A scary word for most. The daunting image of a blank page, but essential for any project. It's usually trash with run on sentences, typos, and confusing phrases. All of that is okay though. A first draft's purpose is to lay out the full story for you. I wouldn't compare it to a rough draft or an outline because those tend to be simplistic in nature. A rough draft may be a fraction of the story with more summery than actual prose. An outline only plots the structure. There are no dramatic scenes needing to be dialed back or ramped up. Both can be helpful, but they fall flat compared to the importance of a first draft which has flaws, probably many flaws. A first draft is your story completed though, with all the plot you want, and the character arcs basically fleshed out.
The first draft’s whole purpose is to be written. If you find gold in it even better, but that’s the easy boring part. Polishing the less pretty pieces until they shine like diamonds is where I find the most joy. To explain further, the first draft gives you a baseline to work from. You can adjust knowing what's written instead of an arbitrary idea of where the story is going. You know character decisions and how the antagonist will act. The transitions are there for you to play with and off of. There is less guess work. It’s a crucial part of any story. Until your story on paper, it’s just an idea you can toy with and change. It’s almost like drawing in pen opposed to pencil. You've created the confines you can work in making it a more concrete thought. This may make more sense for a panster than plotter but even if the story is fully plotted the words have t been written and the story is still an idea instead of a tangible document you can read.
Thats not to say there isn't work to be done. A first draft may have all the story elements and ideas you want but they aren't finished. The polish is missing. Once finished the first draft so you know where those are and can target them. Plot holes are visible once its finished, 2d characters become more obvious, and the skimmed over sections you rushed to finish can be gone through properly. There can be notes to yourself in it. Unfinished thoughts, simple statements lacking description. Plot holes. You may even change entire chapters from the first draft to the finished product. Again, all of this is okay. Perfection comes from work.
Remember, step one is finish the story. It’s a crucial and overlooked part. The ideas in your head may be finished but until it’s on paper the story is incomplete. The relief of finishing the story and seeing it there in its entirety is such a boost to confidence. You can finally say I did it. An analogy I like to use is a puzzle where all the pieces are lined up but not clicked in to place. The image is there, and you can begin working the pieces into place. You don't need to be perfect. That is for the editing process.
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