Would you rather finish a messy draft fast or a careful draft slowly?

Question

Chris · Accepted Answer

Do the messy draft to get the basics down, then come back and edit for finer details

Archit Thakur · Answer

I don't know maybe I am not a draft kind of person anymore either I do it

Codi Ruttenbur · Answer

My common sense says to get a messy draft out fast and then perfect it on the second, but my perfectionism often means I end up doing a careful draft anyway.

Jacobin · Answer

Depends on what it's for. Random assignment? Fast and messy. Final paper? Slow and careful.

Benja · Answer

The messy first, then you see how to improve what you did, but first you must have something.

bit · Answer

Chaos!

Štefan · Answer

Take it slow.

Alvin · Answer

Carefully draft it. The devil is in the details. It’s your job to cast him out of those details.

Tatiana · Answer

If it's careful, it's not a draft, it's a first version.  
A draft has the basic form, the basic actions, and probably THAT dialogue that you're not going to remove no matter what.

Eva · Answer

Better to do a messy draft first. At least you get it out of your head. You can clean it up during revision.

Loic · Answer

Quickly. A draft or a first version mainly serves to put ideas on paper and to organize my thoughts. The care, the wording, all that I save for a second rewriting phase; otherwise, it's impossible for me to do both at the same time without wanting to tear my hair out.

Emily · Answer

Careful draft slowly I like to take my time writing and whatever I don't like i scratch then and there

Jo · Answer

Yes

Marten · Answer

I would mostly like to actually finish a draft. I am currently focussing on getting it on paper and then refining or adding.

Laura · Answer

The more care the project receives from the beginning, the more polished the final result appears.  
I'm not one to do half-hearted work or without enthusiasm; when I do something, I give it my all, I would even say in an obsessive and unhealthy way. 🤷🏽‍♀️

Gabriela · Answer

Slowly, this way you can come up with something better and more detailed (but it doesn't work for all cases).

Veresimus Anas · Answer

None

Kevin · Answer

The draft is a draft; it's made for that. It's in the rewriting that one must be slow and careful, for me.

Gabriel · Answer

Slowly refined

Nick · Answer

My draft is coming along slowly, but it's also riddled with footnotes on changes, fixes and side thoughts. 😅

Troy · Answer

I'm terrible at outlining so a messy draft fast is my go-to. Draft 1 becomes my outline and I spend 20 more drafts making it shareable lol

James · Answer

My writing is music, so I draft out my song ideas, then bring them to the band and we polish it up in the practice space.

Yash · Answer

Just complete what you've started

Bryant · Answer

Definitely fast. The important thing is to get the main idea out on paper or a screen so you don't forget it. It's just a draft, change it later. Just write.

Jeremiah · Answer

A draft is a draft is a draft. Usually I build it up from the blueprint draft, and gradually add more layers and refinement until I'm eventually satisfied down to the smaller details

Jordan · Answer

I feel like I've been drafting too slow. I think for now on I'll just jot down all the main characters and plot points and then work out all the details from there

Rosemarie · Answer

Something that helped me A LOT was accepting that, no matter what, my first drafts were gonna be messy. Because it’s a first draft. The goal is to get all that’s in your head down on the page so you can mold it into what ever you want later. No one writes a masterpiece on their first try. Or their second. Or even their third. Writing takes time, and that’s ok 🩵

Marta · Answer

It depends on what it is for.

Lucky · Answer

For me, it depends on what im drafting, and why.

Sometimes, my first draft is expressive, and  kicks out all my emotions, so I can write another, free of those influences and bias.

If it's a proof of concept, I like to thorough, because it can be difficult to convey the ideas I hold.

Bryan · Answer

Both! Sometimes you just need to get the idea out of your head and just need to write. Other times you can take you time to work on what your writing and think about it. Nothing is bad just different.

Antonio · Answer

Always a carefully finished eraser.

Pablo · Answer

Always careful. Anything messy will later require more work and it's not worth it. Everything more complex than a brainstorming session should be structured.

Rick · Answer

I’d rather get a draft done, even if it’s messy. Being too careful can be the enemy of getting that draft done!

Jake · Answer

Slow and steady. It makes for far less work in subsequent revisions.

K · Answer

Depends on the deadline, what it is, and who it's for.
If the "thing" is just for me, I'll do a messy draft then spend age rewriting.

Merctin · Answer

A ruff draft is supposed to be ruff so that when you go back you can spend more time on the details.

Jay · Answer

Messy draft, as fast as my hands can type. I like to write out small snippets of an idea as detailed as I want, just to see how it reads. I find that fussing around with grammar and coherence makes you forget or lose track of spontaneous ideas.

Jan · Answer

Both. I have ideas for upcoming projects in spontaneous drafts, and right now I'm trying to finish 2 books with drafts that I want to dedicate my soul to. I'm not looking for them to sell, I just want them to be liked and touch the soul.

Will · Answer

Fast and messy screams mistakes to me. I like to get things right

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