Snow day!
Writers tend to begin their projects in the arctic. The writer seeks the blossoming flowers and abundant wildlife of a warmer climate; however, writer and dream are separated by stretches of snow. That is, before a writer’s ideas can bloom on paper or a screen, the writer must first traverse the fearsome blank page. (*insert chilling music*) That arctic page once made me freeze. How would a crisp Google Docs page become a ten-page essay? How would miles of arctic snow become a bustling garden?
Even when I did begin to populate my Google Doc, I spent minutes perfecting a single sentence. I could not move on until I felt confident in my composition. This was unsustainable. In 10th grade, my wonderful English teacher introduced me to the “zero draft.” The Zero Draft may look something like Peter Elbow’s freewriting activities. While Elbow proposes freewriting as a tool for writing improvement, however, zero drafts are more specific to an assignment or project at hand. Before creating our garden of ideas, we writers must play in the arctic snow.
What is a zero draft?
Writers often begin assignments with little more than an assignment sheet, their brain, and, of course, a blank document. The zero draft asks us to use those resources. With our task in mind, zero-drafters write out every thought as they appear, as quickly as we can. For me, zero drafts are “blurts.” We do not need a thesis statement, specific pieces of evidence, or sources chosen. The zero draft requires us to do one thing: write. We are recording a stream of consciousness. Do not self-censure or critique your words as they appear on the page. Pay little regard to grammar, clarity, or relevance. You may want to set a timer for, say, 15 minutes to give yourself a manageable stopping point. You are, of course, welcome to continue with your zero draft once your timer has ended.
My high school English teacher offered the following advice: if you can pull even one sentence from your zero draft to incorporate into your future drafts, your zero draft was worthwhile. Even if nothing from a zero draft appears in a final product, zero drafting provides a playground for writers to overcome our fear of the blank page and watch our ideas sprout. Now that we have left behind the arctic, we can turn our attention to new life.
What does a zero draft look like?
Zero drafts don’t have to follow any particular form. I believe any unregulated brainstorming session can count. You might produce a paragraph (as I tend to do), a bullet-point list, a mind map, or even a drawing to represent your initial ideas. Below is an excerpt of my “zero draft” for this blog post:
I have an essay to write and nothing written. The blank page is cruel and daunting. I am going to do the thing where I write out my thoughts as they come to me without editing a lot to make sure I have some words on my paper. They do not have to be polished or fancy or “good.” I just need to write write write so I have something to start with. Remember what Ms. Bryant said? Even if I get one sentence of quality content out of this zero draft, it will have been worth it. I admit, I feel a little pressured to write “well” right now because in my head I know this is going to go on a published platform. But I have to remember that that is okay! This is not meant to be my polished writing. This isn’t even my “shitty first draft.” This is my random brain thoughts that will help me write my paper later because at least now I’m no longer staring at a blank page!
The paragraph above is not meant to be glamorous. Instead, I hoped to situate myself in the context of my assignment (to write a blog post about zero drafts) and my ideas. I referred back to my zero draft often throughout my drafting process. Though my ideas were not particularly eloquent, connected, or professional (for my intended audience), I regularly pulled topics, pieces of advice, and memories that lay sprinkled in the chaos.
Why should I write a zero draft?
The first draft may overwhelm some writers because it does not feel “rough.” First-drafters may feel pressured to include some degree of structure, direction, focus, and flow. Most often, however, first-drafters are still figuring things out! Outlining may be a stellar solution for some. Others, however, may be daunted by an outline’s demands. You may not yet know your thesis, topic sentences, evidence, or analyses. You may not yet know where you intend to focus your piece. I am reminded of a James Thurber quote shared by my eighth-grade English teacher: “Don’t get it right, just get it written.” Zero drafts relieve us, the writers, of all obligations. There is no pressure. So, in advance of your next snow day: are you ready to play in the snow?
