Your First Drafts

“Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere. Start by getting something—anything—down on paper. What I’ve learned to do when I sit down to work on a shitty first draft is to quiet the voices in my head.”

Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird

Your First Drafts

I started experimenting with taking photos in the last year of grad school. And then things got more and more serious. I bought gear and started working with people who needed photography work done. But my early work was bad.

When I first started shooting, I heard the advice: Don’t show people your early work. And certainly don’t charge for it!

I remember one of the first family photos I shot, and the photos were not what I would’ve shot today. They were….Ew.

If you show everyone your first drafts, it won’t be the caliber you want.

Wait a little and see what it is that you want to say/sing/write/create. My guess is that you haven’t hit full speed or terminal velocity or whatever you want to call it.

I started painting in August, and my style has shifted since then. My eyes have changed, and, therefore, my style has, too. Your eyes, ears, and hands will change as you go. So it’s absolutely the time to practice. But it’s absolutely not the time to show everyone your practice.

The importance of the first draft cannot be overstated. (The fact that your first draft will be bad will dissuade many people from attempting that first draft.) Go ahead and write it! But hide and watch until you’re well beyond your first draft. Wait until you’re close to hitting terminal velocity.