fixyourwritinghabits:

All first drafts are shit. Your writing is not. You are not.

As writers, writing coaches and writing bloggers, we are
fond of saying “all first drafts are shit.” There’s been some blowback about
that recently, and I wanted to address it head on.

When anyone says this, they aren’t saying YOU are shit. They
aren’t saying you can’t enjoy your word vomit sessions, or that joke your
beloved OCs share, or anything that might not make it into a final draft. If
you’ve followed this blog for any length of time, you know we always tell you
to keep the stuff you edit out.

When any competent, compassionate scribe says, “All first drafts are shit,”
this is what they mean:

It’s meant to encourage new writers to keep writing even if
they don’t like their writing (yet).

It’s meant to encourage semi-experienced writers to focus on
the craft of editing and refining – once you are done writing.

It’s meant to encourage experienced writers to start
thinking in three (or would that be four?) dimensions about what they’re
putting on the page. And that they’re gonna have to edit it at some point.

It’s meant to keep everyone writing.

So, to sum up: All first drafts are shit. Your writing is
not.

YOU ARE NOT.

Keep writing.

– Aliya