How to write a bad first draft and stop waiting to feel ready

A “bad first draft” does not mean a bad final result. It gives the first version permission to perform its actual job: produce material.

Trying to create and judge every sentence simultaneously makes each sentence a separate test. Separating the modes makes progress and quality compatible.

Separate drafting from editing

While drafting

• move forward;
• leave [check this] notes;
• use simple wording;
• do not polish the opening;
• keep uncertain details as placeholders.

While editing

• check the structure;
• add evidence;
• remove repetition;
• improve the language;
• verify the requirements.

Editing is not forbidden. It simply receives its own stage.

Before drafting, write down the document’s question, recipient, and available material. The first pass should not have to define the assignment, complete all research, and polish the language at the same time.

If you are stuck on…	Leave this in the first version
An uncertain thesis	Two competing thesis options
A missing fact	[verify source]
The opening	One direct sentence about the outcome
A transition	[connect after structure review]
Evaluation risk	A private version or one section for early feedback

Define the boundary before you start

A first draft can be:

• 300 words;
• five main points;
• a set of section headings;
• twenty minutes of forward writing;
• one complete scene.

Choose one criterion before the session. A visible stopping point makes it easier to begin and prevents the rough stage from expanding into an attempt at final quality.

Use placeholders

When a missing detail interrupts the flow, mark it:

[add example]
[find number]
[write transition]
[check terminology]

One unknown should not be allowed to stop the entire document. The placeholder turns it into a separate editing task.

Example: a decision memo draft

Instead of “write a persuasive proposal,” define this first version:

Decision required:
Why it is needed now:
Two options:
Strongest evidence:
[verify cost]
Recommended next action:

Fill the frame with available facts for twenty minutes. After a break, review the decision logic, then the evidence, and only then the language. A polished opening cannot compensate for a missing choice or argument.

Edit in passes

1. Does the draft answer the assignment?
2. Is the structure clear?
3. Are the facts and examples sufficient?
4. Is the language easy to follow?
5. Does it meet the technical requirements?

Each pass asks one kind of question. Quality remains part of the process, but it appears at a stage where there is something concrete to improve.

Define when editing stops

Before the first pass, decide which reviews the document needs. An ordinary internal memo may need three: purpose and structure, facts, then clarity. A later change should repair a named defect or requirement rather than merely reduce the writer’s anxiety.

When the document affects safety, law, health, or significant money, professional requirements determine the review process. A rough first draft does not remove necessary verification; it separates verification from producing the initial material.

For the wider mechanism, read how perfectionism contributes to procrastination.

In Flammy, track the action “15 minutes of drafting without editing” rather than trying to score the quality of the final text.

Use Flammy to start the first version

Related reading

• Continue with defining a good-enough result.