Don't write a first draft
This reframe that will change your writing life
When I first started writing, the idea of crafting a great first draft was…daunting.
I thought if I read the right books, saved the right blog posts and designed the perfect process, I would be able to get the story pretty-much-right the first time. My life would be so much easier!
Reader, I don’t think I need to tell you that approach did not work.
Eventually I learned that a first draft is just that; it’s first pass, not a published book. It’s not meant to be flawless or ready for publication. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t even have to be good.
You already know that no author writes a perfect first draft that goes straight to publication. In fact, I’d say it was a rare author whose manuscript didn’t go through multiple passes of revision, restructuring or even scrapping huge swaths of their first draft pages.
Think about it this way: When you’re drafting, your job is just to get the story down in writing. That’s it.
“I’m writing a first draft and reminding myself that I’m simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles.”
― Shannon Hale
You will likely be able to draft more confidently when you embrace what I affectionately call a “zero draft.” This is where you, as the writer, are telling yourself the story for the first time. You’re navigating through plots and characters, discovering what your story holds.
Maybe you have some planning supports in place, but maybe you don’t. You might not know exactly what every twist and breadcrumb is yet, but you’re giving yourself credit for what you are putting down on the page, knowing you plan to go back and add more structure around it in revision.
I’ve found that reframing my “first draft” as a “zero draft” helps relieve some of that pressure to get it right the first time. Once you release the expectation that your first draft has to be a cohesive piece, you open the door to explore a story idea with maximum creativity, minimal doubt, and total abandon.
That means it should be fun, exhilarating, challenging, and new. Not a chore. And not punishment for not doing more planning in advance. That’s your internal critic talking. Kindly escort her off the premises.
If you want extra support to draft in a way that feels like play, I recommend signing up for my 12 Weeks to Your Next Draft email course.
It’s a twelve week challenge where I help you pace yourself to turn a story idea into a finished draft. You get your instructions and tips for the week via email so it’s easy to weave the challenge into your regular routine. Love the idea of starting 2026 with a brand new zero draft? Check out 12 Weeks to Your Next Draft.