THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT BAD FIRST DRAFTS

Do you write by the seat of your pants without a plan? Or are you a plotter who sets out knowing the who, what, when, where, and why of their next creation? Either way, all writing begins with the first draft. And first drafts, shall we say, stink. Inevitably, they fall far short of our expectations.

Take this post, for instance. I chose the title first, wrote a few notes, and listed some key points. Then, I opened my MacBook and began, fingers flying across the keyboard in a rhythmic tapping, the distinct sound of progress.

An hour later, I came up for air and quickly diagnosed an article suffering from severe bloat and dislocated pieces. It was a typical first draft: crappy. We all write them. There’s no way around it. And that’s the bad news. 

Whether you’re working on your seventh novel or your first short story, getting through that initial rough draft can be challenging. Cutting those darling little words and smart phrases on a rewrite can be painful. But it’s an essential part of the process. You wouldn’t hit the gym and start lifting without a warmup. And you won’t write a great piece without one either.

Think of your first draft as just that — a much-needed warmup. It allows you to stretch and energize your words within loose boundaries. You can take an idea for a spin, test drive it, and see if it will go the distance. Just don’t expect it to be perfect. Not yet.

Eventually, with subsequent drafts, one sentence will connect seamlessly to the next. Your writing will flow with the ease of a shallow brook after a summer rain. Your paragraphs will transition smoothly, too. None of this happens without that first draft, though. So, push on through.

Perhaps the biggest roadblock to completing that first draft is habitual self-editing. Nobody knows better than me. It’s nothing but a curse. As a recovering perfectionist, this one still trips me up. I am a self-editing fool. That one glaring misspelled word, mid-sentence, will cause me to stop every time. It’s a flashing red light. 

It’s hard to let go of those old habits, but if I can do it, so can you. Here are some tips that may help:

 * Write a fast first draft. Don’t worry, nobody will ever see it but you.

 * Slay the self-editing villain. Please don’t give him any oxygen. He’s not worth the time. Just write.

 * Accept the truth about writing: It’s all about the rewrite, and this is where you’ll shine. 

And for the good news, your second draft is bound to be better. Much better.