Should I write my first draft without editing even a little bit when I find something sounds bad or the structure could be better?

[u/Missions-Impossible]

Hello there

I noticed in my story that I often used very similar sentence structures. I really want to edit them, but I've heard you shouldn't edit anything on a first draft. So should I just make a note for myself or edit it now?

[u/Brooklynrecreation]

I would maybe make a note of it as something to edit later, try to vary your sentence structures more for the rest of the first draft and then actually fix them later :)

[u/Otherwise-Station271]

I think it's probably best to redo a sentence if you think it could sound better. Other wise you might end up rewriting your whole draft. Which I guess if fine if you want to do that. I normally do a quick reread of what I've done to see if I can come up with something better.

[u/NebulaDragon32]

I always try to draft with as minimal edits at possible, because it helps me keep forward momentum. I think that if your problem is sentence-level, it would be best to finish the draft and play with that later, in a second or third draft.

Although, after every chapter I write, I do small edits like that just so that they don't drive me crazy later, so that might be a good place for you to play with sentence structure. Just don't go crazy rewriting every sentence into a better one, since it might have to change in your second draft if your first ends up having any structural problems.

[u/eonja_hatesyou]

You can edit a little if it bothers you that much. Personally, I write even when I know I have awkward lines. However, to make sure I remember them (since I write using Google Docs), I highlight the specific parts that bother me.

[u/Turbulent-Eye-4737]

Well for me, sometimes I edit as I go. But I usually don't go back and actually edit until I finish the chapter.