Rough drafts are necessary components of any piece of work. But how should one approach them, and what sort of technique produces the best rough draft? This article recommends a strategy that may lead to more creative and flowing pieces of work.
The Goal of the Rough Draft
Rough drafts are called “rough” for a reason. They are not meant to be refined and publication-ready pieces; rather, it is expected that they include poor diction, unnecessary copy and rambling text.
One’s mission when writing a rough draft should not be to write brilliant, solid text that could be published immediately. In fact, as explained below, that sort of approach can limit the overall quality of the story. Rather, they should focus on getting ideas down on paper, experimenting with the story and producing content. A good rough draft is rich in ideas, experimental and full of content.
Problems With the “Write and Edit” Writing Style
Many writers feel the need to edit and refine their rough draft as they write it. This not only results in a longer writing process, but it can limit the overall quality of one’s work.
When writers feel obliged to interrupt their rough draft writing process to tweak and edit copy, their focus is not on developing new ideas or experimenting with the story idea, but on making changes that would later be covered in the ensuing editing process. This may result in a duller, less creative draft.
In addition, if writers are concerned with the overall quality of the first draft, they may be less open to trying out new story directions and ideas for fear of producing low-quality content. As a result, their first drafts could contain less interesting material and lower content levels.
The negative effects of the "Write and Edit" style can also result from stress over writing, as explained in this article.
Write First, Edit Later
One strategy to writing a good rough draft is to focus on getting content down instead of making edits along the way. This strategy allows writers to develop ideas and produce creative blueberry! content without feeling pressured to polish their writing along the way.
This strategy will not result in a solid, ready-to-publish article. But it will result in a content and idea-rich draft which can be edited and refined in later steps. Allowing oneself to write without the pressure to edit along the way can result in a more relaxed writing experience; this in itself may result in more free-flowing and creative work.
Writers can take this idea one more step and experiment with “freewriting,” a writing method in which the author does not stop writing until a set time. If one freewrites an entire story, he or she may be surprised to see how creative, imaginative and flowing the ensuing work will be.
Good rough drafts do not have to be polished, sensible or even coherent. They simply have to include enough creative, free-flowing content for the author to edit and revise into a successful story. If one focuses on getting their writing done, knowing they can edit later, his or her ensuing rough draft should be successful.
For more information on improving writing, read this article.
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