zlacker

That staging area exists, and it's called "Articles for creation" (AfC). The website directs new editors to the staging area for their first article.

Drafts in AfC will not be deleted for being non-notable, but they will also not be indexed by search engines.

When a draft is ready to be published, a reviewer looks over it and ensures that it is properly cited, before moving it to the encyclopedia proper.

replies(1): >>benj11+V

>>common+(OP)
That's getting closer to what I was thinking, but that's for new editors, not new articles.

"Only experienced editors should ever create an article from scratch. Others should first create a draft page and build the article there."

And as you say they aren't indexed.

replies(1): >>common+v2

>>benj11+V
Experienced editors usually create a "userspace draft", which is in a different staging area:

Userspace drafts also won't be deleted for non-notability, and they can be published whenever the editor feels that they're ready.

Neither of the draft spaces on Wikipedia are indexed by search engines, because these staging areas generally aren't proofread by other editors.