“To become a proper writer, you have to forgive yourself the catastrophe of the first draft.” —Alain de Botton
Be kind to yourself when you are writing the first draft. It doesn’t know what it is supposed to be yet.
The first draft is a little bit of magic that needs room to grow. Remind yourself of this often. Your critic is terrified that you might actually finish it and will do everything in its power to stop you or convince you that is bad.
It isn’t supposed to be good. It is supposed to be finished. Don’t let the critic win. Stick this reminder up where you can see it while you write.
I am writing a first draft
A reminder to keep the critic at bay.
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