Blood & Ink: Perfect First Draft

Every first draft is perfect…

…because the only thing a first draft needs to do is exist.

If it exists, it’s done. Perfect. Flawless.

People get hung up on the first draft because they have convinced themselves that everything they do needs to be flawless the first time they do it.

There’s a secret to overcoming this: get in the habit of editing.

You're golden if you know you will edit the following drafts. The game to go from 0 -> 1 becomes much simpler: make it. Make it ugly. Make it quick. Get it done.

Once the art of refinement is sewn into your bones, the grandiose fear of the first draft fades away.

This applies to everything. Test the product. Write the essay. Take one small messy step toward the person you’re becoming.

The first draft is not the final judgement.

You don’t have to have it all figured out at the beginning. If you’re doing it right, there’s no possible way you will have it figured out before you start.

The only perfectly known future is the past. The only perfectly complete draft is beneath your skill.

Every first draft is perfect because all it needs to do is exist.

Make it happen,
EB.