The First Draft Is Supposed to Be Bad

Don't Judge It Too Early

Your first draft has one job:

Exist.

It doesn't need to be clever. It doesn't need to be polished. It doesn't even need to make complete sense yet.

Follow the Thought

A first draft is where you discover what you're actually trying to say.

One sentence might lead you somewhere unexpected. A paragraph might reveal a better idea than the one you started with.

Don't interrupt that process by trying to perfect every sentence.

Save the Good Writing for Later

Once the entire idea is on the page, you can make it beautiful.

Cut unnecessary words. Improve transitions. Find stronger examples. Rewrite weak sentences.

Save the beautiful sentences for the second draft.