In Anne Lamott’s article “Shitty First Drafts,” the author writes about first draft that are “incoherent, hideous” and just downright “shitty.” The author explains how even professional writers sit at their desks with fear in their eyes, and desperation in their heart dreading the writing process hoping to get some type of enlightenment that will help them write their next story. Lamott then goes on to elaborate how that fear and anguish is exactly what great authors need to create their masterpiece. According to Lamott a “child’s draft,” is exactly what writers need to get their ideas on paper. A “child’s draft” is usually the first draft where thoughts flow freely, later the writer goes back polishes the shitty first draft to create a decent…
This year I finalized my writing process and how I choose to go about writing my works. I focused on a number of Composition and Writing Process pieces in my portfolio. In the past, I was used to writing rough drafts for all my final papers and only occasionally would I write an outline for them as well. As shown mainly through the Cultural Identity process, the slower and more thorough of a process I take with my writing, the better it will be. Similarly, the rough draft I wrote for my persuasive essay showed multiple errors and places that need to be fixed and patched up in order to improve the strength of my message. For a good majority of the papers I wrote this year, I wrote an outline and a rough draft that was revised at least once. I believe that I have become accustom to a writing…
Like me, many students believe that procrastinating and writing a one-draft paper is the best way to approach a writing assignment; however, research claims this method has numerous negative effects on the individual. Therefore, other students and I should learn to begin their writing process in advance in order to avoid the feelings of fatigue, guilt, and anxiety after turning in an important…
Over the years, writing went from being a process to becoming a series of many processes. Brainstorming, drafting, revising are just some of the events that take place in writing. Finding a flow for words can be a greater challenge. Words do not write themselves. Since writing is never an easy process, the first thing I want is a plan. The more disorganized a paper becomes the harder it is to fix. Before I start writing, I read the topic several times to get a complete understanding of what I should be writing. I need to think about the topic before I start writing ideas and quotes down on paper. In order to stimulate my thoughts, I may not start writing until hours later. By doing this, my brain has time to process my thoughts throughout the day; ideas may formulate faster. Webs or outlines become frustrating, so those are usually avoided. I like to pour out all of the words that are on my mind and write them on paper. Without good ideas, an essay will get nowhere. In my writing, I may choose to go one path or many paths. Normally, I choose the path that requires the less amount of effort since time is usually against me. This time is different though. I want to evolve as a writer since writing does not come naturally; it is a process that is learned over time with lots of effort (Knoll 5). It is impossible to know the end product of an essay, but this is why the writing process is a mystery. Regardless of the reason one writes, one must allow their creativity to be explored to allow their writing to develop.…
Never submit the first draft of a paper. Give yourself the time needed to revise it. Do not just proofread your paper, but write another draft. It is crucial that you always proofread you work. You will be sure that you have touched on all th...…
In the essays ‘Writing and its Rewards’ Richard Marius says that “writing is hard work, and although it may become easier with practice it is seldom easy”. Writing is not an easy task to do. It needs lots of patience and hard work. Good writers writes first draft then review it, if they don’t get satisfied they write it again. Even small piece of work can take large amount of time. Sometimes writers need loneliness so that they can think well. Success is not fixed always, all writers fail sometimes. But they try again and again; they test their writing every time and try to improve it.…
Who would have guessed that this low- grader in English could try out for the school paper? I believe that the freedom to express and impress through writing is everyone’s right to develop and engage. You may not know yet the writer within yourself deep inside waiting for the right moment to ‘boom’ as it slowly develops through minute form of writing.…
Once I got into college the first time, it was a huge eye opener to the amount of papers I had to write and I always found it difficult to find enough information about my paper with the fear of plagiarizing someone else’s work. My experience of writing was very sparse when it came to more than a page of work at a time. Every class I took in college seem to have at least one 10-page paper that needed to be written; I did not enjoy this and found it very frustrating. “Writing is a challenge for most writers, but for novices it is particularly challenging because they have limited experience of the writing process. They have not yet developed a more experienced writer’s understanding of writing or ability to deal with the emotional pitfalls of writing. As a result, writing can fill novices with feelings of dread and self-doubt.” (J. Cameron,…
Having writing class growing up has changed my life. It has taught me numerous lessons, ranging from discipline, to being a finisher, to expanding my appreciation of beauty. But most importantly, has transformed my character. Compared to my other homework assignments, writing has been the most engaging, meaningful, and mind-opening experience, because every new piece challenges me to live up to my full potential . Writing exemplifies what writing has taught me writing for the sake of writing without being attached to the result. When I first started, I looked forward to finishing the essay and receiving a good grade. My attention was completely oriented towards the end product. But as I matured into writing , I have learned to write for the joy I feel in the creative process itself, not for the result. for me, the most difficult aspect of writing is starting. It’s quite intimidating to look at a blank page and try to fill it with something substantial. Some days I feel that my creative juices are dried up like an African desert, which results in me staring at the blank page while anxiety builds. But the writing process is not for the faint of heart. With no inspiration, I strive onward, and sweat and struggle and strain to get something on page. I force my brain to conjure…
I have never thought of myself has a good writer it has always been my least favorite class and I always dreaded going to English class. So it is hard for me to admit that this semester English class is actually one of my favorite classes. I have completed every writing assignment on time that has been assigned receiving an A on each one of them. I find the brain storming process the most difficult. Thinking about the process ahead of time can help make your first draft more concise and complete, but it is the hardest to me. I find it easier when I just start writing. When I sit and think about it for too long it seems like I cannot get the words to come out. The process in writing that I like the most is the revising of the rough draft to the complete final copy. It reminds me of watching your baby grow up or watching a seed you planted turn into a beautiful flower. It…
She has perfectly described how hard it is to start writing, the most difficult part is starting. Anne Lamott has gave me an understanding along with Professor Trainor on how it is perfectly fine to have many first drafts, in fact it is better because that is a way on how you can always improve your writing. You literally jot down many ideas, anything that comes to mind and just keep going and going because no one is going to see that draft. I have struggled endlessly on starting to write, I believe it is the most difficult part for me as well because I just blank out when the moment comes and I just get up and try to distract myself so I could then focus, but I need to come up with a better technique because I just procrastinate and leave it at last minute. “ We all often feel like we are pulling teeth.”- Anne Lamott. I can relate to this quote because that is how it literally feels when you are just stuck in the computer trying to think of what to write. When our class first started to write about our blogs, the first assignment was to pick a topic that we would stick with the rest of the semester, I thought it was easy enough so I thought of a topic last minute and little did I know how difficult it would be to write about it for so many posts without getting bored or running out of information. I then had to switch topics about three times because I had writer’s block for the first two topics I had…
In the book “The Concise St. Martin’s Guide to Writing” written by Rise B. Axelrod and Charles R. Cooper, the most important advice that stood out to me was to always think critically. When I first read this caption in red I raised an eyebrow, but after reading the paragraph I reflected back upon how the writer should look back at their writing style to ensure a creative and clear process was used for the reader. This first chapter discusses briefly about why a person should write. It clearly breaks this notion down into four simple categories. Writing helps a per-son become creative in their though process, writing helps a person to educate themselves through learning, writing helps instill confidence when having to resolve issues, and writing…
The writing process does not end with your first draft. Revising means “seeing again” and that is exactly what you do when you revise—you see your writing again from as many different angles as possible. More specifically, revising your writing means working with it so that it says exactly what you mean in the most effective way. Revision involves both content (what you are trying to say) and form (how you deliver your message). Revising content consists of working with your words until they express your ideas as accurately and completely as possible. Revising form consists of working with the organization of your writing.…
Now, practically even better news than that of short assignments is the idea of shitty first drafts. All good writers write them. This is how they end up with good second drafts and terrific third drafts. People tend to look at successful writers who are getting their books published and maybe even doing well financially and think that they sit down at their desks every morning feeling like a million dollars, feeling great about who they are and how much talent they have and what a great story they have to tell; that they take in a few deep breaths, push back their sleeves, roll their necks a few times to get all the cricks out, and dive in, typing fully formed passages as fast as a court reporter. But this is just the fantasy of the uninitiated. I know some very great writers, writers you love who write beautifully and have made a great deal of money, and not one of them sits down routinely feeling wildly enthusiastic and confident. Not one of them writes elegant first drafts. All right, one of them does, but we do not like her very much. We do not think that she has a rich inner life or that God likes her or can even stand her. (Although when I mentioned this to my priest friend Tom, he said you can safely assume you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.)…
Writing is a craft. All serious writing is done in drafts with many hesitations, revisions, and new inspirations. Remember always that there is nothing natural about being able to write (we all have to be taught—over many years), and…