Writing good first drafts with Obsidian

I learned from the VeryGoodCopy newsletter that Barack Obama writes his first drafts longhand. He does this deliberately, allowing himself more time to think and avoiding the temptation of overly polished formatting features in software. In that newsletter, Eddie Shleyner shared:

“I only write longhand,” [Obama] explains, “computer word processors give the first draft too much polish, and more opportunity to make half-baked ideas tidy enough to appear passable.”

I agree. It’s often tempting to use an editing software's features to make a draft look better. And I think the “good look” can trick us into thinking that the content is good enough.

Focus mode

My tool of choice for writing is Obsidian. While I can’t “write slow” in the way Obama does—typing is much faster than writing longhand—I impose constraints to ensure I stay on track.

First of all, I remove all distractions. I use the Hider plugin to hide all tabs, status bars, and panes. Everything but the page I’m working on, basically. This helps me focus solely on the act of writing. I’m also using the Typewriter mode plugin when writing drafts. I configured it to dim all paragraphs except the one that currently has focus.

Ultimately, anything that enhances focus on writing—and minimizes attention on other tasks—can be a game-changer.

Writing in one go

To recreate a similar experience to writing on paper, I also try to follow a critical rule: no rewriting during the drafting stage.

For example, if I need to revisit something to add context, I’ll note it in parentheses instead of stopping to research. Treating the draft like an advanced outline helps me stay focused. I accept that some sections will need to move around or even be removed entirely later.

As Julian Shapiro shares in one his writing guides, writing is like opening a creativity faucet. The metaphor is that you need to start writing to get the muddy water out. Only after that will the clear water emerge—the stuff you’re really looking for.

This resonates deeply with me. My first draft is about clearing out my thoughts—the muddy water. Once the initial ideas are laid down—whether on paper or screen—it becomes much easier to reason through them. At that point, I can see connections, identify gaps, and remove what’s unnecessary.

The key is to treat the first draft as raw material: something to refine later rather than perfect now.