First Draft MISTAKES New Writers Make ❌ Avoid these common pitfalls!

Video Details

Watch YouTube Video

Abbie Emmons

559.0K subscribers 626 Videos 58.8M Total Views

Video ID: JxB8Z7muCL4
View Count: 20,206
Video Duration: 0:16:01
Published At: 2025-10-29 16:00:25 4d ago
Video Description: You know that magical moment when you finally sit down to write your novel? The playlist’s vibing, the coffee’s perfect, and you’re convinced you’re about to write the next bestseller? But then… three chapters in, the panic hits and you think: “I have no idea what I’m doing.” In today's video, I’m breaking down the five biggest first-draft mistakes new writers make. If you want to write faster and stay inspired while writing your novel--even if you're a total beginner--this video is for you. We'll go over the top DO's and DON'TS of writing the first draft so you can write your novel with ease and confidence! (ps: mistake #5 is a career-killer that I see writers make all the time. Breaking this one bad habit could literally save your author life.) *SAVE YOUR SPOT AT MY LIVE TRAINING* 👉 https://www.patreon.com/posts/142337820 *JOIN NOVEL NOVEMBER FOR FREE* 👉 https://prowritingaid.com/novel-november?utm_source=abbieemmons&utm_medium=partner-eventorinitiative&utm_campaign=NovelNovember-2025&utm_content=&utm_term= ________________________________ 📖 *TIMESTAMPS* 📖 00:00 Writing mistakes new writers make 01:07 DON'T expect it to be bookshelf-ready 02:39 DO write ugly 03:36 DON'T write and edit at the same time 04:19 DO write recklessly now, edit later 06:07 DON'T give up when the honeymoon ends 06:59 DO have a plan to reignite your spark 08:00 Save yourself from the mid-draft slump! 09:36 DON'T waste time on analysis paralysis 10:48 DO pick any method and start 11:32 DON'T get caught in a quitting cycle 12:18 DO finish something 14:25 Join my live training: Mid-Draft Momentum 15:18 Novel November, here we come! ________________________________ ✨ V A L U A B L E R E S O U R C E S✨ ❤️GET BONUS CONTENT + SUPPORT THIS CHANNEL: https://www.patreon.com/abbieemmons 📚READ MY BOOKS: https://amzn.to/3Ivk0Gr 🖥️TAKE MY SCRIVENER MASTERCLASS: https://makeyourstorymatter.teachable.com/p/teachmescrivener ✏️TAKE MY EDITING MASTERCLASS: https://www.learnfromabbie.com/p/edit-your-book-like-a-pro 💬TAKE MY BOOK BLURB MASTERCLASS: https://www.learnfromabbie.com/p/how-to-craft-a-bestseller-book-blurb 📓GET MY FREE WRITING TEMPLATES: https://abbieemmons.ck.page/make-your-story-matter 💵GET 20% OFF SCRIVENER - USE CODE "ABBIE" → https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener-affiliate.html?fpr=abbie26 🎤LISTEN TO MY PODCAST WITH MY SISTER: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kate-and-abbie-show 🎥 MY GEAR + WRITING TOOLS: https://abbieemmonsauthor.com/my-gear 🎵 I GET ALL MY MUSIC FROM EPIDEMIC SOUND… CLAIM YOUR 60-DAY FREE TRIAL HERE: https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/v02bl3/ ✨F O L L O W ✨ blog: https://bit.ly/2Kl21m8 facebook: https://bit.ly/2FS2Ikh instagram: http://bit.ly/2Xr5hUI tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@makeyourstorymatter patreon: https://www.patreon.com/abbieemmons Business inquiries: abbie@abbieemmonsauthor.com ✨ A B O U T ✨ My name is Abbie Emmons I teach writers how to make their stories matter by harnessing the power and psychology of storytelling, transforming their ideas into a masterpiece, and creating a lifestyle that makes their author dreams come true. Story isn’t about “what happens” — it’s about how what happens affects and transforms the characters. I believe that there is an exact science (a recipe, if you will) behind a perfect story. And if you know what ingredients you need, you can create your own perfect story with ease and confidence. That’s what we talk about every week on this channel – and if it’s something you’re into, be sure to subscribe and join this community!