Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Shitty First Drafts (Blog # 3)


As I finish reading "Shitty First Drafts" by Anne Lamott I realize how important writing a shitty first draft really is. I have always felt that I had to write my best from the very beginning of a writing assignment or paper. Felling like from the moment my fingers hit the keyboard or my pencil hitting the paper, all I have ever thought is this paper has to be "perfect." Of course their is always room for improvement, but now reading this article I finally feel like I can let my creativity run and set my mind free. I can actually have verbal throw up and just write what I fell without having to feel like my first draft has to be perfection. Instead of getting writers block and staring at my computer or piece of paper with a blank and unpleasant look on my face, I can actually enjoy writing more with knowing it is ok to write a bad first draft. 

Lamott says in her article that "very few writers know what they are doing until they've done it." I love this line because everyone has their own "it". And that "it" is discovered when their first draft is done and their 2nd and 3rd drafts are complete. After completing the steps the writer can then define that "it" as their final piece of writing that they are satisfied and happy with. Lamott talks about her process of writing and that even the most successful writers don’t just sit down and start writing. Most writers have a “shitty first draft.”



You have to start somewhere when writing, and a good start is to just write whatever “visions” and “voices” come through to you, as Lamott says. I loved this article and am going to take this one to heart as I continue to write in this class. I feel like I will find myself writing a lot better and become more creative if I just let go and write from my soul. 


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