The First Draft A.K.A. the Part That is Supposed to Be Bad

Okay, you don’t have to intentionally write your first draft poorly, but if the idea of trying to create a good first draft is what keeps you from continuing to write, it might be best to just let it be bad. When writing professionally or creatively (or both), the first thing to do is write and get your ideas or topic goals onto the page. I find it best to jot down things I plan on including in the writing on the page. This works best on a digital page as you can erase what you put or even move a whole page, paragraph, or sentence after having written it.

Creating a first draft should focus on basics, structure, and ideas. Structure may not be done with every first draft, or it may change, but an introduction, body, and conclusion is easy to create and may be adjusted on a later draft or as you write. Ideas are best put in the first draft as you can place them in paragraphs and just write them in sentences on another page. With writing on a digital page, you may just place them in a whole section and place them when you need and adjust them as you write. Being able to write out ideas may also give you new ideas as you get them on the page and out of your head. The basics of writing entail ideas and structure, but also things like grammar, word choice, and the general feel that you want to start out with. Grammar is best done after you write something out, so you don’t distract yourself while writing. Again, getting something onto the page is the number one priority with a first draft. Word choice and general feel sort of go hand in hand as you write. Writing choice words in a different section like I mentioned with ideas is great. The general feel is something you want to focus on when adjusting the writing and may even be best written in a later draft.

To summarize, structure, ideas, word choices, the feel, and grammar are some of the core ideas when writing a first draft, but structure and ideas are the most important to write first. Writers may often find themselves stuck, encumbered by writer’s block, paralysis from too many ideas, or they may forget what they want to write. The best way to deal with these issues is to write first and correct later. This is why sometimes you just have to write poorly to write great.