First Draft in 30 Days

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review




Great! Great! Great!, October 8, 2008
By WriterInAZ (AZ United States)
I read this book and 'From first draft to finished novel'. They're not set up to require you to buy both, but they compliment each other very well. I got just as much helpful info from each book, not repeats like I've found from other 'series'.

I can't say enough good things about this book. I can now figure out where my issues are in each MS, prop up the middles and get them cohesive. While I may have been able to eventually get published with out the help of these books, I don't think it would have happened any time soon.

At first glance, her method looks a bit complicated. But after reading the book all the way through, and starting at the beginning, It is rather very simple.

There are some things I use (99%) while I discard the items that don't work for me.

As for typing in the worksheets into Word myself, It took me about a half an hour. I typed them up once(customized to my tastes), as master copies, and now I'll be able to use them for any book I decide to write.



A good organizational tool for the unorganized writer, September 24, 2008
By J. Shafer (Eugene, Or United States)
The beauty of this book is that details a method of organization that can help you put your novel in order. If you are like I used to be you would sit down to write, but run into problems because you have so many ideas floating through your head and you don't know where to start, end, or anything else. And what comes out on the page is junk. The meathod in Karen Wiesner's guide will help you to start small--by doing character sketches and location descriptions. Then you move to a broad, general plot. And so on, piece by piece, until you eventually put it all together in a detailed outline. This has increased my organization when it comes to writing and allowed me to ideas on paper with out having to redo them a dozen times before getting it right (only to later discover it wasn't so right after all...) I can get through the early parts of writing a story without spending a lot of time on a scene to discover it doesn't fit in the plot line. This book has been a great benifit to me as a writer.
This book is good as long as you understand what you are actually getting. Despite the title you will not get a completed first draft out of the process described in this book. What you do get is a very detailed outline. This is the reason I gave the book only 4 stars.
This book isn't for everybody, though. If you are already well organized with your writing you probably wont get as much out of this book. If you are like me, however, give this book a try.



Good for Inspiration, September 3, 2008
By K. A. Haste
This book helped me get my novel started. I did not follow the 30 day plan. I had to eat and sleep sometime... The book is a little wordy and I spent my first couple of days just reading this book instead of writing. However, I would recommend this to any 'first timer' who is looking for a place to start. It has good ideas such as using 3x5 file cards to set up an index for characters, places, etc.. to keep track of details. It makes assumptions regarding what information you already know about your book like characters and plot. Most writers have at least an idea of where they are going before they start so this helps you think more in detail. Just don't do what I did - use this book as an excuse to delay putting the first word down on paper.



A Great Tool to Develop Discipline, August 27, 2008
By Architect of Skin (Philippines)
If you're from the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) school of thought, you know that the mere discipline of writing regularly is an important first step to actually getting work done. In fact, every writing teacher out there will tell you that you need to write as often as humanly possible to nurture that writing habit.

Wiesner's "First Draft In 30 Days" can be seen as one of those valuable tools to help jumpstart that discipline. It's like NaNoWriMo with planning. With the help of detailed worksheets, Weisner equips you with the tools to help PLAN your novel and, if you fill out the worksheet items comprehensively, the experience is akin to receiving daily writing prompts.

Like what others have said, the book's title is misleading, but I wouldn't automatically slap one star on it. What Wiesner has done with this book is to encourage productivity, which in itself is valuable. To me, this book can best be used as follows:

1) Follow the process as detailed in the book. Best efforts should be exercised without the full expectation of a comprehensive first draft. Go through it as a month-long drafting and brainstorming exercise.

2) When the month is done and all the worksheets have been filled up, set everything aside and start a new story for the next 30 days.

3) Repeat for the third month. At the end of three months, you would have the bare bones for three stories.

4) On Months 4 to 5, review the worksheets of your FIRST story and fix or modify it. Focus on enriching and reinforcing the story elements--character, theme, structure. Do additional research. Write first drafts of key scenes and moments. By the end of this month, your story should be fit for a real first draft.

5) On Months 6 to 7, get your worksheets for your SECOND story and apply step 4. Do the same for your THIRD story on Months 8 to 9.

6) On Month 10, do a modified NaNoWriMo for your FIRST story. Do a comprehensive review, then hammer out 2,000 words a day. It should be easier at this point since you've already threshed out a lot of the story details earlier on.

7) On Month 11, use step 6 on your SECOND story. On Month 12 (or the following month to account for the holidays), use step six on your third story.

8) At the beginning of the following year, take the draft of your FIRST story and edit for grammar and style. This should take less than two months. Do the same on the other two stories for the succeeding months.

9) And, voila! In less than 18 months, you would have produced three novels, ready to be passed on to your editors.

10) Take six months to break, do final revisions based on editor feedback, and catch up on normal life. You can also use these six months for preliminary brainstorming for future novels. At the end of this period, take out Wiesner's book and go back to step 1 to start a new novel writing cycle.

:-)



Not For the "Weak", June 20, 2008
By Jennifer (USA)
This books is definitely not for those who need to write by the seat of their pants. It is for those who enjoy plotting and those who are serious about the organizational flow and skills needed to plot a novel of ANY genre. If you don't enjoy plotting, this book is not for you. Being a part of a group with over 2000+ writers, it is pretty much a given that those who dislike plotting will not be converted, nor should they be.

If you are a plotter, however, then this book has some very valid and excellent points. As I learned with my first completed manuscript, revising and going back and not only editing but changing large sections of the prose because I hadn't outlined fully and things didn't work is a PITA. I would much rather make changes to a 100 page outline then a 360 page novel. This is one of Karen's main points.

After reading and implementing techniques from this book, I had the pleasure to take a workshop from Karen, based on this book. She explained this approach, answered all our questions and reinforced that her worksheets do not need to be completed her way. Every writer has to find their way. As stated in the book, if you'd rather plot using paragraph summaries or free-flow writing, as opposed to the worksheets, then use them. Most writers (semi-new to experienced) probably already know this--at least if they've spent any time writing and learning with others and not just themselves.

I enjoyed this book and seeing how meaningful it is to have a fully detailed outline I highly recommend it to those who love to plot.