Except…
If you’re a writer, or seek to be one, here’s some advice: Don’t show your first draft to anyone.
I did… and paid a hefty price — forty years' worth.
I was a first-year student at Northeastern University.
The student newspaper, the NU News, was looking for student reporters.
I volunteered.
My first assignment was to interview a man who ran an economic research facility on the university campus.
I was nervous, but here was my chance to get started with the college newspaper.
My name had already appeared on their list of student reporters.
Now I had to turn in something worthy of publishing.
I got an appointment to see the man.
Had my questions ready.
I showed up on time and was shown into his office.
He was a good man, willing to share his passion for what he and his research organization were involved with, and what they hoped to accomplish.
I took notes, thanked him, and went back to the college library to write my article.
Agonizing over my first draft, I hoped that it made sense, and would eventually be good enough (after some serious editing) for inclusion in the college newspaper.
At that time, I commuted to college every day by car.
One of my passengers, whom I picked up every morning, was a woman with impeccable grades in high school, and was considered smart.
I asked her if she would take a look at what I had written.
We were in the college cafeteria when I handed her my hand-written first draft.
She looked at it but said nothing.
Then she silently shook her head.
I got the message… It stunk.
How could I even consider this as a potential piece of reporting good enough for the NU News.
I gave up.
Never tried to write again for the college newspaper.
Eventually, my name disappeared from the roster of reporters.
Forty years later, I was going through a stack of old papers I had packed away and forgotten.
Suddenly, I saw the original hand-written first draft.
It was faded, but still legible.
I read it and was startled to discover that it wasn’t so bad.
In fact, for a first draft, it was pretty good!
“Holy shit,” I said out loud.
I had let that woman shake my confidence in my writing.
It wasn’t her fault. It was mine, for not trusting myself as a new writer, and not realizing that a first draft is seldom ready for prime time.
It needed editing and rewriting.
But damn! It had been a good first draft.
Right or wrong, the took from this was to never show a first draft to anyone.
Fortunately, I learned that this rule can be broken if you find a special someone willing and able to give constructive criticism, not deadly silence.
I did find such a person.
Later, we got married!
