Bad Writing is the Secret to Great Writing
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| Photo by Kateryna Hliznitsova from Unsplash |
The Myth of Perfect First Draft
I had always believed every first draft must be perfect. It mustn't have any errors and for every reason, must be like a great writer's work.
I've seen great literature. I've read books that felt effortless, lines that sparkled, and characters that captured my heart. So when I sit down with my notepad or laptop to write my stories, I expect the same brilliance to pour from my fingertips.
But what I didn’t see were the countless rough drafts, the awkward words and sentences, and the messy scenes that the author rewrote a dozen times. Every beautiful book hides behind-the-scenes chaos such as deleted chapters, broken structures, garbage sentences, and awkward ideas that eventually become brilliant.
What I mean is that every polished sentence once started as a mess.
Bad Writing is the Path
Probably, you spend too much energy trying not to write badly. You pause for a long time and think deeply to write the best sentences or to choose the right words.
Then, you rewrite your sentences before you've even finished the thought, or worse, you don't write at all.
At this point, writer's block comes in, and you would lose the inspiration to write.
Not because you have no ideas, but because you won't let yourself write imperfect words. Because you want to automatically become like the great writers.
Embrace bad writing. Not a bad advice as you might think.
Bad writing is the raw material you need to uncover the good stuff.
Think of it like preparing to make a meal. All you need to do is gather the ingredients and spices. In the first stage of cooking, it would taste weird, but you're getting ready to create something delicious.
Give Yourself Permission
Here's something that helped me: I tell myself, "Girl, this is going to be bad and that's okay."
- Write the cliché.
- Use too many adverbs.
- Let your characters behave irrationally.
Watch your creativity flow by just writing. The goal of a first draft isn’t to be good; it’s to exist.
Grow Through the Rough Drafts
Some of your best writing will come from your worst. A bad dialogue might spark a brilliant twist. The “bad” parts are not mistakes; they're stepping stones.
So next time you sit down to write, dare yourself to be terrible.
Write the worst chapter ever.
Write the most awkward love scene known to humanity.
Write like no one is watching, because they aren’t.
Then tomorrow, show up and do it again. Somewhere inside that chaos is your voice, raw, unfiltered, and more powerful than you think.
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