Many things start with a first draft: research papers, project plans, furniture, compositions, illustrations, essays, house plans, book chapters and even some important emails... We need first drafts to get clarity on what we're going to create or what we really want to say.
There's a great "Shitty first drafts" chapter in Anne Lamott's book Bird by Bird:
There's a great "Shitty first drafts" chapter in Anne Lamott's book Bird by Bird:
"Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere. Start by getting something - anything -- down on paper. A friend of mine says that the first draft is the down draft -- you just get it down. The second draft is the up draft -- you fix it up. You try to say what you have to say more accurately. And the third draft is the dental draft, where you check every tooth, to see if it's loose or cramped or decayed, or even, God help us, healthy."
Perfectionism is the enemy of first drafts. If you edit things in your head before getting them down, you lost to perfectionism. It won't be a shitty first draft anymore once you can hear the wheels grinding in your head.
Every time you overthink while drafting, re-read Anne's words: No one is going to see it. Shape it later.
