Welcome to the second lesson of your Capstone Project. In the previous lesson, you did the essential architectural work of selecting a topic and building a detailed outline. You now have a blueprint for your article, complete with a lede, nut graf, body, and kicker.
Today, we move from planning to building. This lesson is focused on one of the most challenging and rewarding steps in the writing process: creating a complete first draft. Your goal is to take your outline and flesh it out into a full-fledged article, applying the many craft techniques you've practiced throughout this course.
Let's get started.
1. The Mindset: Embracing the "Monstrous First Draft"
Before you type a single word, it's crucial to adopt the right mindset. The goal of a first draft is not perfection; it's completion. Professional writers often talk about producing a "shitty first draft" or a "vomit draft." The idea is to get the story's skeleton and muscle onto the page without getting bogged down by your internal editor.
The article below offers some excellent advice on this front.
How journalists find stories and write articles | by Blažej Kupec
This piece by Blažej Kupec offers a pragmatic look at the writing process. It provides an important reminder that even professionals don't aim for perfection on the first try.
Read the introduction to the section titled "V. Putting words down." Focus on the author's key advice: "let go of the need for perfection." Pay attention to the quotes from Stephen King and others about the necessity of separating the writing process from the editing process.
As you begin writing today, give yourself permission to be imperfect. Your task is to get the ideas down, to follow the map you created, and to generate the raw material we will shape and polish in the next lesson.
2. A Quick Craft Refresher
While the goal is to write freely, you also want to start building good habits into your prose from the beginning. This will make the revision process much more efficient.
The following video is a concise refresher on three powerful techniques for making your prose more dynamic and engaging. These are principles we've touched on before, but seeing them in action is a great warm-up for writing your draft.
Editor Fixes Common Prose Mistakes (Part 1)
In "Editor Fixes Common Prose Mistakes," the host from The Plottery breaks down three common writing habits and how to fix them.
Watch these three key sections. As you watch, think about how you can apply these ideas to the article you're about to write. Fixing filter words: This section explains how to eliminate phrases like "he saw" or "she realized" to bring the reader closer to the action. Varying sentence length: Here, the editor demonstrates how mixing short, punchy sentences with longer, more descriptive ones controls rhythm and pacing. Varying sentence content: This final part shows how to layer your writing with a mix of action, sensory details, character thoughts, and backstory to add depth.
Keep these three ideas in mind as you write:
- Be direct.
- Vary your rhythm.
- Layer your descriptions.
3. Your Task: Write the First Draft
It's time to write. Open a blank document, have your outline from the last lesson handy, and set aside about 30-40 minutes of focused time.
Your target is a draft of roughly 800-1000 words. Don't worry about hitting the word count exactly; just write until the story feels complete. A classic journalist's trick: if you get stuck on a specific word or fact, type [TK] (for "to come") and keep moving. You can fill in the blank later.
Let's go through it section by section, based on your outline.
1. The Lede
- Goal: Hook the reader immediately.
- Action: Write the opening scene, anecdote, or statement you planned in your outline. Focus on using the concrete, sensory language we've discussed. Show, don't just tell. Is it a description of a person? A moment from a concert? A provocative question? Bring it to life.
2. The Nut Graf
- Goal: Tell the reader what this story is about and why it matters.
- Action: You've already written this as the core of your outline. Now, place it in the article, usually right after the lede. Make sure it connects smoothly. This paragraph is your promise to the reader; the rest of the article is you delivering on that promise.
3. The Body
- Goal: Deliver the evidence, quotes, and narrative that support your nut graf.
- Action: Go through your outline point by point. Write a few paragraphs for each one. This is where the bulk of your storytelling will happen. As you write, consciously try to:
- Use Strong Verbs and Nouns: Instead of "The singer walked onto the stage," try "The singer strode onto the stage" or "sauntered" or "stormed."
- Trust Your Reader: You don't need to explain every single detail. Present strong quotes and descriptions, and let the reader connect the dots.
- Integrate Quotes Smoothly: Weave your sourced material into your own narration. Let the quotes provide voice and authority while your prose provides context and flow.
- Vary Sentence Structure and Length: Use the rhythms you saw in the video to keep the prose from feeling monotonous.
4. The Kicker
- Goal: Provide a resonant, memorable ending.
- Action: Write your concluding paragraph. The best kickers often circle back to the anecdote or image from the lede, creating a satisfying sense of closure. It shouldn't just summarize; it should leave the reader with a final, powerful thought or image.
Conclusion
Congratulations on completing your first draft! This is the single most significant step in the writing process. You have translated an idea and an outline into tangible prose—the "clay" you can now mold into a finished piece.
Key Takeaways:
- A first draft's main purpose is to get the story from your head onto the page.
- Silencing your inner editor during the drafting phase is crucial for maintaining momentum and flow.
- By consciously applying craft techniques—like varying sentence structure and using strong verbs—during drafting, you create higher-quality raw material for the revision stage.
You now have a complete article in your hands. It may feel rough, and that's exactly how it should be. In our next lesson, we will begin the art of revision. We'll start with a "substantive" editing pass, where you'll step back and look at the big picture: Is the structure sound? Is the argument clear? Does the story flow logically from beginning to end?