Your First Draft Doesn't Have to Be Good

One of the things that can keep a writer from writing is expecting the first draft to be good.

It doesn't have to be.

The first draft has a different job.

Its job is to get the ideas out of your head and onto the page.

Write Before You Edit

Trying to write and edit every sentence at the same time can slow you down.

You write a sentence.

You change it.

You change it again.

Then you wonder where the idea went.

Sometimes you have to let the first draft be messy.

Get the thought down first.

You can improve it later.

Your Ideas Need Somewhere to Start

A good article often begins with a rough thought.

It may not have the perfect opening.

The paragraphs may not be in the right order.

You may even discover that your original idea wasn't quite what you thought it was.

That's okay.

Writing helps you discover what you actually think.

Editing Is Where the Article Takes Shape

Once the ideas are on the page, you can step back and look at them.

Now you can ask:

• Does this make sense?

• Is the main point clear?

• Does anything need to be removed?

• Is something missing?

• Is the order right?

That's when the article begins to take shape.

Don't Confuse Rough With Bad

A rough first draft isn't a failed article.

It's unfinished.

There's a big difference.

A carpenter doesn't look at a pile of lumber and complain that it isn't a finished table.

The materials have to be there before the table can be built.

Your first draft is the material.

Give Yourself Permission to Rewrite

Sometimes the best sentence in an article doesn't appear until the second or third draft.

Sometimes you discover a better opening after you've written the ending.

That's part of writing.

You don't have to get everything right the first time.

Final Thought

Don't wait until you know exactly how the article should sound before you begin.

Start writing.

Get the ideas down.

Then improve them.

The first draft isn't supposed to be the finished article. It's supposed to give you something to work with.