Kyle Gebhart

80% is better than nothing

Posted in writing by kylegebhart on March 27th, 2008

My problem with blogging: inevitably what I post is a first draft.

I hate first drafts. Almost no writer can write well in a first draft. By nature, blogging is instantaneous. Most blogs are about ‘venting’ whatever thought comes to mind.

A brief story: I used to regularly write letters to friends. From my senior year of high school, through much of college, I corresponded with 4-6 of my friends through letter writing. Often, I would write 2-3 drafts of these letters. I would try to improve the clarity of my thought, my style, and communicate exactly.

This zeal for clarity of thought has caused me to rarely blog - often I don’t want to re-write or revise my blog posts.

I’ve decided today to turn the tide. 80% is better than nothing. On the plus side, any writing at all will cause clarity to grow. It will also be nice to at least attempt first drafts that are as clear a possible. I firmly believe that all writers can improve greatly with revision and attention to detail in their craft - but I can pay attention in my first drafts too - making them easier to revise and improve; and I can apply some of the tools I’ve already learned.

Look for more consistent writing here in the next weeks and months.

One Response to '80% is better than nothing'

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  1. cstyles said, on April 12th, 2008 at 9:05 pm

    (excited clapping) Well done!

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