--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Generally I finish a first draft in 2-6…" description: "\"Generally I finish a first draft in 2-6 months, then I set it aside for a while so that when I come back to it I can read it with fresh eyes and figure..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e7/margaret-haddix-27300_draft_generally-i-finish-a-first-draft-in-2-6_2218707.png" --- # Generally I finish a first draft in 2-6 months, then I set… ![“Generally I finish a first draft in 2-6 months, then I set it aside for a while so that when I come back to it I can read it with fresh eyes and figure out how to improve it.” quote by Margaret Haddix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e7/margaret-haddix-27300_draft_generally-i-finish-a-first-draft-in-2-6_2218707.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e7/margaret-haddix-27300_draft_generally-i-finish-a-first-draft-in-2-6_2218707.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e7/margaret-haddix-27300_draft_generally-i-finish-a-first-draft-in-2-6_2218707.png) > “Generally I finish a first draft in 2-6 months, then I set it aside for a while so that when I come back to it I can read it with fresh eyes and figure out how to improve it.” [Margaret Haddix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-haddix/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She drafts quickly, then pauses to gain perspective before revising for improvement. **In simple terms:** Write fast, step back, then edit with fresh eyes. Key Takeaway Take breaks to see work clearly. Themes writing revision creativity Mood reflective productive Type advice process When to use this quote - novel writing - screenplay polishing - academic papers - personal journals - blog posts Key Concepts drafting feedback self‑editing Questions to Reflect On - How does distance change your perception of your work? - What length of pause works best for you? A Different Perspective Breaks may disrupt momentum or cause loss of ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Figure skating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/figure-skating/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [There are some writers who are done when they finish a draft because they've thought it through beforehand. Whereas I'll finish a first draft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-julavits/there-are-some-writers-who-are-done-when-they-finish-a-draft-because/) [Heidi Julavits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-julavits/) > [Really, what you should tell a novelist is, 'Keep going until you finish the draft. Don't show it to anyone.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sean-greer/really-what-you-should-tell-a-novelist-is-keep-going-until-you-finish/) [Andrew Sean Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sean-greer/) > [When I finish a first draft, I often look back at first chapters I wrote and laugh at them. They're like pictures of yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/when-i-finish-a-first-draft-i-often-look-back-at-first-chapters-i/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [Usually when I finish the draft of a book, I'm sure I'll never write another one. I'm just that tired and sick of myself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/usually-when-i-finish-the-draft-of-a-book-i-m-sure-i-ll-never-write/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [When I finish a first draft, it's always just as much of a mess as it's always been. 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I can decide how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/there-is-so-much-about-my-fate-that-i-cannot-control-but-other-things/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [I feel free and strong. If I were not a reader of books I could not feel this way. Whatever may happen to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-tevis/i-feel-free-and-strong-if-i-were-not-a-reader-of-books-i-could-not/) [Walter Tevis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-tevis/) > [With God's help, I've not had a drink in nine and a half years. That's my whole story right there. 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When they will, I will make it into a film probably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antara-mali/i-read-and-write-but-my-ideas-don-t-go-beyond-the-first-draft-when/) [Antara Mali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antara-mali/) > [I am a product of the draft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-inhofe/i-am-a-product-of-the-draft/) [James Inhofe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-inhofe/) > [I still wake up thinking about draft choices we should have made that would have impacted the franchise for a long time, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theo-epstein/i-still-wake-up-thinking-about-draft-choices-we-should-have-made-that/) [Theo Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theo-epstein/) > [The first draft of 'Ex Machina' is extremely different than the finished film. That would be like 10% of the original draft stayed into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-garland/the-first-draft-of-ex-machina-is-extremely-different-than-the/) [Alex Garland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-garland/) > [At the combine and at my workouts, I tried to be the perfect player. I tried to promote my strengths and conceal my weaknesses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-smith/at-the-combine-and-at-my-workouts-i-tried-to-be-the-perfect-player-i/) [Alex Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-smith/) > [There are some writers who are done when they finish a draft because they've thought it through beforehand. Whereas I'll finish a first draft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-julavits/there-are-some-writers-who-are-done-when-they-finish-a-draft-because/) [Heidi Julavits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-julavits/) > [With my first book, I was hired to write a draft of the script. I was so young and less confident. 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But to me, it's not where I get drafted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saquon-barkley/from-watching-the-draft-and-following-the-nfl-closely-anything-can/) [Saquon Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saquon-barkley/) > [We just have fun with our NFL Draft coverage because we understand that it's a long process, and there can be technical glitches that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-eisen/we-just-have-fun-with-our-nfl-draft-coverage-because-we-understand/) [Rich Eisen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-eisen/) > [“The first draft is always shit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/the-first-draft-is-always-shit/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Every first draft is perfect, because all a first draft has to do is exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/every-first-draft-is-perfect-because-all-a-first-draft-has-to-do-is/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) Browse all 544 Draft quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Generally I finish a first draft in 2-6 months, then I set it aside for a while so that when I come back to it I can read it with fresh eyes and figure out how to improve it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Margaret Haddix" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-haddix/generally-i-finish-a-first-draft-in-2-6-months-then-i-set-it-aside/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Draft" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-haddix/generally-i-finish-a-first-draft-in-2-6-months-then-i-set-it-aside/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e7/margaret-haddix-27300_draft_generally-i-finish-a-first-draft-in-2-6_2218707.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e7/margaret-haddix-27300_draft_generally-i-finish-a-first-draft-in-2-6_2218707.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e7/margaret-haddix-27300_draft_generally-i-finish-a-first-draft-in-2-6_2218707.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Generally I finish a first draft in 2-6 months, then I set it aside for a while so that when I come back to…” — Margaret Haddix", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Margaret Haddix", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-haddix/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Generally I finish a first draft...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-haddix/generally-i-finish-a-first-draft-in-2-6-months-then-i-set-it-aside/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-haddix/generally-i-finish-a-first-draft-in-2-6-months-then-i-set-it-aside/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```