D. Lee Jackson

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The Feeling of Finishing a First Draft

Posted on 2016-02-28 Written by D. Lee Jackson

You know you’re not done yet. You realize that the work has just begun. You understand that many more hours will be spent in front of your keyboard editing, revising, and rewriting. Still, there’s no feeling like it.

Your first draft is done.

Whether it be literature or music, there’s no feeling like the first time you come to the end of a work. Go ahead—savor it! You deserve to feel satisfied, elated, or just downright relieved that your first pass is done. You’ve actually accomplished something that few other people can do, despite the seeming multitudes of writers or composers in the world. Not everyone can create in the same way you can.

Don’t let it go to your head, they say? Bah, humbug. You deserve a moment of head growth. Even if what you’ve created is a total piece of crap, at least it’s a complete piece of crap. Well done.

You’ve finished the hardest part. Now comes the tedious, frustrating, sometimes infuriating process of polishing your work into something that people will actually want to read or hear. Besides, no master of the craft has ever created a masterpiece in one pass. You’re now in the same club, whether you’re a master or an amateur. Congratulations.

Now, take a deep breath, enjoy what you’ve accomplished, then dig in to the next stage for all it’s worth.

Questions? Comments? Please feel free to use the Contact page. Thank you for reading!

Filed Under: music, words Tagged With: music, writing

Hello, and welcome! My name is Lee Jackson, and I'm the composer of "Grabbag," the theme to the video game Duke Nukem 3D, plus music for Rise of the Triad and Shadow Warrior (the original). I've got four albums out, with tracks on Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp, and SoundCloud! Read More…

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