5 Steps to Completing Your First Draft

Posted: August 13, 2013

[caption id="attachment_11493" align="alignright"]© Andrej Kaprinay - Fotolia.com[/caption]It's probably fair to say that every writer has struggled with writing a first draft of at least one project. Often, just taking some time for preparation can omit those struggles. These 5 steps can help you streamline that preparation process and get that draft done.

Follow these stages of preparation and production to assemble a first draft of written (or spoken) content.

1. Identify Your Purpose
What is the reason for writing the content? Are you objectively presenting information? If so, is it for educational purposes, or for entertainment — or both? Are you writing to help someone make a decision, or encouraging someone to take action?

Identifying your goal for the content will help you shape the piece.

2. Identify Your Readership
Who are your intended readers (and your unintended ones)? What is their level of literacy, and what is their degree of prior knowledge of the topic?

Imagining who your readers are will help you decide what voice and tone to adopt, how formal or informal your language will be — though that factor also depends on your approach (see below) — and how much detail or background information you provide.

3. Identify Your Approach
Should your content be authoritative, or is it the work of someone informally communicating with peers? Are you offering friendly advice, or is your tone cautionary? Are you selling something, or are you skeptical? Should the content be serious, or is some levity appropriate?

Determining your strategy, in combination with identifying your readership, will help you decide how the piece will feel to the reader.

Read the entire article 5 Steps to Completing Your First Draft at DailyWritingTips.