Writing Like Everyone Else Is Dead: A First Draft Mentality
I was browsing Reddit when I read this wonderful advice on writing:
Write your first draft like everyone else is dead.
I wrote it down and immediately stuck it on the wall beside my desk. I look at it every time the obsession for ‘the perfect line’ sets in, and I take a deep breath:
Then I unalive everyone else (I promise I’m not a serial killer!).
After all, you don’t have to deal with the fear of writing and failure if all your readers and imaginary critics are supposedly dead.
It’s a brilliantly morbid mindset to have when writing a first draft as it takes out all the pressure, doubt, and judgment that often weigh down on our first terrible efforts.
It’s also reminiscent of Stephen King’s advice in his book On Writing:
The first draft is for you. When you write a story, you’re telling yourself a story.
