FIRST DRAFT FEBRUARY!!

Dana Dillaman — Wed, 4 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Introducing...FIRST DRAFT FEBRUARY!

If you participate in Tara Lazar's Storystorm (https://taralazar.com/) in January, then you have a bunch of lovely ideas, just waiting to bloom into stories! And if you haven't tried it, check it out next year!

Regardless, let's make this February a month of first drafts!

February is always rough for me, so I'm trying to make it as fun as possible.

Why not have another month-long, low-stakes challenge to make things more interesting? (And also trick myself into doing the things!)

I want to give myself (and yourself) the freedom & permission to create with no thoughts of...

"This will be THE draft that becomes the next story I query!"

or, "I love this story the most of any story I've ever written! Now I shall dedicate myself entirely to this story until its PERFECT!"

or, "I also need to revise that other story, and read picture books, and query, and revise, and....."

or, (insert your own inner dialogue).

ONLY focusing on quantity this month, will allow us to produce even more quality later on.

The RULES:

1. Write as many full SFDs (shitty first drafts) as you can this February.

2. No revising allowed!

3. Don't even think about revising!

4. You are only competing against yourself. If you wrote more than last month, or last February, or last YEAR, whatever your goal is, THEN...

5. On March 1, post "I'm a FirstDraftFriday winner!" with the #FirstDraftFebruary on Bluesky or FB

So lets do it! Happy First Draft February to all!

P.S. I would love to leave you with an excerpt from Ray Bradbury's Zen in the Art of Writing from pages 108 &109, about the importance of quantity to build quality, but really do yourself a favor and read the whole book.

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All The Lovely People... (How to Connect With Authors)

Dana Dillaman — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This is such a friendly industry. ♥

I have really been enjoying connecting with real-live authors!

Here are some great and easy ways:

1. Check out blogs that frequently host authors and agent guest posts!

Many times, if you comment, you might get responses from these super cool people, and even win 30-min ask me anything sessions, or critiques, or signed copies of their books. Here are a few of my favorites!

2. Socials

Post reviews of their books on your socials, tag the author, illustrator, and publisher if possible.
Follow your favs--sometimes they post ways to connect with or support them
Enter contests they post--that's how I won and connected with author Katie Lee Reinert! (P)

3. Subscribe to Author Newsletters

Everything is connected!

4. Join 12x12

Lots of published authors are members of this amazing community, and if you join, you will be too! You can help them out and connect by
- Reviewing their books on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes and Noble (even if not part of 12x12 do this!)
- Requesting their books be added to your local library system (also do this anyway! Then let them know on a blog post or social)
- Critiquing any manuscripts they might post for review ( 🤯 )
- Getting critiqued my them
- Messaging and sending encouragement and good vibes
- etc.

Stay connected, be connected. It's a community! Participate as much as makes sense to you and keeps you inspired and happy.

-Dana Dillaman

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Dana Dillaman | Updates

FIRST DRAFT FEBRUARY!!

All The Lovely People... (How to Connect With Authors)