentous transitions, it did not feel natural. Even a transition that I wanted so badly took me a good four months to get the hang of it.

Once I established a habit of writing five days a week, things started chugging along.

Sometimes, I’d fall off the horse and have to dust myself off and get back on again. Fear still hung out with me. But I didn’t let Fear drive anymore. It was relegated to the back seat.

But again, once writing became a five-day-a-week habit, things got better. That was key. I had to write every day like a habit. Like brushing my teeth–I had to do it or else it felt weird!

Habits WORK. During these last two months, I consistently wrote a chapter a day, five days a week.

My first draft ended up having 82 chapters. Many are short chapters, but still, 82 chapters is a lot of chapters. I realized that for SEVEN DUDES DOC AND THE SEVEN, it helped me to write shorter chapters to keep the suspense going for my reader and for myself.

I didn’t know this when I started out.

It’s true that with every book you write, you learn how to write a book.

This technique of many short chapters may not work for the next book. It likely won’t. That’s okay. I need to just go with it, and follow what the story wants to do. As my friend and teacher Brian McDonald says, “You are not the master of your story, but a slave to it.”

Peg Cheng is the author of The Contenders, a middle-grade novel centered on the question, can enemies become friends? She is currently writing another novel that is a re-imagining of the Snow White fairy tale set in 1980s Seattle.

Filed Under: Seven Dudes, Writing Tips

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Linda Ando says

    October 23, 2016 at 9:43 AM

    Congratulations Peg on completing draft one and the longest pregnancy of 11yrs and 9 months!!!

    Thank you for sharing your honest, courageous and victorious experiences as a writer. Much respect for the craft and arduous process and dedicated practice of a writer. Enjoy the much deserved break and your seven dudes & snow await your return along with Eunice! I wonder what Eunice would do if she met the seven dudes? Can’t wait for Contender’s book two!

    Pegsville SuperDuper FanπŸ’œ

    • Peg Cheng says

      October 23, 2016 at 3:27 PM

      Thank you so much for all your kind words, Linda! It was a looooonng pregnancy. I don’t recommend the extra 11 years, but, you know…sometimes it just beez that way. πŸ˜‰

      I need another week to just do nothing, or close to nothing. I didn’t realize how tired I was after writing the same story for almost nine months straight. I am looking forward to diving into a new Eunice story in November. Thanks for being a Pegsville Fan. Love you!

  2. Alisa says

    October 23, 2016 at 10:35 AM

    Whoo-hoo! Congratulations Peg! Such great news. Also, I’m excited to hear you’re writing a sequel to The Contenders.

    • Peg Cheng says

      October 23, 2016 at 3:29 PM

      Thank you so much, Alisa! I’m really happy to be finished with my first draft. Onward to Eunice’s next story! Yea! πŸ˜€

  3. Caroline says

    October 23, 2016 at 5:31 PM

    Many congratulations, Peg! That’s a terrific accomplishment – take a bow and enjoy the next few months off. See you soon!

    • Peg Cheng says

      October 23, 2016 at 7:37 PM

      THANK YOU, Caroline, for your kudos and congrats! I look forward to seeing you and Mike on Halloween.

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What people are saying…

Lizz Zitron, College Professor

The Contenders is the middle grade novel you’ve been waiting for: diverse characters who are funny and real. Eunice and her friends and family feel so real–they are flawed, kind, complex, a little mean at times, and just wanting to find their place in the world. Highly recommended for every middle school collection.

Jas Hothi, Author + Entrepreneur

I’ve done my fair share of personal finance reading and, well, Rebel Millionaire is probably the single best thing I’ve read. Why? So effortlessly simple and effective. As I’m about to turn 31, this is just the nudge I needed to start saving and investing for my future. Thank you, Peg, and Plaid Frog Press!

Laila Atallah, Career Coach

What I love so much about your writing is how personal it is. It gives me permission to accept and love my own humanity, while also giving really helpful tips and mindset shifts, and next steps too.

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