journal # 3

                In the writing “Shitty first Draft” by Anne Lamott she explains to me that writing is a process that doesn’t not occur in one sitting. You really have to let yourself go when writing you first draft. It is just a time to get whatever you are thinking down onto a page. Write as if you were a child expressing your emotions fully after getting yelled at by a grown- up. Anne helps me to realize that writers are nowhere near perfect; they are just like the rest of us. They don’t just have vision and sit down once, writing a beautiful story without corrections. They all write shitty first drafts, to just get something down on paper. Then after do corrections and write an up draft which mean a fix it up draft. The process of writing is simpler than we perceive it to be. People see writing as a complex objective with only one chance to get it perfect on paper. Well it is very complex but the chances you have are limitless. If you write one time you will only get so much out of the first draft. After reviewing, editing, and adding/ deleting one will see a huge improvement in the overall quality of writing and the finished product compared to the “shitty first draft”.

After reading this I will allow myself to let it all out when writing my shitty first draft. I have actually recently been using this method in writing some of my college papers. I would just get a pen and paper and write my story as if I were just thinking it in my head. The words would not always flow but just come out as my brain told me. Because I can make scribble marks on regular paper it is more relaxing for me to use a pen than computer. When I write my first draft for my personal narrative I now have a more confident approach to start off my paper. I now know that it is ok to just write whatever you’re thinking, free of errors, and free of ridicule, just write. I know after I can come back and correct and change whatever I don’t like in the “shitty first draft”. Also I can always just start again. Even if I find only one paragraph that is relatable to my topic I know I have made a successful first draft. It is really just to get your mind focused on your topic while you let everything else out the window. It may be that the one paragraph you found could be the hook/conclusion/topic, or introduction to your story that was really needed to make your story readable.

Overall I would say just to let things fly when coming to starting a write. You can always come back and correct your mistakes, and change whatever is not fit for your paper. Anne knows as a writer you feel like you’re pulling teeth just to get down a rough draft. Writing doesn’t have to be like this. After you write a shitty first draft your writing will get better and overall bring it together and make your writing a much more relaxed journey to a finished paper.