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Rough Drafting: Overview

Getting the first draft written can be a struggle. Let's explore practical guidance and tailored strategies to enhance your rough drafting game.

Overview of rough drafting

The first draft of an essay or other written assessment is often referred to as the rough draft. We call it rough for a reason: it's normal for the earliest version of an essay to be disjointed, underdeveloped, or otherwise messy.

We argue that the messiness isn't just normal: it's a good thing. When you embrace the rough drafting stage as a time to explore content, test out structural options, inventory your ideas, and play with the writing, it can lead to insights you might not discover otherwise.


Guide contents

The tabs of this guide will support you in completing rough drafts of assignments and understanding how you work best as a writer. The sections are organised as follows:

  • Get Words Down - Orient yourself to the 'vibe' or philosophy of what a rough draft really is.
  • Your Own Voice - Take advantage of your natural voice and freewriting to start producing content.
  • Delegate to Future You - Learn vital strategies to maintain your momentum now and simplify your editing later.
  • Know Your Goal Style - Discover what makes a writing goal effective and how to follow through.
  • Scene and Final Tips - Figure out a writing environment that suits your individual style and review our final tips.

Comic strip that shows writing beasts tormenting a writer looking at a blank page. The beasts in order are writer's block bear, writing anxiety ant, procrastination penguin, and perfectionism porcupine. Penultimate square says with the right strategies, you can tame your writing beasts. Final square shows writer finally smiling as they look at colourful butterflies labelled freewriting, placeholders, and mini-goals.