After finishing an outline, the next step in Academic Writing is to draw the first draft.

What is an initial draft?

An initial draft is when the writer moves from the outline stage to a complete version of the paper for the first time, which is a version of writing in paragraph form. Rough draft will be rather rough and far from exquisite. This first draft will lead to a second draft, third, fourth, and so on as the writer keeps refining the writing skills and conduct more research. It should be emphasized that the very first draft is only suitable for writing where the writer has some time to complete it, such as longer, researched essays, rather than a short essay during a testing time where they will only be a single draft.

First draft techniques

• One should try to follow the outline as closely as possible, as the first draft will be written from the outline. Writing, however, is a creative process, which is continuous, changing, as one may encounter new ideas that are not in the outline or brainstorm list, they can be added if they are relevant

• The draft is consists of several stages(introduction, main body, and conclusion), which can be started at any given stage, some recommend coping with the main body before the introduction and conclusion part. This makes sense since it can be troublesome to introduce something you have not yet finished, though it is possible to begin at the beginning as the outline is detailed enough.

• The first draft should be focused on the ideas and content, rather than grammar, syntax correctness, punctuation, or spelling. One may end up abandoning the entire sections before the final draft, and slowing down to check grammar and spelling, which is a waste of time. It is beneficial for the first draft to use double-spacing and wide margins on both sides of the paper so that you can add more details and information when you redraft the work.

Review

1. Try to follow your outline as closely as possible;
2. Add new ideas if they are relevant;
3. Keep your thesis in mind while writing;
4. Begin where you think is best (e.g. main body before introduction);
5. Focus on ideas and content;
6. Do not worry about grammar, punctuation, or spelling;
7. Use double-spacing and wide margins for easier redrafting.