My first drafts are so bad

Where to go from here / Issue 1,351

Oh, hi friends!

My first drafts are so bad. 

I was laughing about this yesterday — is laughing the right word? 

Looking over a fresh first draft of lyrics I knew, without blame or shame, it wasn’t good.

Should I throw it away?

Would going back to a zero draft be better? 

Of course not.

You would tell me, “Time to make a second draft.”

And so that’s what I’ll tell you.

Time to make a second draft.

And if your work doesn’t have drafts…

A second attempt.

A second sketch.

A second application.

A second something.

And after that?

Another and another and another. 

First drafts are never bad. 

They’re one step closer to good.

“a stack of drafts of an unfinished book on a desk”

PS — Colin wanted to share this relevant Far Side cartoon with you. Too perfect.