Shitty First Drafts Reading Response- Taylor Wilhelmy
The except from "Shitty First Drafts" by Anne Lamott shows the struggle that most writers face when trying to write a great piece. Whether it's an article, school paper or a critique, as stated in this except, most people struggle when trying to write for the first time. Lamott concludes the piece perfectly by describing the writing process by stating
By describing the writing process in this manner, Lamott shows that writing is difficult, yet, with each new look, it can improve. I feel the same way about writing. My first draft is always the worst. I am always to vague and straight to the point that I never can relay the message as convincing as I need to. I always have to step away for a while and then I come back to it with a new mindset. As I continue the process that Lamott describes in the except, I can feel my writing getting stronger and more fluid and convincing. Whenever I have someone read my first draft, they always tell me that I am too literal. Once I finish my final draft and show them the final product, they always tell me that the paper has improved drastically and now it is more convincing. This just goes to show that I am not the only one that struggles with writing and that I am not the only one that has to reread and rewrite almost everything I do because I can never write a solid first draft. This is also why I hated standardized testing. With the very limited time frame, it was always very hard to plan, write, edit and revise my essays in that short of time frame. I always struggled with them because I could never get a solid first concept. Now knowing that my terrible first drafts are common, I feel more at ease with it. It also shows that writing terrible the first time around is normal and it is part of the process.
"... the first draft is the down draft -- you just get it down. The second draft is the up draft -- you fix it up. You try to say what you have to say more accurately. And the third draft is the dental draft, where you check every tooth, to see if it's loose or cramped or decayed, or even, God help us, healthy" (Lamott 2).
By describing the writing process in this manner, Lamott shows that writing is difficult, yet, with each new look, it can improve. I feel the same way about writing. My first draft is always the worst. I am always to vague and straight to the point that I never can relay the message as convincing as I need to. I always have to step away for a while and then I come back to it with a new mindset. As I continue the process that Lamott describes in the except, I can feel my writing getting stronger and more fluid and convincing. Whenever I have someone read my first draft, they always tell me that I am too literal. Once I finish my final draft and show them the final product, they always tell me that the paper has improved drastically and now it is more convincing. This just goes to show that I am not the only one that struggles with writing and that I am not the only one that has to reread and rewrite almost everything I do because I can never write a solid first draft. This is also why I hated standardized testing. With the very limited time frame, it was always very hard to plan, write, edit and revise my essays in that short of time frame. I always struggled with them because I could never get a solid first concept. Now knowing that my terrible first drafts are common, I feel more at ease with it. It also shows that writing terrible the first time around is normal and it is part of the process.
The time frame on standardized testing has always hung over my head in a similar way. The expectations to write a strong, well-thoughtout essay in a limited time frame was always difficult and frustrating.
ReplyDeleteHi Taylor
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Standardized tests are not very efficient. The analysis of the process and the improvement one can observe in drafts shows more evidence of growth and goal achievement. Thank you for your response