Because that’s the job of a first draft. To be bad. And your job is to write it. Once you write the terrible first draft, you can write a better second one, and an elegant third one, and so one.

Drafting gives you the opportunity to select more precise vocabulary and shape your writing more effectively. The first draft of a story or article will often be a little ‘rough’ in shape.

Here’s how to start editing your own work. Understand that what you write first is a draft It doesn’t matter how good you think you are as a writer — the first words you put on the page are ...

To overcome this, write your first draft for no one but yourself. In the New Writer's Handbook, Erica Jong explains: All writing problems are psychological problems. Blocks usually stem from the ...

Then decide how to best structure them. Once you’ve done that, rapidly write your first draft. Don’t wait for inspiration. Write against the clock, giving yourself 5-10 minutes for each section.