You might have clicked this blog post hoping for a list of things to avoid to save you from the horrors of writing a bad first draft. You probably thought this would be a “what not to do” kind of post. But we actually want you to write a bad first draft.
Maybe “bad” is a little harsh, but unless you are willing to maybe write something bad, you won’t write anything. We hear it all the time from students, they are worried about starting their common app essay because they are nervous that their first draft won’t be perfect. It’s not until they let go of the idea that the first draft needs to be perfect (it might not even be good) that they allow themselves to actually start writing it.
You have probably heard the old quote from Thomas Edison about inventing the light bulb, "I haven't failed -- I've just found 10,000 that won't work." While Edison probably actually stole the light bulb from Tesla, it’s still true. True experts in their field go through a lot of drafts. They are always perfecting what they do. Think of a master chef: they work on recipes for years. They constantly work and change and they don’t hold themselves to perfection on the first try. If experts don’t hold themselves to those standards why should you?
So instead of a perfect draft, we are going to give you tips to write an imperfect draft. Because we know you can’t start editing until there is something to edit.
Get warmed up
Athletes don’t jump into the game without stretching. You need to warm up. The same thing can be said about writing. It can be hard just jumping into writing an essay. Try to do a warm-up writing task first: do some journaling, send some emails, perfect today’s Instagram caption. It doesn’t have to be anything huge, but it will help you get into the right headspace. Sometimes you need to get into a writing vibe before you do the hard stuff.
Don’t get tied up in sentences
When we say free writing, we mean it. Don’t worry about sentences or paragraphs or word choice. If you are having issues, do bullet points. Style and format can come later. The first draft is all about getting your thoughts down on the page. If you find yourself stressing over grammar, then you aren’t letting yourself get everything out. There will always be time to polish your semicolon use up later.
Don’t be afraid to go big
While the common app essay has a word limit of 650, don’t worry about that just yet. Write as much as you want. We liken it to watching an episode of Marie Kondo. Before she makes people reorganize, she makes someone’s suburban dad take everything out of his closet and throw it on the floor.
You can start paring down or organizing until it’s all out there. We would rather you have 6 pages of unstructured, unedited ideas than a blank page. Sometimes adding everything you can think of will feel like too much, but we promise you, it’s better out than in. Say you want to write about where you come from. Write about your family, the smells, the stores on the block, what food everyone eats, how you get to school each day. It might not all make it in, but having all the details written down will help you choose what makes it into the next draft.
No first draft is ever going to be perfect. Most won’t even be good. Don’t pressure yourself on the first draft. It doesn’t help anyone. It took Lin-Manuel Miranda 5 years to write “My Shot.” Not the whole musical, just the one song, “My Shot.” Experts and professionals don’t strive for perfection on their first drafts. If you are still holding yourself to that impossible standard, take a step back, breathe, and don’t be scared of writing a bad first draft.
Still need help? We are always happy to talk! Contact us here.