Writing: Planning, Drafting, Revising & Editing (Introduction) (B1) - Lesson 2: Writing a First Draft
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Hello B1 Writers! 👋
You've learned how to brainstorm ideas. Now, what's next? It's time to write your first draft! This is an exciting step where your ideas start to take shape as sentences and paragraphs.
In this lesson, you will:
- Understand the purpose of a first draft.
- Learn key tips for writing an effective first draft.
- Practice writing a first draft based on a set of brainstormed ideas.
What is a First Draft?
A first draft is your first attempt at writing out your ideas in full sentences and paragraphs. It's like sketching a picture before you add all the final colors and details.
The Main Goal of a First Draft:
The primary purpose is to get your ideas down on paper (or screen!) based on your brainstorming and planning. You focus on:
- Developing your main points.
- Organizing your ideas into a basic structure (e.g., paragraphs with topic sentences).
- Expressing your thoughts in complete sentences.
Important: Your first draft does not need to be perfect! It's normal for it to have some errors in grammar, spelling, or word choice. There will be time to fix these later during the revising and editing stages.
Tips for Writing a Good First Draft
- Use Your Plan: Refer to your brainstormed list, mind map, or outline. This will guide what you write.
- Focus on Content and Ideas First: Get your main message and supporting details written down. Don't worry too much about making every sentence perfect yet.
- Write in Sentences and Paragraphs: Try to group related ideas into paragraphs, each with a main point (topic sentence).
- Keep Writing: Try to write continuously without stopping too often to correct small mistakes. You can fix them later. If you get stuck on a word, use a simpler word for now or leave a blank and come back to it.
- Don't Aim for Perfection: Remind yourself that this is just the first version. The goal is to get your ideas out.
- Think About Your Audience and Purpose (Briefly): Who are you writing for? What do you want to achieve with your writing? This can help shape your content, but don't let it slow you down too much at this stage.
- Leave Space for Changes: If writing by hand, leave spaces between lines or in the margins for later revisions. If typing, it's easy to add and change things later!
Example: From Brainstorm to First Draft
Topic: My Favorite City - "Lotus City" (Imaginary)
- Beautiful parks
- Friendly people
- Delicious food - special noodles
- Old temples
- River flows through it
- Good for walking
Sample First Draft Paragraph:
My favorit city is Lotus City. its a really beutiful place. There are many nice parks where you can walk or relax. The people in Lotus City are very friendly and always smiling. I also like the food there especially the special noodles.
Analysis of the Draft:
- It includes ideas from the brainstorm (beautiful, parks, friendly people, food).
- It's written in sentences and forms a basic paragraph.
- It has a clear main idea (Lotus City is my favorite).
- It's not perfect: There are spelling mistakes ("favorit", "beutiful"), a grammar error ("its" should be "It's"), and maybe it could be organized even better or have more details. That's okay for a first draft! These things can be fixed in the next stages (revising and editing).
Practice Writing a First Draft!
Activity 1: What's the Main Goal of a First Draft?
Activity 2: From Plan to First Draft
Here are some brainstormed ideas for the topic: "A Memorable School Trip".
- Went to a museum
- Learned about history
- Saw old things
- Ate lunch together with friends
- Bus ride was fun
- Felt happy and tired at the end
Now, write a short first draft (about 2-3 simple paragraphs, 4-6 sentences total) based on these ideas. Try to organize them a bit. Don't worry about perfection, just get your ideas into sentences.
✨ Quick Review: The Writing Process So Far ✨
- Brainstorming: Getting all your ideas out.
- Planning/Outlining (Simple): Deciding the main points and their order. (Your brainstorm can be your simple plan for now!)
- Writing a First Draft (This lesson!): Turning your plan and ideas into sentences and paragraphs. Focus on content and flow.
- Next Steps (Future Lessons): Revising (improving ideas and organization) and Editing (checking grammar, spelling, punctuation).
Great Drafting! 👍
You've learned about the important step of writing a first draft. Remember, it's about getting your ideas down, not about being perfect. The next steps will help you polish your work!