Your Rough Draft Will Be as Awkward as A Baby Dove
You’ve seen doves. Beautiful, aren’t they?
Now, have you seen a baby dove? Well, they’re strange as all get out. One glance at them, and you’ll question if they’re even from our planet.
Your first draft will be as awkward as a baby dove. There will be spelling errors and run-on sentences.
You’ll have sentences like this from typing too fast: “Presidewent Rump Controversies ith Ussa Contineus.” Translation: “President Trump Controversies with Russia Continues.”
It’s ok, don’t panic.
The purpose of rough drafts is to manifest your ideas into a physical form. Don’t manifest them, and they’ll remain in your mind, eventually disappearing altogether.
I make sure to write down my ideas even if I’m seconds away from bedtime. I must write it down, or I’ll risk losing it forever.
What Stops Us From Starting
What holds us back from even starting our first drafts: fear.
We’re afraid of the long, grueling editing process ahead of us. We want to hit publish and hit the ground running.
We’re afraid of rejection. As a writer, you must get used to it. It’s part of writers’ lives.
“I encourage you to reject rejection. If someone says no, just say NEXT!” -John Canfield
Did you know the Chicken Soup for the Soul series was rejected 144 times before publication? Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind was rejected 38 times before becoming a bestseller and an Oscar-winning movie.
Screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie wrote The Usual Suspects (1995) nine times before it was picked up for production. Producers didn’t like the non-linear storyline. The $6 million movie ended up making $34 million in the box office.
Rejection is inevitable. The only way to go through is to keep writing until you say you’re done.
Conclusion
“I’m writing a first draft and reminding myself that I’m simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles.” -Shannon Hale
Don’t worry about your fugly draft right now. Your task is to write it down as soon as possible. Your piece will eventually come out as beautiful as a full-grown dove.
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