Just Write: Why Your First Draft Doesn’t Need to Be Perfect

If you’ve ever stared at a blank page waiting for inspiration to strike, you’re not alone. Many writers hesitate to begin because they worry their writing won’t be good enough. But here’s a little secret every published author knows: the first draft isn’t supposed to be perfect—it’s supposed to be written.

As Ernest Hemingway famously said, “The first draft of anything is [expletive].” Crude? Maybe. True? Absolutely.

The goal of a first draft isn’t brilliance—it’s momentum. It’s about getting the story out of your head and onto the page so you have something to shape, polish, and refine later.

When you focus too much on editing while you write, you interrupt your own creative flow. You start second-guessing every sentence, and before long, you’re stuck—trapped in an endless cycle of rewriting Chapter One. The result? The book never gets finished.

Instead, give yourself permission to write freely. Let your characters ramble. Let your plot twist in unexpected directions. Let your dialogue be messy. You can always fix it later—and that’s exactly what editors are for.

Professional editors love a complete manuscript because that’s when the real magic begins. With the structure and ideas already on paper, editing can bring clarity, rhythm, and depth to your writing. But you can’t edit a blank page.

So, take a deep breath and start typing. Silence your inner critic for now. The first draft is just you telling yourself the story. Once it’s done, you can invite an editor to help you tell it beautifully to the world.