Return to site

Please don't fix it or fuss with it

Don't read what you've drafted (first draft) that day or the previous day's work. Just move on. Finish the draft first.Confused? What would be the point of tinkering with an incomplete draft?

 

Reading what you just wrote has a very high probability of giving you what you don't need at an early point in the writing process: discouragement. It is rough, raw, incomplete, bloated, off point, poorly written, and pretty much a mess. But this is all you can hope for in a first draft. Be happy you have that. The good news is that all of this can be fixed and subsequent drafts.

 

"Why would you make that recommendation?" you might ask. At this stage of the writing process you are unlikely to read anything and from it be able to make any sound decisions about changes you want to make, things you want to add, move, or polish. This is because you have no idea yet what the whole draft looks like. You are in the incomplete draft. Trying to read yesterday's material under the guise of looking for improvement/changes to make is like buying furniture for a house you haven't seen. Neither do you know what is already in those rooms.

 

The best way to get momentum going and keep it moving in a first draft is to outline as much as you can as well as you can, write fast and move forward. It is after you have completed a first draft that you are in the best position to make some informed decisions about what changes/improvements to making your next draft.

 

Keep an eye on other writers. You will discover that those who insist on going back and reading mid-draft material (first draft) subsequently get despondent, become disappointed with the product and quite often consider quitting. This is because he/she was looking for too much progress too soon – no matter what reason he/she gave for reading that material.

 

In your first draft, go for speed and completion. All else will follow in due time. Trust the process.

Don't read what you've drafted (first draft) that day or the previous day's work. Just move on. Finish the draft first.Confused? What would be the point of tinkering with an incomplete draft?

Reading what you just wrote has a very high probability of giving you what you don't need at an early point in the writing process: discouragement. It is rough, raw, incomplete, bloated, off point, poorly written, and pretty much a mess. But this is all you can hope for in a first draft. Be happy you have that. The good news is that all of this can be fixed and subsequent drafts.

"Why would you make that recommendation?" you might ask. At this stage of the writing process you are unlikely to read anything and from it be able to make any sound decisions about changes you want to make, things you want to add, move, or polish. This is because you have no idea yet what the whole draft looks like. You are in the incomplete draft. Trying to read yesterday's material under the guise of looking for improvement/changes to make is like buying furniture for a house you haven't seen. Neither do you know what is already in those rooms.

The best way to get momentum going and keep it moving in a first draft is to outline as much as you can as well as you can, write fast and move forward. It is after you have completed a first draft that you are in the best position to make some informed decisions about what changes/improvements to making your next draft.