Sending my students to this article – they often think that the first draft is the final piece, no matter how much I prepare them for edits. Thank you!

I love sharp editing, but you don’t get to that point in the creative process until you have solid ideas in a draft. 🙂

This is an awesome post. I agree that being overly careful about spelling and grammar when we write the first draft hinders our ability to write valuable content. We can either focus on ideas or on punctuation. We simply shouldn’t be focusing on doing both at the same time. Not only do I benefit from writing ideas freely, but it also helps in my writing time. I end up writing a long post relatively quickly and then edit it out before publishing (of course, the editing process is much different).

Thank you for sharing this!

I had to get to a point where I was comfortable enough to share that handwritten draft.

Ultimately, I thought it could do some good and contribute to exposing that the very important “creative mode” is far from “perfect.” 🙂

Great example, James!

Thinking that the first draft is the final piece is such a common block.

And it takes a while for it to sink in that it’s not … but it’s so freeing when that mindset shift happens and you start viewing your initial work as pieces to shape into your true vision. 🙂

I really appreciated the shot of your handwritten copy. It looked so familiar! After reading your post, I came away energized to keep going with what I do, with what I love. Thanks for sharing!

The greatest writers have always set aside time and a place for their craft. Mediocre writing only develops into great writing with practice, repetition – and usually, a lot of frustration, monotony, and despair!

Stephen King, in his memoir ‘On Writing’ explains how he would often sit at his desk for hours, fully aware that the words he typed were uninspired, second-rate, and destined for the wastebasket.

But he sat and persisted, because he knew the very act of spending the time, and forcing himself into a routine was making him into a better writer.

Writing is refined thinking. And the more we practice, the better we become at expressing and communicating the sometimes thoughts and ideas bubbling around in our heads.