Comments on: Feel like you’re wasting time with your crappy first draft? Here’s how to find out…

By: davethescribe

davethescribe — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 10:03:00 +0000

Dear Daphne
You are magnificent! After reading your post on the “Crappy First Draft” I have, over many months, trained myself to write that first draft without any edits.
I now have great fun watching those unfettered thoughts flow from my brain, through my two typing fingers and on to the
screen.

By: Daphne Gray-Grant

Daphne Gray-Grant — Wed, 13 May 2015 23:41:00 +0000

In reply to Thomas O'Keefe. Yes! Be sure to give it a try. It works for so many people.

By: Thomas O'Keefe

Thomas O'Keefe — Wed, 13 May 2015 20:31:00 +0000

I’d like to give this a try as I find that when I stop to edit I tend to lose my train of thought and come to a stop!

By: Daphne Gray-Grant

Daphne Gray-Grant — Sun, 10 May 2015 17:15:00 +0000

In reply to Heather. So glad to hear this, Heather. Congratulations! You're doing something smart by writing yourself notes of things to fix later (I call these "promissory notes.") The next time you struggle with time management for your writing remind yourself that you can't edit nothing but you can ALWAYS edit a crappy first draft.

By: Heather

Heather — Sun, 10 May 2015 02:05:00 +0000

I’ve recently started writing without editing after reading your blog, and it really helps. It is a bit difficult to break myself of the editing habit, and sometimes I hesitate a bit when my eye catches something I want to edit, but I just push myself to keep writing. Sometimes, when I have a very strong idea, like an organizational idea such as “maybe the section I’m currently writing would make more sense in a different section of the text”, I’ll write a note to myself and bold it in a bright color. It helps me relax and keep writing, knowing that I will find those notes to myself later when I start editing. It’s also very freeing to know that no one will ever see my first draft. Writing a crappy first draft has allowed me to actually write. Before, my need to edit and have the structure or outline finished before I could even start writing was so crippling I would find myself just staring at a blank screen. Now, I actually feel like I have the ability to be a writer, and I actually got an article published on a website recently, which I wrote starting with a mind map and then a crappy first draft. Your advice has really, truly helped me. Thank you!

By: Daphne Gray-Grant

Daphne Gray-Grant — Wed, 06 May 2015 14:04:00 +0000

In reply to Sara Naqvi. I think exactly the same rules/suggestions apply (perhaps even moreso.) When you are struggling with vocabulary or grammar, the temptation to check the dictionary or grammar guide becomes almost irresistible. But resist it you must. A crappy first draft is not meant to be perfect. It's meant to be a starting point. You can fix the errors later.

By: Daphne Gray-Grant

Daphne Gray-Grant — Wed, 06 May 2015 14:04:00 +0000

In reply to yehudit. Yes, I agree completely.

By: Daphne Gray-Grant

Daphne Gray-Grant — Wed, 06 May 2015 14:02:00 +0000

In reply to Alan Briggs. So glad to help!

By: Daphne Gray-Grant

Daphne Gray-Grant — Wed, 06 May 2015 14:02:00 +0000

In reply to yehudit. Smart strategy, Yehudit! Thanks for sharing.

By: yehudit

yehudit — Wed, 06 May 2015 13:36:00 +0000

In reply to Sara Naqvi. The biggest problem I find is when the PERFECT word is in the wrong language. Translation is always an approximation, and searching for the right word can take days. So I'll just write it in the other language, and when I go back a few days or weeks later, the best word will pop out of my subconscious at the right spot.