One of the challenges with writing the first draft is that it will be imperfect. For me, when I add a chapter to a story, I want the prose and dialogue to be perfect, and I want to know exactly everything that’s going on, including the sequence of events, and the characters’ interactions.
But the trouble I run into is that I get discouraged when my writing isn’t on par with where I think it should be. If a line of dialogue, or a description, seems incomplete or lackluster, I’ll want to tap the brakes during the writing session to fix it and make it better. I’ll want to improve it (edit it) to make sure that it’s the best it could be.
But when I do so, I end up writing less and spend more time on editing. It’s one of those things where I have to get over the fact that my writing will be imperfect on the first draft, that there will be missing words, nondescript sentences, and mediocre word usage. In fact, writing the first draft is more about showing up and doing the work: the act of writing itself. It’s not about the quality so much as the joy and experience of putting idea onto paper/computer.
Afterward, once the dust has settled, the editing can happen, and whatever was imperfect, will be made, not perfect, but improved.
Fallton Havenstonne 