Don't Judge; Tip #14

Some want-to-be authors never get beyond writing the first few pages of their novel. They are overly critical and judgmental of their first efforts and quit writing early in the process, discouraged that they haven't gotten things the way they want them. 

Writing a novel takes time and tenacity. Don’t agonize over every word in the first draft of your novel—just continue to write. If you’re stuck on a scene, put the idea or thought that you want to go back to in brackets [ ], so it doesn't interrupt the flow of your work and move on. You can always go back and work on that section when the timing is right. 

Don’t worry about edits for grammar, punctuation or spelling in your first draft either. If you do, you’ll be starting and stopping and losing your momentum. It will take you three times as long to get that first draft done. If you notice something glaring, you might want to fix it, so it isn’t weighing down your mental progress, but if you can, let it stand until the revising stage.

When you are writing your first draft, let it flow and don’t go looking for trouble. That’s a process best left for later after the all-important first draft is done.