CONTENT CREATION 103: The First Draft Is For You
I realised when I started putting together this blog post that I messed up my original plotted out order of this series! Not that it matters in the long run – these tips and tricks aren’t things that have to be chronological. They are simply things I have learned over the years and wish to share.
Hopefully, something resonates with you.
CONTENT CREATION 101: Commit To What You Create
CONTENT CREATION 102: Find Your Own “Write Drunk, Edit Sober”
When you first start working on a project, I think every creator gets lost in the worry about their ‘target audience’. It can be a boon to know who your creation is marketed at, but it can also cause problems if you are not careful. That’s why I prefer to approach it as this – the first thing you should do is try and get down your vision. Not something tailored for a specific audience, or something polished – just the idea you have in your head.
It will not be perfect. It will frustrate you. You will still find yourself overthinking, stressing, because this will be messy and a little ugly and far from the image you have in your head.
But that is okay. It doesn’t have to be anything but the idea, down on the medium you are working in. It can be rough, it can be far from the ideal.
It will be just for you.
At the end of the day, the first draft of any project is not the one that you will publish. It is simply YOUR vision, the bare bones of what you want, before the worry about the audience sets in, before you get another pair of eyes on it. It is the draft that is just you working without going back to erase or delete. It is the freedom that comes with just creating, no boundaries or expectations.
It sounds daunting. But I find it helps, just for you.
Don’t delete it. When you edit it, keep the first draft. Look back on it down the line and see how far you’ve come.
That first draft is for you. Your creativity, unfiltered and unlimited. Save it. Not everything you create needs to be published. And that is okay.
- Do you keep the earlier drafts of your projects?
- Are you the type of person who has to know every minutiae before even starting?
- How many drafts is ideal for you?
It has helped me tremendously to remember the first draft does not have to be perfect. I hope it helps you too.
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Ara
I’m Ara, a Southeast Asian writer who someday hopes to have published a novel, and who is currently losing herself in the worlds created by others. I love books and food and television and blogging and I get distracted and sidetracked easily.