The “Lousy First Draft” Writing Technique
Silence your inner critic by writing messy, unstructured first drafts.
The “Lousy First Draft” Writing Technique
When starting a new piece of writing, it’s crucial to silence your inner critic and let your thoughts flow freely. The best way to do this is by embracing messy, unstructured first drafts.
This technique, often called freewriting, helps you stop overthinking and removes the pressure of deadlines or expectations. Many top-performing essays, articles, and stories begin as chaotic, unfiltered drafts.
Why Write a “Lousy” First Draft?
Many writers struggle with perfectionism, which can lead to self-censorship, hesitation, and creative blocks. By allowing yourself to write without worrying about grammar, punctuation, or coherence, you remove the mental barriers that slow you down.
How to Apply This Method
Write as if no one will ever read it: Don’t worry about how it sounds. Just get your ideas down.
Forget about punctuation and grammar: If your keyboard didn’t have a backspace key, what would you do? Keep typing!
Set a timer: Try writing nonstop for 2.5 minutes. When the timer rings, take a break, then repeat. Don’t re-read what you wrote — just keep moving forward.
Ignore structure and formatting.
- Sentences don’t need to be perfect. Ideas don’t need to connect.
- The goal is to capture raw thoughts before refining them.
The Power of Freewriting
Once you have something on paper, you can revise, polish, and shape it into a well-crafted piece. But without that rough first draft, there’s nothing to improve!
So, the next time you feel stuck, remember: write that messy first draft — no matter how bad it seems!
