Allow yourself to, just write. Put anything down that comes to mind.

In my opinion, this is the best advice to give someone who is writing a skeleton or first draft.

I say that of course because, it is the advice I am giving myself. I’m not a plotter. I don’t really plan too much for my stories. I let the idea flow from head, to pen, to paper, and then sort it all out in the end. Sure I have a general idea where I want things to go, but for the most part, I’m just winging it.

For a person like me it is easy to get hit by writers block. If the ideas aren’t flowing, I’m stuck staring at an empty piece of paper with nothing to write.

That’s where I need my little reminder.

Go ahead and write badly. Write whatever comes to mind. Just put something-anything- on the page.

After all, first drafts never get published.

It doesn’t matter if you waste 4k words on the main character tying her shoes. If it helps me move the story in some way, or helps me spark an idea, it is worth it.

The boring and mundane stuff can always be edited out later.

I say this all of course, because I got myself stuck this weekend and it took, letting my MC babble on about random things, for me to finally figure out where book two was going. I’m now 21k words into my skeleton draft of book 2, (tentatively called, Hunters Prey) I have the main plot all figured out now, and I am ready to power through this draft. I’m feeling creative now!

So remember, allow yourself to write whatever comes to mind, no matter how dumb. It may spark your creativity.