Shitty First Drafts

Lamott: Shitty First Drafts

Wow! I loved the article "Shitty First Drafts" by Anne Lamott. After reading the article I feel more normal, maybe I'm not such a bad writer after all. Lamott describes the normal stages a writer goes through before he or she finishes their final paper, book, or article. Lamott's article made me realize, every story, article, and paper starts slow and disorganized. Lamott said that possibly the hardest part of writing, is figuring out where to begin.

My best thoughts come when I'm sitting down with a pen and paper. Maybe I'm old fashion, but it's easier for me to just let my mind wonder. Sitting at a computer with a blank white screen intimidates me. When I start a paper on a computer, I start worrying about all the words that are underlined, all the phrases that are highlighted, it makes me crazy! I worry about the organization of the paragraphs, the punctuation of a sentence; I cannot seem to just focus on my thoughts.

Writing comes much easier for me when it's a topic that interests me. A topic that really gets my blood boiling, a topic that makes me want to learn more. Writing a paper on an interest I have, of a strong moral, or personal view, will keep me motivated and awake. This applies to all areas in my life, not just writing. If I have to sit through a lecture, or even talk to a friend on the phone, I get bored and my mind will go on to other thoughts. Maybe my daughter is correct maybe I do have Adult Attention Disorder, it just seems easier to focus on the things that matter to me.

Another motivation, to get a paper done, is a deadline. Working on a deadline helps keep me on a schedule. A deadline gives me a time a paper is due and the opportunity to map out what needs done and the time it will take to get it done. I have always thought of myself as a procrastinator when it comes to writing, but, after reading Lamott's article, I realize I have fear. Fear of not knowing how or where to begin a paper. Fear that the first draft has to be perfect.

Lamott's article, gave me comfort knowing the greatest writers begin their bestselling books or novels the same way I do, with a shitty first draft. I don't have to be perfect I just need to start. No matter where or how you start writing, it is a start, and you can develop from that point.