"Shitty first drafts"

“Shitty first drafts” by Anne Lamott gives us insight into her very own writing process. Anne takes us through all of the things she does to turn a first draft into a final paper. She tells us that it is okay to have a “shitty” first draft, because eventually you will tweak it to perfection. Lamott also gives us a little background about the type of writing she does. She tells us that she used to write for California magazine as a food critic before it folded. As she would sit in restaurants surveying different types of foods with her friends, she would write every little thing down. Everything from the way the food looks, tastes, smells, all the way to the things she and her friends would discuss. This goes hand in hand with writing a first draft; the only important thing is getting all of your ideas down on paper. Lamott emphasizes the fact that the first draft is all about the process, not the product. Through the process, you will reach the product. I agree with her position one hundred percent. When I write a first draft, I am not really concerned with the quality of my writing; I just want to have all of my ideas down on paper. She even talks about how it is okay to have ridiculous lines in your first draft, such as “Well, so what, Mr. Poopy Pants?". Later on when you are on your second draft, you may find some inspiration from a ridiculous quote like that. Anne’s story really illuminated the fact that I am not the only one who struggles to begin writing a first draft. She even talks about how a lot of famous authors often struggle to begin a first draft. A writer that Anne knows tells her every morning that he says to himself, “It's not like you don't have a choice, because you do -- you can either type, or kill yourself.” Lamott’s process is very easy to relate to. She talks about how getting started is the hardest part and sometimes you feel as if you’re going to kill yourself if you don’t come up with a good story. Personally, getting started is the hardest part of the writing process for me. I usually sit alone, in silence, for thirty or so minutes before the writing starts to flow. And like Anne, I may go grab something to eat to sort of calm myself down and achieve a feeling of satisfaction from being full. But once I start writing, it’s just as hard for me to stop as it was for me to begin. I write all of my drafts on paper, and then I go back and type them. I like to do this because it is almost as if I am writing my second draft when I type; I am able to make corrections and eliminate different ideas as I type. Overall, I thought “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lammott did a wonderful job of outlining what the writing process is all about.