First-draft anxiety for writers is a common challenge for writers, particularly new writers. As simple or insignificant as this may seem, it can make you feel incapacitated.
First-draft anxiety can deter you from trying to write for a long time.
It could make your mind clogged or you might feel you are barraged with a sea of ideas that makes you clueless about where and how to start.
Gaining confidence in your writing is possible, but you may require some time to develop assurance and mastery.
Overcome your first-draft anxiety
Blessing Omoregie
- Be cool with the fact that your writing does not have to be perfect.
Hey writer, the first draft does not need to be perfect.
Do not compare the book you’re creating to the finished product book you’re reading. No! don’t do that.
Most authors might feel intimidated because they are reading books that sound better than the one they are writing, hence the apprehension.
What you want to know is that the book you are reading has probably gone through all or some of the following writing processes; DREPR
- Drafting stage
- Revising stage
- Editing stage
- Proofreading stage
- Reviewing stage
This is an unfair way to evaluate your book. You will be surprised at how good your book will appear once it has gone through these stages as well, so be kind with your process and take it one step at a time and just write.
2. Allow yourself to explore and experiment
Do not withhold or withdraw from yourself the permission to explore and experiment. Allow yourself. When you do, you might end up with the cutest ideas ever. Plan to just have fun, don’t try to be too serious.
3. Have a structure
If you are one person who is given to being organized and structured, you might want to itemize your thoughts first.
Capture your key thoughts on paper, and allow your ink to spill your thoughts on the paper, then you can pick the thoughts one after the other to write on elaborately.
4. Leverage the power of simple personal stories
Sometimes to overcome that initial inhibition, write from your experience. To get your grooves you may want to try out comfortable things or familiar writing before you delve into serious writing. Write about your previous day’s experience, write about a lover, write about your best friend, write about yourself, or just try simple things.
5. Read other people’s literary work without comparing.
Although this can be difficult to do sometimes, we can try to do it anyway. Read what others have written. Reading is like searching for water by digging the wells of your inspiration, it may feel arduous initially but when you get to the waterbed of your inspiration, it flows unhindered. Whatever makes you relax and less tense, read them.
Reading poems does it for me, especially the ones I had previously read, loved, and understood.
First-draft anxiety is common to both old and new writers but you can overcome it too.