Writers crack me up. We’re so insecure, we wonder if we’re good enough to be coached. When we get past that, we think we have to perfect first draft copy before letting a writing coach see it. That makes about as much sense as cleaning your house before the maid comes. Of course, I’m guilty on the latter count.
Still, next time your writing coach tells you that she just wants to see a brain dump on paper or a first draft, don’t think that she’s expecting polished copy. She’s not. Really.
First drafts are supposed to be messy. Refiining your prose as you go makes no sense. By the time you’re done with your project, that page or paragraph that you slaved over may have been wiped out with the click of a mouse. Why would anyone want to spend time polishing text that may not even make the final cut?
So hold off on any serious rewriting until you’ve hit the end of your project and have decided what goes and what stays. And if that’s not what your writing coach recommends, well, I would beg to differ.
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