Why do authors always feel cold?

This joke warms us up with a classic bit of wordplay, the kind that makes you groan and grin at the same time. The humor comes from the brilliant double meaning of the word "draft." On one hand, a draft is a current of cold air, often felt when a window or door isn't quite sealed, making you shiver. On the other, and particularly relevant to authors, a "draft" is a preliminary version of a written work, a rough copy that still needs plenty of revising before it's ready for prime time.

Authors are intimately familiar with drafts—not just one, but often many. The writing process is rarely a straight shot from idea to masterpiece; it involves countless hours of writing, rewriting, and refining, leading to a stack (or digital folder) full of these unfinished versions. So, while they might not literally be shivering from a breeze, writers are constantly "surrounded by drafts" in their creative endeavors, perpetually immersed in the evolving stages of their work. This clever twist on a common word perfectly captures both the literal chill and the literary grind (Review).