First Drafts: How to Push Past What’s Stopping You

Last Updated on August 16, 2024

One of the hardest things about writing is writing. It’s not coming up with a bunch of ideas or being creative. No, the problem is getting into action and actually finishing first drafts.

The first draft is confusing and scary. What structure are you going to use? What points do you want to make? What’s the goal of the piece that you are writing? These are all questions that need to be answered during (or at least towards the end) of the first draft.

I’ve started more writing projects than I’ve finished, and a large part of that was because of this struggle! I never knew how to start, what I should be looking for in my rough draft, and what was worth keeping.

I had a hard time gauging if my drafts were good enough to continue, if the bones I was creating were worth putting meat on…

It’s only been in the last few months that I’ve truly understood the first draft–and more importantly, how to finish it! I want to share with you what a solid first draft looks like and how to finish strong.

Writing is NOT editing!

This is a big one that many people do not understand! Let’s be real, you can’t have any great piece of writing without some thorough editing involved…

But we aren’t trying to write something great yet!!

The purpose of the first draft is to help you flesh out your idea and carve a roadmap for where you’re going. You should NOT be heavily editing your work at this stage.

When you edit as you write, you delete your ideas before you ever have the chance to get them on the page. The result? 2 hours of hard work and not many words to show for it…

Try your best to ignore those typos. If you think your plot idea is a bit wacky, go ahead and write it anyway! When writing your first draft, more is MORE.

Are the red typo lines and email notifications distracting you and making the process harder? Try putting your computer on “Do Not Disturb” mode (if you have a Mac), disabling those overly helpful tools while drafting, or do what I did: buy an AlphaSmart 3000 word processor.

Make a rough outline…

An outline is like a map. How can you drive anywhere if you don’t know where you’re going?

Now, I’ll be the first to tell you that I don’t like strict outlining. To me, it kills the joy of the writing and creative process.

I’m sure you’ve heard of the long-standing feud between outliners and “pantsers”. “Pantsers” are people who fly by the seat of their pants when writing…they just start driving with no roadmap. I’ve tried this method several times, and it is very fun!

But, when writing first drafts, it can make it exceptionally difficult to get a good outcome. If you are a new or burgeoning writer, consider creating a rough outline.

What do I mean by rough outline? Well, this exercise shouldn’t take longer than 5-minutes…

TOPS!

All I want you to do is list out in bullet points what you think you might mention in your first draft. These don’t need to be super detailed ideas or description-rich reminders. Just write a quick half-sentence or phrase (seriously, no more than 10 words) that will give you enough to run with.

Put it on a sticky-note or at the top of your document to give you a brief guideline of what could be included.

Then go wild!

Celebrate the small successes…

No matter what you are writing, whether it’s a 500-word blog post or a several hundred-page manuscript, you need to celebrate the small milestones.

While taking the Copy Posse Launch Pad, I was encouraged to post #progress or #win posts in the Facebook group often.

This isn’t just to make the group lovey-dovey and positive (although it helped a whole lot), but rather to get writers into the habit of appreciating the smaller milestones.

If you don’t acknowledge the small wins, you’ll constantly feel like you aren’t making any progress in your first draft. Which isn’t true!

Did you open up the document on your computer and create a rough outline? Did you research for your writing project? Or maybe you set up a Pomodoro timer for 5 minutes and spit out some stream of consciousness?

Amazing!

Whatever helps you get started is worth celebrating and bragging about! You might not have written more than 300 words, but you did something.

Remember: No One Cares As Much As You.

This is a harsh truth that I wish I didn’t know! I found out the hard way though…

Have you ever told a friend or family member about your project before? I have…many times. Their faces mirror the excitement you feel at the beginning of a brand new frontier, full of possibilities and opportunity.

They may ask about your progress a few times after that…but that’s it. Even the most well-intentioned support systems will forget to check in.

Let me clarify: this usually isn’t done with malicious intent. It’s just that everyone has their own battles and to-do lists on their minds. Most people will forget, or they’ll stop asking if no “big progress” is being made because they don’t want to make you feel bad.

Also, I strongly believe that most people really just want to see the finished product. That’s why before-and-after pictures of weight loss are so addictive to look at!

People want to be inspired by someone who has already accomplished the “big thing”, they want to see someone make it to the other side of the Valley of Despair and then put them on a pedestal. Most people are bored by the hard work of it all. So, I’ve gotten into the habit of mentioning my projects once and never again–they can check in with me when I’m finished.

And to that point, I continuously remind myself that, “No one is watching over your shoulder while you write.”

No one is ever going to be as invested as you.

And that’s a good thing! Because that means you have plenty of space to practice, fail, and perfect your craft before actually receiving feedback.

So, be carefree when you write your first drafts!

Ditch Perfection, Celebrate Progress!

Being a perfectionist comes at a steep price, one of them being the complete destruction of everything you may enjoy about the writing process.

When you write with the goal of being perfect, you are actually telling yourself that failure isn’t an option. But how can you do that when failure is a part of success?

In order to succeed at something, you have to try and fail. There is no error without trial, and you have to try in order to do the thing.

Remember: You don’t have to be good. You just have to DO it.

One of my coaches during my copywriting course said it perfectly: “Practice Makes Practice”.

And what else is there to say, really?

I hope that these tips have helped you to get a handle on pushing through your first drafts! This process is as serious as you make it. Take some of the pressure off yourself by making it fun, relaxed, and somewhat guided. It will help you in the long run.

Still stuck? Read my guide on the pros and cons of using ChatGPT as a writer.

Happy Writing!