Ernest Hemingway famously said, “The first draft of anything is shit.”
Tough language, but he was right. The goal of a first draft isn’t to be brilliant. It’s simply to overcome your “how the hell do I get started” anxiety 😳, put your ideas down in a reasonable sequence, and rough out sketches of your stories.
Don’t think too much. Write like you don’t care. Write until you have nothing else to write about. Just write — no one else will read it.
With a completed first draft, ideas are no longer floating around in the tumultuous night of your brain –you have something concrete to work from. This is when you’re ready to edit with care:
– Mercilessly cut words and sentences that may strain your readers or get in the way of your message.
– Move sections if the text isn’t flowing logically.
– Check your grammar.
– Read it out loud to yourself so you can “hear” awkward sentences and make adjustments.
The takeaway: It’s in the editing that you show readers you care about them… through the words and the ideas and the messages you care to choose.
Call me if you need help.
Good writing is good editing. There’s no other way.
