After you've completed an initial outline of your essay, it's time to write! Head to Produce to have a distraction free environment to write your first draft.

You should think of the essay writing process as twofold. The first major step of the writing process is to produce a first draft.

The second major step is editing. Production (the first major step) and editing (the second) are different functions, and should be treated that way. This is because each interferes with the other. The purpose of production is to produce. The function of editing is to reduce and arrange. If you try to do both at the same time then the editing stymies the production. It’s not faster to combine them, nor is it better, and it is bound to be frustrating.

The first draft can be relatively quick and dirty. Don’t worry too much about the niceties of sentence structure and grammar at this point. Use your notes extensively to rough out your essay. If you get stuck anywhere, just move on to the next outline section. You can always go back.

It is essential to be comfortable with the idea of a “bad draft,” as it allows you to get your first few sentences down on the page (or screen) so you can start to visualize your ideas.

We recommend you write at least 25% more content than is required for your first draft. This is so that you have some extra writing to throw away. You want to have something to throw away after the first draft so that you only have to keep what is good.

Use the word count tool in the bottom right hand corner to keep track of how much you’ve written and how much more you have to write.

Use the word count tool in the bottom right hand corner to keep track of how much you’ve written and how much more you have to write.

Once you have your first draft, it’s time to edit. Head to Rewrite!

Read our full writing guide for more information on how to write your first draft.

Watch our full tutorial video here.