WEEK 3 Assignment: Devrani Brahmanand

         Both essays “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lamott and “Rethinking the Shitty First Draft” by George Dila shed light on the topic of writing first drafts. While “Rethinking Shitty First Drafts” contradicts “Shitty First Draft”, each author both establishes their own perspective on the process it takes to obtain an exceptional essay. The basis of Anne’s essay “Shitty First Drafts”, initiates and informs the audience the method she utilizes for her writings. She encourages and inspires other writers that it is adequate to begin writing “shitty” drafts one after the other in order to reach the expectations and standards of establishing a writing piece. Anne states “For me and most of the other writers I know, writing is not rapturous. In fact, the only way I can get anything written at all is to write really, really shitty first drafts. The first draft is the child’s draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later” (Lamott, lines 4-6).  Lamott suggests that a shitty first draft is the key to a kick off. She describes her experience when  writing restaurant reviews for California magazine.Writing horrible drafts enabled her to see a change in her writings.In “Rethinking the Shitty First Draft”, I for one agree with George’s point of view and arguments he provides to support his claim. George Dila states “ He begins pouring cement for the foundation, it is uneven and the cement is somewhat watery, but he can’t stop to fix it. He begins hammering the walls up. They are cockeyed, and a bit shaky, but no problem, he can fix them later… Oops. Forgot the electrical wiring…You get the idea. The builder would end up with a pretty shitty house; so shitty it would probably be easier to tear it down and start over, maybe a little more carefully the next time” (Dila, paragraph 12-13)The analogy that George utilizes helps support his claim and makes his argument stronger. It is important to keep moving forward and leave nothing vital out. Leaving something out or forgetting a main idea or evidence  can throw your writing off in a way that will result in having to do double the work. My writing process is more like George’s writing process than Anne’s writing process. I believe starting from a “shitty” format will lead to the downfall of his/her essay. Growing up I have always begun my writing in a way that kept me intrigued and wanting to keep reading. Placing pressure and negative energy on myself would rather discourage me. Rather, one should have a clear focus and great opening that will aspire the author to expressing their creativity through affection rather than writing “shit”.