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At Writing, Clear and Simple, Roy Jacobsen reminds us that the first draft is, well, just a first draft. Roy?s point is to do something Bryan Garner advocates: When writing the first draft, put your judge (your editor or critic) in the closet; just get the damned thing down on paper. That?s good advice. For legal writers, I would add this: Remember that, according to Papa Hemingway, your first draft is probably shit. So don?t get too defensive when it comes to editing. Nobody?not even a Hemingway?usually gets it right on the first draft. And chances are you?re no Hemingway.

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