Draft
Once you have selected your format, completed your lead and are satisfied with your research, you are ready to write. Please, remember this is only a draft, a first pass over the landscape of ideas and information you wish to convey to your readers. Do your best to stick to your outline, but focus primarily on making certain that you get the information on the page or on the screen. The most important thing at this point is to complete the draft.
While writing, keep the needs and potential concerns of your audience in mind. Cater to those needs by providing the instruction, entertainment, or information alluded to by your lead sentence. Your chosen format should readily facilitate the engagement of your audience and meet their expectations based on your lead.
There are many different approaches to writing a first draft. There are writers who follow their outline to the last detail, keep their research notes close at hand, and insert the necessary quotes and facts as they write. Some writers use a more organic approach; they simply write their first copy as it comes to mind and leave the facts, quotes, and sources for revision. Many writers use a mixture of these two approaches to get the job done.
You will have several drafts as you review your work for mistakes or gaps in information. It is rare that the first draft is a writer's final draft as well. It is best to go for at least three drafts, the initial draft, the revised draft and the final copy; then increase the number of drafts as needed depending on the length and nature of the piece. Writing is about revision and editing as much if not more so, than the idea or ideas communicated to an audience. No matter how important, entertaining or helpful the ideas communicated, a piece must be well done to be well received.
Next week:Revision
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