rough draft
First writing attempt
A rough draft is an early version of a piece of writing, produced before revision and polishing.
The roughness is the point—getting ideas down without worrying about perfection: Just write a rough draft first; you can fix it later.
Also called a first draft, though rough drafts may follow earlier attempts.
Summary of key elements
- sketchHasty informal drawing
- conceptAbstract mental construct
- blueprintDetailed technical drawing
- frameworkUnderlying support system
structure · brainstorming · notes · jotting · scribble · prototype · idea · composition
Refining content for clarity
- rewriteRevise text substantially
- proofreadingChecking text for mistakes
- correctionsAdjustments to fix errors
- amendmentsFormal changes to documents
markup · annotations · feedback · critique · copyediting · modifications · rewording · restructuring
Lacking finish or refinement
- rawIn original state
- incompleteLacking necessary parts
- preliminaryBefore the main part
- rudimentaryIn simplest possible form
crude · unrefined · imperfect · unfinished · messy · choppy · disjointed · skeletal
Smoothing by friction
- smoothingReducing irregularities systematically
- tighteningMaking less loose
- sharpeningMaking more cutting
- clarificationMaking meaning plain
enhancement · finetuning · tweaking · perfecting · elevating · enriching · honing · streamlining
outline
Summary of key elements
framework · structure · brainstorming · notes · jotting · scribble · prototype · idea · composition · narrative
editing
Refining content for clarity
- rewriteRevise text substantially
- proofreadingChecking text for mistakes
- correctionsAdjustments to fix errors
amendments · markup · annotations · feedback · critique · copyediting · modifications · rewording · restructuring · adjustments
unpolished
Lacking finish or refinement
- rawIn original state
- incompleteLacking necessary parts
- preliminaryBefore the main part
rudimentary · crude · unrefined · imperfect · unfinished · messy · choppy · disjointed · skeletal · barebones
polishing
Smoothing by friction
- smoothingReducing irregularities systematically
- tighteningMaking less loose
- sharpeningMaking more cutting
clarification · enhancement · finetuning · tweaking · perfecting · elevating · enriching · honing · streamlining · cleaning up
- preliminarieswarmup, warm-up, qualifying exam, intro, preface
- design processbrainstorming, prototyping, concept, wireframe, sketches
- Prewritingbrainstorming, outlining, freewriting, mind mapping, mindmap
- shoddinessslipshod, slapdash, hack job, botch job, botch
- unfinished workswork in progress, abandoned project
- Unpublished Worksmanuscript, outline, unfinished novel, demo, demo recording
rough draftfinished product
Completed manufactured good
final version · fair copy · clean copy · edited version · master copy
rough, draft, roughly, drafting, redraft, drafty, roughen, redrafting, roughhousing