The First Draft of Everything is Shit

As someone who loves to write across all types of platforms, I intimately understand the importance of a first post. The first blog. The initial article on a website or the first video on an upcoming YouTube channel. Think of it as the first impression at a date. You have about three to fifteen seconds flat to not make a fool of yourself and convince the other person to stay and listen to the remaining twenty-nine and a half minutes of your ramblings.

And if that’s not a high-end skill, then I don’t know what is.

But, more often than not, I find myself lost for words. Just to remind you, I’m a writer and poet. A huge chunk of my existence at this point has been spent between pen and paper, scribbling down sweet nothings and lost fables for the masses to sink their teeth into.

So, it’s a tad ironic that sometimes thinking of something to write seems borderline impossible. And, when you do find the courage to write something, it’s shit either way.

My point is, the first post will always matter. It’s important and no one cares how you do it but you better do it right. It’s kind of like a DJ at a wedding—it has a lot of power but nobody gives a fuck about its backstory.

It’s been a long minute since I’ve been on this writing journey and, I have to say, it’s one of the most tasking things ever. Now, I know what you may be thinking. Writing doesn’t sound like a lot of work. You just pop open a laptop screen or have a phone in hand and scribble something down.

In a sense, you’re 100% correct. On the other hand, it’s not so simple. Or, is it? (Cue Vsauce music).

For me, writing has always been more or less natural. I never had to force it or go through years of dedicated training to be good at it. I just conjure up a story in my subconscious and, using the powers of the English Language, try to convey that feeling or emotion or idea through words on a piece of paper.

Take my new book for example. “Inside the Void” took me about four months to write. Now, it’s not exactly a really long book at it maxes out at about 40,000 words and I really just wanted to write something that was vaguely in novel territory and publish it but it still counts. And, writing it wasn’t particularly hard. Just took time, determination, and lots and lots of coffee.

So, why do I love writing? It’s quite elementary, my dear Watson. It’s an escape. For people who are unfamiliar with the terminology, an escape provides a safe space to untether yourself from the constantly working cogs of the world and retreat into a bubble where you can be wholly you. Where you can let your creative juices flow without ceasing.

I love to write because people love to read what I write. If I pen down something crazy and insane, people tell me in different ways. Sometimes, it’s by asking for a copy of my book or poem to share to a loved on. Sometimes, it’s a straightforward message telling me how what I wrote made them feel.

It’s a truly blissful experience.

I’ll come back to this post a few weeks or months from now to reflect on how my journey here would have gone by then and how I would have changed as a writer. The way I write today isn’t the same way I wrote in 2017. And, even tomorrow, it still won’t be the same.

The first draft of everything may be shit. But the attempt to write is like a pearl hidden in the midst of mere stones.