Shitty First Drafts

In Anne Lamott’s essay Shitty First Drafts, she discusses the idea that one must start somewhere when writing a paper, even if that is just with a jumble of sentences, some of which may be unnecessary. Lamott claims that all writers start with some type of shitty first draft and that is the only way they end up with their later, terrific drafts. Lamott explains that even people who write for a living often have roadblocks in their mind and have to develop from shitty first drafts.

            Reading Lamott’s essay was very encouraging to a writer like myself, who can sit and look at a blank Word document for hours while I brainstorm in an effort to find something to write. She stated that very few writers know what the outcome will be of what they are writing before they write it. I can relate to this because sometimes it takes a few paragraphs before you can figure out where you’re going with something. Once we start writing the ideas come to us quicker as we “get the juices flowing” in our minds. Realizing that this feeling of “pulling teeth” that Lamott mentioned is common was very encouraging as well because sometimes it just feels like I’m grasping for something to write and it seems really forced.

            I liked Lamott’s idea about writing a “child’s draft” first, because as she said “You need to start somewhere.” It’s a good way to get all your ideas out there. This is another article I wish someone would have shown me in high school, like Robert’s How to Say Nothing in 500 Words. I also enjoyed her saying that the first is the down draft, where you just get everything down on paper, and the second is the up draft, where you fix it all up. I like this approach better than how they made us write in high school, where every sentence had to be grammatically perfect and sophisticated from the start.

            Lamott’s discussion on all the little voices in your head that prevent you from writing what first comes to your fingers was very humorous to me. That was probably what I could relate to most in the essay. I feel like those voices, that say “that’s too boring” or tell you that what you’ve written just wont work, definitely cause me to hold back sometimes when I’m writing. Her exercise with the mice, which was also funny, is actually a good idea of a way to clear my mind because I like silly visual things like that.

            The section about perfectionism eased some of my anxieties because it made me realize that I often strive to create perfect sentences and feel like I’ve failed but Lamott suggests that perfect sentences leave no room for playfulness and other aspects that make a paper interesting.  She also insists that when we strive for perfection we cramp up our muscles that allow us to write freely.

            Anne Lamott’s essay Shitty First Drafts was very helpful for those times when I feel like there is absolutely nothing to write. She encouraged writers to let it all flow out even if you don’t know where you’re going with it. Now I know if I’m in a rut with no ideas and pages to write, all I have to do is write a Shitty First Draft.