Minutes a day n e w y o r k

W h a t   I s   D r a f t i n g ?
To draft means to create a preliminary version or rough form of a text. Preliminary and rough are the key words.
Like brainstorming, drafting is most effective when you allow yourself to write imperfectly. Unless you’re writ-
ing a timed essay exam, such as for the SAT or ACT, your essay will take final shape after revising. (And even the
graders of those timed essays exams make it clear that they’re looking for a “polished rough draft,” not a perfect
piece of writing.) The point of drafting is to get your ideas on paper within the framework you created in the plan-
ning stages, but without the pressure of trying to get it exactly right.
L E S S O N
Thesis
Statements 
and the 
Drafting Process