“First drafts are shit” and other writing advice from the experts

I can tell you from years of experience with drafting novels that first drafts always suck. Don’t believe me? Read what the following authors have to say about writing the first draft of a novel:

• “Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts.” – Anne Lamott
• “The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” – Terry Pratchett
• “The first draft is nothing more than a starting point, so be wrong, break the rules, and start over as many times as you need.” – Jonathan Franzen”
• The first draft of everything is terrible. Don’t worry, it’s meant to be.” – Chloe Benjamin”

First drafts are shit. –Earnest Hemingway

• The first draft is the child’s draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later.” – Anne Tyler”
• The first draft is the most uncertain thing in the world. It’s where the story takes shape, and sometimes the shape it takes isn’t what you want.” – J.K. Rowling
• “The first draft is the hardest part, but don’t worry too much about getting it perfect. Just get it down on paper.” – Stephen King

These writers emphasize the importance of not worrying about perfection in the first draft, but instead focusing on getting the story down on paper (or a computer screen). They also suggest that it’s normal for a first draft to be messy and imperfect and that it’s okay to make mistakes and rewrite as many times as necessary. So get to work: you have a novel to write today!