Why You Should Let Your First Draft Suck (And How to Do It)
I've always had a fear of writing first drafts. A paralyzing one, honestly. We're talking Ron-Weasley's-horror-of-spiders level of fear.
I love writing first drafts, but there's always a terror that accompanies this love. The thoughts that run through my head as I write go something like this:
"What if I accidentally weave in a massive plot hole? Wait, this character's arc just changed half way through and now she has an inconsistent personality. Is this subplot dumb? Darn it, the pacing is off. Oh, look! A typo!"
The amount of doubt that courses through me each time I write a first draft is huge. I start to doubt my ideas and skills. And, sometimes, it makes me freeze up. I'm so fixated on making my first draft good that I can't move forward.
You've probably experienced this. Most (possibly all?) writers have. It's a huge pain, isn't it?
Well, have no fear. I discovered something that has helped me overcome this issue.
The solution is: I need to allow my first drafts to suck.
What? You're telling me that doesn't suddenly whisk away all of your fears? You don't find that a comforting thought? Pffft. Please. Let me explain to you why this is, in fact, an extremely freeing concept:
1. There's a reason they're call "first drafts." First drafts. FIRST. This word indicates that there will be later drafts. There is no Writing God who says: "Here, I'm giving you one shot at writing this book. You get to write it once, then you have to offer it up to me and, if it sucks, you're going to die." If this were true, our need to get our initial draft perfect would be justified. But this is not, in fact, true. We're allowed as many tries as we want. Whatever horrible mistakes we make in the first draft is absolutely fixable because we get to write a second, a third, even a twelfth draft.
2. Freedom to write horribly means freedom to experiment, play, and enjoy. You don't have to worry about making mistakes. You get to just sit down and write. You can test out that new writing style, play around with story setting, and enjoy the sheer act of creation. Rather than sweating nervously as the cursor blinks back at you, you can get to sit down and have some fun. Every action gets to be an act of creation. Hamilton would be so proud of you.
3. It allows you to get all of the bad ideas out of the way. For every good idea that I have, I experience about 394 bad ones. I'm not suggesting that I write all 394 of them down. Some of them are glaringly terrible to the point that I know not to put them on paper. But some aren't revealed to be horrendous until they're sitting next to something not-terrible. Giving our first drafts the room to suck means that we now know which directions we shouldn't take our stories in. This is very valuable because it means our next draft can focus on polishing the not-terrible ideas and burning the hideous ones.
4. It means you're more likely to actually finish. If you're constantly trying to keep your first draft from sucking, you're having to refocus valuable creative energy into putting a damper on your own mind. You are also in a state of mind that is hypercritical and questioning everything you write, which often turns into doubting your talents and thoughts. This can cripple you as a writer to the point where you won't be able to move on...or you'll move forward with your draft at a Jabba the Hut pace. These are all avoidable issues if you just give yourself the room to write what you want without getting tangled up in the "but doesn't this suck?" mindset.
Now, perhaps this is all sounding logical to you. You see why it's okay to write a sucky first draft. Great. But how do you actually execute this plan? Here's what you need to do:
1. Go in with a plan. Have some idea of where you want this story to go. If you're a pantster, check out this blog post for ideas. If you're a plotter, put together an outline. You are licensed to write a sucky first draft, yes. But going in completely blind is never a good idea. But full-length novels do require some amount of plot, character, and world planning before you jump into that first draft, otherwise editing will be a nightmare. However, do not fixate on your plan. . I can guarantee that you won't stick to it 100%. That's fine. Healthy, even. Your plan is not a rule book. It's more, well...Barbossa will explain:
2. Write the first draft for yourself, and yourself only. This draft is for your eyes only. Keep it secret. Keep it safe. Don't let anyone else see it. What happens in your first draft stays in your first draft. When you are writing it, you shouldn't think about how anyone else would see this draft. It's for you: It's helping you kick start an idea, get words on a page, form a story that will be refined in a later draft. It's not for anybody else. If you find yourself writing this and thinking about what your beta reader would say, what your friend would say, what your creative writing teacher would say: Shut that thought down. They don't matter right now. Right now it's just you and the page.
2. Keep moving forward. Be as swift as a coursing river. Do not try to go back and edit what it was you just wrote. Move forward. You can go back and fix "mistakes" later. They are not your concern at the moment. Right now you're just trying to finish the first draft. If you find yourself looking back at what you wrote for any other reason than to remember where you left off, you're not moving forward, you're moving backward. And that's not progress. And no progress means no finished book, which means no book deal, which means no money, which means no caffeine, which means Unhappy Writer. Can't argue with that logic, can you? I thought not. So keep moving forward.
3. Be proud. Do you have any idea how hard it is to write a book? It's hard. Really hard. And yet, here you are, taking on this behemoth of a task of your own free will. You're completely crazy, what are you thinking? turn back now! awesome. Okay, maybe what you're writing isn't perfect right now. That doesn't make you bad or stupid. Don't let the concept of writing something sucky make you think that you are sucky. You're not. You should be proud of what you're doing because it's hard and it takes a lot of guts. Keep at it. You're going places.
4. Remember that you can fix it later. Rewriting and editing. Perhaps you've heard of these terms? Yes? Well, they are lifesavers. After you write this first draft, you get to go back and rewrite the plot to fill in holes, flesh out characters, and make the voice, themes, and pacing coherent. Then you get to edit to make everything look all shiny and pretty. So don't worry about the mess you're making right now. You can clean it later.
Nobody said your first draft had to be perfect. It just needs to be written. That's all. So go and write that first draft with a boldness and craziness and messiness that makes your heart smile.
What do you think? Do you agree with the concept of allowing your first draft to suck? Why or why not? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter!
Have writing or reading questions? Use the hashtag #ChatWithHannah in the comment section below or on social media to have them answered on my Youtube channel!
Related articles:
How to Know When to Stop Editing Your Novel5 Steps for Fighting Off Writer's InsecurityControlling Your Plot Bunnies: How to Write a Novel From Start to Finish
Enjoy this post? Take a look around. If you like what you see, please don't forget to subscribe by email for a new post every week!
I love writing first drafts, but there's always a terror that accompanies this love. The thoughts that run through my head as I write go something like this:
"What if I accidentally weave in a massive plot hole? Wait, this character's arc just changed half way through and now she has an inconsistent personality. Is this subplot dumb? Darn it, the pacing is off. Oh, look! A typo!"
The amount of doubt that courses through me each time I write a first draft is huge. I start to doubt my ideas and skills. And, sometimes, it makes me freeze up. I'm so fixated on making my first draft good that I can't move forward.
You've probably experienced this. Most (possibly all?) writers have. It's a huge pain, isn't it?
Well, have no fear. I discovered something that has helped me overcome this issue.
The solution is: I need to allow my first drafts to suck.
What? You're telling me that doesn't suddenly whisk away all of your fears? You don't find that a comforting thought? Pffft. Please. Let me explain to you why this is, in fact, an extremely freeing concept:
1. There's a reason they're call "first drafts." First drafts. FIRST. This word indicates that there will be later drafts. There is no Writing God who says: "Here, I'm giving you one shot at writing this book. You get to write it once, then you have to offer it up to me and, if it sucks, you're going to die." If this were true, our need to get our initial draft perfect would be justified. But this is not, in fact, true. We're allowed as many tries as we want. Whatever horrible mistakes we make in the first draft is absolutely fixable because we get to write a second, a third, even a twelfth draft.2. Freedom to write horribly means freedom to experiment, play, and enjoy. You don't have to worry about making mistakes. You get to just sit down and write. You can test out that new writing style, play around with story setting, and enjoy the sheer act of creation. Rather than sweating nervously as the cursor blinks back at you, you can get to sit down and have some fun. Every action gets to be an act of creation. Hamilton would be so proud of you.
3. It allows you to get all of the bad ideas out of the way. For every good idea that I have, I experience about 394 bad ones. I'm not suggesting that I write all 394 of them down. Some of them are glaringly terrible to the point that I know not to put them on paper. But some aren't revealed to be horrendous until they're sitting next to something not-terrible. Giving our first drafts the room to suck means that we now know which directions we shouldn't take our stories in. This is very valuable because it means our next draft can focus on polishing the not-terrible ideas and burning the hideous ones.
4. It means you're more likely to actually finish. If you're constantly trying to keep your first draft from sucking, you're having to refocus valuable creative energy into putting a damper on your own mind. You are also in a state of mind that is hypercritical and questioning everything you write, which often turns into doubting your talents and thoughts. This can cripple you as a writer to the point where you won't be able to move on...or you'll move forward with your draft at a Jabba the Hut pace. These are all avoidable issues if you just give yourself the room to write what you want without getting tangled up in the "but doesn't this suck?" mindset.
Now, perhaps this is all sounding logical to you. You see why it's okay to write a sucky first draft. Great. But how do you actually execute this plan? Here's what you need to do:
1. Go in with a plan. Have some idea of where you want this story to go. If you're a pantster, check out this blog post for ideas. If you're a plotter, put together an outline. You are licensed to write a sucky first draft, yes. But going in completely blind is never a good idea. But full-length novels do require some amount of plot, character, and world planning before you jump into that first draft, otherwise editing will be a nightmare. However, do not fixate on your plan. . I can guarantee that you won't stick to it 100%. That's fine. Healthy, even. Your plan is not a rule book. It's more, well...Barbossa will explain:
2. Write the first draft for yourself, and yourself only. This draft is for your eyes only. Keep it secret. Keep it safe. Don't let anyone else see it. What happens in your first draft stays in your first draft. When you are writing it, you shouldn't think about how anyone else would see this draft. It's for you: It's helping you kick start an idea, get words on a page, form a story that will be refined in a later draft. It's not for anybody else. If you find yourself writing this and thinking about what your beta reader would say, what your friend would say, what your creative writing teacher would say: Shut that thought down. They don't matter right now. Right now it's just you and the page.
2. Keep moving forward. Be as swift as a coursing river. Do not try to go back and edit what it was you just wrote. Move forward. You can go back and fix "mistakes" later. They are not your concern at the moment. Right now you're just trying to finish the first draft. If you find yourself looking back at what you wrote for any other reason than to remember where you left off, you're not moving forward, you're moving backward. And that's not progress. And no progress means no finished book, which means no book deal, which means no money, which means no caffeine, which means Unhappy Writer. Can't argue with that logic, can you? I thought not. So keep moving forward.
3. Be proud. Do you have any idea how hard it is to write a book? It's hard. Really hard. And yet, here you are, taking on this behemoth of a task of your own free will. You're completely crazy, what are you thinking? turn back now! awesome. Okay, maybe what you're writing isn't perfect right now. That doesn't make you bad or stupid. Don't let the concept of writing something sucky make you think that you are sucky. You're not. You should be proud of what you're doing because it's hard and it takes a lot of guts. Keep at it. You're going places.
4. Remember that you can fix it later. Rewriting and editing. Perhaps you've heard of these terms? Yes? Well, they are lifesavers. After you write this first draft, you get to go back and rewrite the plot to fill in holes, flesh out characters, and make the voice, themes, and pacing coherent. Then you get to edit to make everything look all shiny and pretty. So don't worry about the mess you're making right now. You can clean it later.
Nobody said your first draft had to be perfect. It just needs to be written. That's all. So go and write that first draft with a boldness and craziness and messiness that makes your heart smile.
What do you think? Do you agree with the concept of allowing your first draft to suck? Why or why not? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter!
Have writing or reading questions? Use the hashtag #ChatWithHannah in the comment section below or on social media to have them answered on my Youtube channel!
Related articles:
How to Know When to Stop Editing Your Novel5 Steps for Fighting Off Writer's InsecurityControlling Your Plot Bunnies: How to Write a Novel From Start to Finish
Enjoy this post? Take a look around. If you like what you see, please don't forget to subscribe by email for a new post every week!
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